How We Connect these days

"How We Connect" WIP

I have just come back from Germany again. This time I took my daughter Mona (12) with me, now vaccinated. She's been missing her family over there, especially my sister, her aunt, and my mom, her grandmother. They are close, the pandemic didn't change that. 

Right after we had arrived we went to see my mom. She has been living in a nursing home, her Parkinson's is progressing fast. She cried when she saw Mona and hugged her as tightly as she could. Mona had crocheted a life-size duck for her, sunny yellow, so soft, and with a nice little smile. Something to hold while she's not there, she said.

We all went on a long afternoon walk and then had dinner together in her room until we had to leave because of the restricted visiting hours. It was such a good day.

The next day my mom was brought to the emergency room, some infection and a neurological unknown. She stayed in the hospital until we had to fly back after two weeks. I was able to see her one hour per day. Mona wasn't allowed in at all but at least the duck was. And we treasure that one day that we spent together.

We'll go back over the holidays, all of us.  It's less then eight weeks away while there are lots of things left to accomplish before then. Two shows coming up, for example. One of them is the exhibit of the projects of a 2020 virtual residency which I was gladly part of.

One more left to do: the largest sphere, 5"

 

I'm doing pretty well with my "How to Connect" piece, I'd say. One more sphere to cover with names, then sealing everything. With 353 spheres that may take a while though. And also, I want to make a video about it so viewers will be able to experience the interactive piece without touching it. 

There are days when I think I cannot make it, it's all too much, but today is not one of those days. Today is a I-can-do-it day even though I'm feeling completely overwhelmed at the same time. Does that even make sense?

Anyways. I've kept the largest sphere for last. The big finale, yes. I'm looking forward to seeing these balls, these groups of people together. One thing is for sure, this 5" sphere will cause a lot of commotion in the bowl.

 

More or less

WIP "How We Connect"

Clipping names, gluing on names, reading names, thinking about names.

About 330 names go on these 2 1/8" balls. I can complete one per day of this size plus get a few started.

All together, I have 345 spheres finished. There are only five more to do while three of them are halfway done. Now this sounds like I'm getting close to the finish line despite the fact that the remaining two are humongous with their 4" and 5" diameters compared to the tiny 1/4" ones.

Originally, I came up with the number 350 because I had tried various combinations, and this amount made a good pile in the bowl and looked just right all together. And it seemed doable, too (sort of). 

I found out that the number 350 is considered an "angel number" and as such is a symbol of positive vibrations and energy, of peace and, most of all, inevitable change. I do like the ring of all this, yes, I like it a lot. But I don't quite relate to the belief in angels. 

So I will go a different route: I will leave one sphere off or make three more to get to a prime number. A prime number seems to be a perfect metaphor for a social contract and how the social contract regulates the freedom of the individual and of a people. In this sense, a people is not divisible: A people is a people, even if it constantly changes. It can only be divided by one and by itself. 

WIP "How We Connect"

350 Puzzles

September used to be the month when I produce 30 pieces in 30 days. Last year I decided to take it slow. Because - you know. I still worked intensely during the challenge but I tried to breathe more and to focus on my inner peace. I completed a good number of images for my "Earth" series, not 30 but maybe seven or eight. - Meanwhile I'm at my last Earth piece. It's been resting in my studio, halfway done, because at some point I realized that I underestimated the time that I will need to finish my residency project: "How We Connect."

350 spheres have to be covered with names. I can fit ten names on the tiniest sphere, 1/4". Currently, I am at the 2 1/4" size balls which probably have room for 500 names each. Finding and clipping the names is one thing, but pasting on the names is what makes the process so incredibly time-consuming because it's about finding the right sizes of names for certain spots on each sphere. Because the way how the names are arranged says something about the group they represent and about the constellation of its members. Who is connected with whom? Therefore I try to avoid any overlapping of names, I want every name to be readable. And I don't want wrinkles. That's 350 puzzles to solve.

New Post - finally.

Long time no see, but here I am writing my first post after I had taken a year-long break from blogging. Being absent wasn't on purpose really, actually there were quite a few things happening that would have been worth sharing. Things that were inspiring and positive, stories of success. But I didn't feel like talking about those things. Life had exhausted me. I was too tired and too sad to share my thoughts. I'm in a much better place now, not that things have changed but I've found ways to deal with them in healthier ways.

I've been in my studio a lot. I have worked on my 24-piece "Earth" series, and the final piece is about to be finished. But before I can get back to it, I have to complete another large project, "How We Connect". It's an interactive 3-D piece about, well, you've guessed it, how we connect. It's about people in a society, the small and the large groups they form, the stratification, the movements, the random encounters, the temporary networks and systemic relationships.

For each group of people I am covering a wooden sphere with names. There are 350 spheres in various sizes - between 1/4" and 5" in diameter - which will be contained in a shallow and wobbly wooden bowl, piled up high. A fragile composition. I wrote about this project in more detail just a few posts ago.

I started working on this in the context of a virtual art residency which I was part of last May/June. An exhibit of the residents' projects is scheduled for the month of December. There's a significant amount of work to be done still, even though I have 300 spheres done already. But every single one, small or large, comes with its own challenge: the tiny ones are tough to hold, and the curvature makes it difficult to glue on even the shortest name. The large ones on the other hand, are easy to work on but very time-consuming as they can fit hundreds or thousands of names. So - not much time to dilly-dally, I have to clip clip clip and paste paste paste.