Amelia Marlatt - Small World

03/08/26

I have taken apart the baby and after placing it inside found I will most likely only be useing the head and one arm and leg taking into account the space. There is a wooden piece on the bottom of the baby head that I would like to move in some way so I can fill the inside of the head.

I also painted the inside of the wardrobe case white. I am now trying to decide if I keep the inside white or paint it more a grayish color to resemble more of a concrete interior. Either way I don't want the inside walls to be any sort of focal point within this piece.

I have also create some vector outlines so I can use to laser cutter to make the stairs. I made two different kinds of stairs and am going to put both together and decide which I like best then.

 03/01/26

Artist Inspo:

Gohar Dashti

I first saw Dashti’s photography in a museum as was immediately drawn to it. After researching her I found her body work titled Home. I loved the way she captured the feeling of absence (in relation to hu an life) alongside this duality of growth (from the plant life). These photographs very much capture the feeling I would like to create within this project. 

Ideas: 

For my small world I have chosen the doll wardrobe that Ashley had from a previous installation course. At first i thought it was a tool box but after learning it was a doll wardrobe, I wanted to continue with the environmental route I have been taking.  Found a baby doll I would like to take apart and place within the wardrobe. I want this piece to comment on the idea that Lon after we are gone nature will reclaim everything around us. I plan on using mainly flocking and doing some needle felting. I am also thinking about using some of the crochet forms I have used in my past works. I don’t want this piece to necessarily make the viewer think negatively or positively about the environment or our impact, but rather just be an art work people can sit with and come to their own conclusion. This is very much opposite of my THIS gallery installation, but for this project I would rather focus on the materials of the piece rather than the message behind it. 

I didn’t draw the baby parts inside the box because I was unsure exactly where I would want to place them and didn’t want to make the decision until I could physically move them around within the box.

Keeley H – Small World/Miniature Installation

03/08/26

In Progress Updates:

I spent the last week preparing the interior of the jewelry box for my small world installation. This required a bit of work in the wood shop, but it was a nice change of pace! I cut off the drawers' faces to create the room within the piece, while still keeping the box's original look. I didn't take into account that there were spaces to fill with the shelving, but I'm planning to make that feel more cohesive and not like an afterthought. There is a small hole in the back of the jewelry box from a music box player that I will use to create the doorway for the secondary peephole in my original sketch. I'm super proud of how this has worked out so far, but it still needs quite a bit of work before I can start on the smaller details. 

I also have had the opportunity to learn more about the laser cutter! This has been so exciting and quite fascinating to work with. I designed these bed frames in Illustrator to the scale I needed for the tiny world installation, but I wasn't totally confident that they would make it through the actual cutting process. They are so tiny! But with some slight tweaks to the power and speed settings, these came out perfectly! I just need to get some gel superglue and put this tiny bed together. I do want to find other things I can make with the laser cutter to gain more experience and make the building process a little easier. 

I began staining some flat sticks to act as a hardwood floor, and I think I want to add a black and white tile floor into the other room within the installation. I want to have the entire jewelry box set up and ready to incorporate all the tiny details I want to include in the room. I also still need to figure out the lighting and how I want that to look. Luckily, I left the top drawer alone to hide all the lighting up there!

01/25/26

Initial Idea and Sketches:

    I was able to find a pretty, nice, and interesting vintage jewelry storage box. Instead of the usual opening at the top of the box, this one comes with a set of drawers. It also has two doors that open. I thought this object was interesting and gave me the most space to work with. In my sketches, I show how I want this object "posed," and it requires a bit of tinkering with the piece's insides. I want to keep the object looking as it originally did, but remove all the wood and excess behind the drawers to use as my gallery space. I will keep the outward faces of the drawers, but add a thin piece of wood or particle board to keep them from moving while still providing support to hold them in place. 

    Jewelry boxes hold precious items and are often quite a private place for both girls and women. I grew up with my mother having a large jewelry box that I remember holding all things tiny and important. I wasn't allowed to go through it until I was much older and could understand how to treat each object with care. Within my current body of work that is addressing issues of violence against women, I was questioning what a "safe space" could look like after such an experience. Is it truly safe? What would it look like in the aftermath of such a horrible event? To be quite vulnerable in this post, I couldn't necessarily even remember much of what that looked like after, but I remember what it felt like. 

    I want to be gentle with this piece. As these spaces are hard to come by and are hard to curate after living through sexual violence of any sort. I want it to be dark and fuzzy, symbolizing the body and mind's deregulation after such an ordeal, while also creating a soft, quiet healing space. That is what went into my design choices for the bedroom portion of the mini installation.

