Friday, July 31, 2009

Disintegration project 1

Today I am unwrapping the first piece I made from my disintegration collaboration project (DisCo), a collaboration from the ingenious mind of Seth Apter. If you do nothing else today, please click on the link to his page and visit his blog. He is one of the best artists around, and if his blog isn't enough, just check out all the links associated with this collaboration or the previously posted Buried Treasures. You may never want to leave your computer again!!

To refresh your memory, back in January, I gutted a hard bound book, then bound the pages with twine. I turned some of the pages into bundles, which I also wrapped with the same twine.

On May 1, here is what the elements had done to the bundle. It was falling apart more from my lack of good tying rather than from the elements.

The clothes pin and heavy wire showed more wear than the pages.
Even the images inside were relatively undamaged.
When I put things back in the basement, I stored everything for this project in a plastic bag and hung it for easy retrieval, so everything would be handy when I began working on it.

In fact, I used that very image from above in my first completed piece.

To help the disintegration along and to make it fit, I burned one of the bundles,

while I left some with the bundles' original twine intact.


The only things I added that were not part of the bundle, were a piece of mesh, some masking tape, dressmaker tissues, part of a ruler, and two pieces of bark.

I covered the piece inside and out with a brown paper bag that I painted. I lined the piece edges with parts of the book pages. I think I like the back better than the front. The size is about 12" X 18".

And here it is, my masterpiece (number 1) made solely from recycled materials and the disintegration bundle. I used a section of the book as the mat for the photo. Because the pages had gotten wet, they didn't lay flat, so I added a piece of cardboard and paper bag I altered over the pages for support.



I chose this image because it reminded me that memory is fragile and as we age, we lose even the most precious memories if there is no attempt at preservation. Moments of life become blurred, distorted, and begin to disintegrate. Without preservation, or perhaps intervention, attempts to save this piece (and project) from the elements and from my memory would fade, distort, and decompose, too.


Please check back tomorrow for the second piece I am making from the rest of the disintegration pieces.

24 thoughtful remarks:

Mary S. Hunt said...

it turned out great!!!
a shadowbox
i have to say
i have been quite wondering what all was going to come of these items
so far everyone has really turned out some terrific work!

Halle said...

I love the piece!

~*~Magpie's Nest said...

Oh Elizabeth! What you've created with your bundles is wonderful in every way.
The distressed look of your creation is great, the image is super!
What you wrote is fantastic too! Can't wait for your next creation....I am a bit stuck here for some reason....need to just do it :)

BT said...

I just love your box and the way you have described your process. Will be back to see the second one.

deb said...

What an excellent idea, a shadow box, and memory is so fragile, and yet like the materials strangely resilient also...

ArtPropelled said...

I came to see your disintegration project and ended up reading every post on the page! Great piece you've created, Elizabeth! I love all the rolls of paper included in the shadow box.

MrCachet said...

GREAT ART! I only wish I'd been on the front end of this little game. In my neck of the woods, we go from 40 below to 100 above, and for the most part it is a dry climate. It really does paper in a bad way if there's any moisture involved in the cooling/heating process. I hope there's another go at this little game, but for now I just get to enjoy the fruit!

marianne said...

this is great, and i love your explanation of what it means to you. this is like finding buried treasure, checking out everyone's process & results- look forward to seeing #2

Dymphie said...

love this, all the rolls add so much to the overall view of your piece, wonderful work.

Nikki Lee Anne Ghilain said...

Your work is Amazing!

Caterina Giglio said...

I love the image of the bicycle which is such a an eloquent statement for such a wonderful piece of work. beautiful!

Unknown said...

LOVE this and the meaning behind it. So true about the memory fading!
And on another note...one of my 5 cats is a grey similar in looks to your beauty I see in the side bar over there!!

Zoe, ontheroad said...

It really came together beautifully.

Anonymous said...

The bicycle reminds me that time moves on - your artwork tells me to capture the moment before I forget. Thanks.

Renee Howell said...

Oh gosh - LOVE your piece. However, I'm really laughing because in your first picture - with the red "disco project" - I thought you literally stamped that on your wall in the basement closet so you wouldn't loose the project! Lovely post for many reasons

Julie Prichard said...

I love the rolls of paper!

Don Madden said...

A very interesting piece. I'm looking forward to see the next part.

Wayne Pitchko said...

nicely done...i like how it turned out

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

I love how you rolled everything into tubes. It's such a pleasing shape. A circle is round and never ends...I guess our art journey's are never ending circles too. We simply travel at differnt speeds.

Thanks for visitng my post and for playing Lucky Dip!

Anonymous said...

wow -- this is just gorgeous! i think... one of my favorite things in the world. you did a fabulous job!!

Kim Palmer said...

Love this piece! I am all for a good burning, LOL! Love where you have taken your disintegration items!!!

Anonymous said...

Fantastic!

Diane said...

Great assemblage piece. I love how you stacked your paper bundles, keeping some of the orginal twine intact. The added burned bundle was a great idea too. But, the image you used is what caught my eye first!

judibel said...

Excellent assemblage from your DisCo elements.