The project itself is a work in process, but ultimately, I want a vertical display of pieces of tissue wrapping around wired structures. I want to create 7-12 standing structures of wire (standing on itself) outwards and sew the pinches tights; for each standing wired structure, 4-5 colors of tissue paper will be used to contrast the color with the empty interior of the wire. Not only will tissue be wrapped around individual wire but more than one which will create a plate of issue. Within some of these plates, the paper will be pinched will be solidified with water so they don’t unfold.
I initially wanted to orient the project around the paper pinches that we looked at in class. I love the effect, texture, and ultimately, dimension they give to the material. I want the viewer to be able to walk up to the statues and feel the material in the space three-dimensionally as well as it’s color and the light it reflects
In one of the lectures we watched in class, we learned of all the foldable things in the world and that you could technically fold anything form of matter. This made me think of wire, not only is it something that I love playing with on my own, but I think it folds beautifully, and that the type of wire greatly affects the way it will ultimately fold.
One of my peers in class also mentioned using tissue paper, therefore the idea of tissue paper crossed my mind as a pinchable material. I also want to mention that I grew up around a lot of stained glass whether it was in a window or a Moroccan lamp; I always found them very beautiful, so to make a form of my own is a really exciting project
I will first collect all the colors of tissue paper I want to use as well as the type of wire (preferably something malleable yet sturdy so it can stand on its own. Next, I will mend the wire and play around with the structures I want to create with them (7-12). After the structures are formed I will begin to wrap the tissue paper around the wire and form a plate. Some will turn out as flat, concave, folded, or pulled and twisted. To do this I will use the wet fold method and place some wet paper onto the tissue so they mold around the wire as well as hold their folds and shapes. Once the tissue is formed I will pinch them. Only for the folds will I design them before wrapping the tissue around the wire. Finally, I will configure the placement of each statue.
At first, I wanted to use fabric and not paper, however, I love the translucency of tissue paper and how its position in the light can reflect the color in different ways. It reminds me of the Moroccan lamps my mom keeps all over the house. I also love wire and playing around with it, so being able to use it to make an actual self-guided piece for a class feels very productive and enjoyable. Additionally, I want to keep it as abstract as possible, the sculptures will therefore not be representative of any figures or objects and kept completely spontaneous.
The trajectory of this project was faced under the general premise of cultivating a space with just wire and tissue paper. The concept of the work evolved with each day up until the day of installation where I had spontaneously decided to lay three sets of string between and on top of the figures. I had grown on the idea of an industrialized garden complemented by the knotted-up string which could be representative of current humanity’s complex relationship with nature.