    But one other key element I can remember feeling after is the need to scrub, to clean, and the feeling that it will never be enough. So I thought about adding a bathroom. This room is not visible from the main peephole of the drawer, which is slightly ajar. I want to place another, more discreet peephole towards the bottom of the box, either on the sides or back, that people must find. The only clue that it exists is from the light coming through the door. (I was very much inspired by the installation at the museum with the door that goes nowhere and the choice to put light behind it) But mine will lead somewhere as long as people are willing to search for it. Maybe, in the end, this is two separate pieces brought together to add context, since placing both rooms under one title doesn't necessarily feel right. And maybe adding an additional title will hint to my audience that there is more to a hidden room. (Titles have always been really important to my work and to me)

Title Ideas: (After reading my book above, lol, any other ideas that feel more impactful to you title-wise, I would love to hear them!)

"Safe Haven"

"Rubbed Raw"

The sketch is quite quick and not necessarily all the way there, but the perspective I chose to draw it in was difficult to configure in 2D space, but I think it will make so much more sense once I get to building each element. I was also thinking that the top drawer of the box could be used to add overhead lighting or other hidden elements like sound or smell!

Artist Inspiration:

Judy Chicago: 

"Dinner Party"

I have no idea why the image quality on almost all the images availble for the "Dinner Party" installation are coming up so poor on this blog but I added in a link to Judy Chicago's website so that you can view them in a better light (if you want to ). I'm inspired by Judy Chicago because of her themes and imagery. I really enjoy how she utilizes such feminine imagery in a very masculine presentation. Placing a very vulnerable thing in a light of consumption. But not inviting mean to do any of the that because each place mat is given to a powerful or influential women in history. I find inspiration in her ability to put this work out there and let it speak for itself. 

Tracey Emin:

"My Bed"

I first discovered Tracey Emin in Rachel Sailor's class and was immediately drawn to how vulnerable the work was. I find inspiration in the realness of the work. There is nothing tailored here, and it took quite a bit of bravery and ability to have such a vulnerable moment laid bare for the world to witness and then judge. I think there is a bit of that in the idea I want to portray in my work. 

Kara Walker:

"Burning African Village Play Set with Big House and Lynching"

Kara Walker will always be an inspiration to me and my work. She puts out naratives in such a graphic way, both literally and symbolically. There is no sugar coating what is happening, and therefore it is quite abrupt to witness and digest. I find her ability to toe the line between grotesque scenes of brutality while also explaining history to be beautiful and I hope to achieve just a semblance of that in my work. 

Teresa Margolles:

"The Order of the Good Death - Papeles"

"Fourth Plinth"

Teresa Margolles' interest in violence, and death and how that appears in her work are interesting to me, and I find that many of my interests are reflected there. Her background and experience in forensics adds such a different edge to her work that I can't explain. It's graphic but quiet. The audience can put together what is going on or what is being referenced but in a way that is subdued. While some of her pieces are just full on out there. I'm interested in seeing what the balance could be for my work. 

Keeley, thank you for the care and honesty you brought to this post. The jewelry box is a strong and thoughtful found object choice, both physically and conceptually. Its associations with privacy, intimacy, and preciousness align clearly with the questions you are asking about safety, vulnerability, and what remains after violence. Your attention to the object’s existing structure—drawers, doors, thresholds—and your plan to carefully alter the interior while preserving the exterior shows a strong understanding of how a found space can function as a gallery rather than a container.

Your writing makes it clear that you are not interested in spectacle, and that restraint and gentleness are central to this work. The decision to keep the primary room quiet, dark, and soft, and to introduce the second, hidden space through light rather than visibility, feels conceptually grounded. The idea that the viewer must search for the second room mirrors the emotional logic of the piece, and the use of multiple peepholes as thresholds is particularly effective.

I do want to encourage you to think carefully about scope and necessity as you move forward. You have many strong elements at play—two rooms, light, sound or scent, multiple viewing points, and layered titles. As you refine the project, ask yourself which elements are essential to the experience, and which might be doing similar work conceptually. Fewer, more intentional decisions will allow the emotional weight of the piece to remain intact rather than becoming diffuse.

Your artist references are well chosen and thoughtfully articulated. Judy Chicago, Tracey Emin, Kara Walker, and Teresa Margolles all engage vulnerability, violence, and the politics of visibility in very different ways, and it’s clear you are thinking about how to balance quiet with confrontation. As you continue, I encourage you to let these references guide how much is shown versus withheld, and how material presence can speak without explanation. Is there a single artist you should/could focus on for this work?

Overall, this proposal is strong, sensitive, and conceptually aligned with the goals of the project. The next step is refinement: clarifying how the viewer encounters the work, narrowing the number of interventions, and ensuring that each decision is necessary and deliberate. You’re working from a place of care and intention—now it’s about letting the structure carry that weight.

Kane-Materialistic

 

3/5/26

Revised Idea: 

I would like create a room similar to a blanket fort, filled in an overwhelming fashion with stuffed animals and pillows. This is a space in which one would have to crawl into, with blankets creating a low ceiling. Muffled sounds of intensive arguing and aggressive footsteps will be incorporated, which will then be followed by deafening silence. This period of silence will be long enough for viewers to feel like the fighting might be over, only for it to start again. Experiences like this were common in my childhood and are also very prominent in today's political climate. 

Many people have used escapism as a tool to cope with real life situations, which can be healing at the same time that it can also be detrimental. This installation aims to provide a space that feels like the viewer is within range of the fighting and danger, but hidden away somewhere safe for the time being. The overwhelming amount of soft objects will contribute to the need for comfort, with the sheer number becoming a visual metaphor as to how badly this escape is needed. The experience aims to provide a sense of escape from the fighting hatred while also being aware of the impossibility of a true form of avoidance in regards to the problems we as a society face, both personally and politically.

 Materials List:

• Stuffed animals, estimated 100-200
• Cushions and pillows, estimated 10-20
• Blankets and comforters, estimated 10-20
• Speakers, 1-2
• Devices to stream music to speakers, 1-2
• Safety pins, tacks, nails, 100-200 

 

 

 

 

 

 2/19/26

 Idea: Teddy Bear Sanctuary

In today's world, I feel it is crucial to have safe spaces for people to retreat to when the current social climate becomes too much. Rest and recharging are important to the human psyche. Many adults also have lost their whimsy and wonder in their journeys from childhood to adulthood, and I would like to help bring those feelings back. In my installation, I aim to create a space reminiscent of blanket forts and playrooms but made to accommodate adults. This space will invite viewers to reclaim their childhood whimsy and enter a soft, warm, and safe place away from their current struggles of adult life.

 Materials List:

• Blankets (preferably soft and/or patterned)
• Low table or pedastal
• Stuffed animals (like a billion)
• Cusions/Pillows
• Ball pit
• Ball pit balls 
• Tea Set + Snacks
• Nails or tacks or something idk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artist Inspiration:

I am once again inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama, specifically her Obliteration Room installation. Like my Mini Installation, I am inspired by Kusama's usage of color, multiples, and transformative nature of space. Kusama's approach to installation will be incorporated into my work through the implementation of bright, rainbow colors, repetition of blankets and stuffed animals, and the complete transformation of the room into a large blanket fort suitable for the viewing experience.

The impulse toward refuge, softness, and reclaiming whimsy is generous. But right now this reads like a themed room, not an installation.

---

What’s Strong

• The concept of sanctuary.

• The acknowledgment of burnout and overstimulation.

• The desire to create a physical retreat.

• The interest in the transformation of space (good instinct referencing Yayoi Kusama).

You understand that installation can change an entire room. That’s promising.

---

Where It’s Weak (Right Now)

1. It reads like a college dorm hangout.

2. “Stuffed animals (like a billion)” signals lack of precision.

3. A ball pit + tea set + snacks risks novelty over meaning.

4. The concept is very general — “the world is hard” — which flattens the emotional depth.

You need to edit.

---

What You Needs to Clarify

• Is this about childhood memory?

• Is this about escapism?

• Is this about regression?

• Is this about the loss of innocence?

• Or is this about overstimulation and sensory reset?

Right now, it’s vague comfort.

Installation needs tension.

Even sanctuary needs stakes.

---

Kusama Reference 

Kusama’s Obliteration Room worked because:

• It began white.

• It transformed over time.

• Participation mattered.

• Repetition had conceptual grounding.

If you reference Kusama, you need:

• A transformation.

• A system.

• A rule.

Not just “a lot of stuff.”

---

The Ball Pit Question

Ball pit = high risk.

It becomes:

• Instagram.

• Novelty.

• Liability.

• Cleanup nightmare.

Unless it has conceptual grounding, I would advise removing it.

---

The Stuffed Animal Issue

Quantity is not concept.

Instead of “a billion stuffed animals,” what if:

• They are all missing an eye.

• They are all monochromatic.

• They are stitched together.

• They are suspended instead of placed.

• They form a wall.

Repetition needs structure.

---

How to Push This Toward Installation

Instead of:
Blankets + pillows + ball pit + tea set.

Consider:

• The entire ceiling lowered by hanging blankets.

• A compressed space you must crawl into.

• Sound dampened.

• Light softened.

• Outside noise faintly audible.

Now it becomes psychological architecture.

---

I appreciate your desire to create a sanctuary. That impulse is generous and needed. However, right now, this reads more like a themed room than an installation. Installation requires a clear system or transformation.

If you’re referencing Kusama, ask yourself: what is the rule? What changes? What is repeated with intention?

Be careful of novelty elements like a ball pit or tea set unless they serve the concept directly.

I want you to define what kind of sanctuary this is. Is it refuge? Is it regression? Is it escapism? Is it critique? That clarity will determine the materials you keep and the ones you remove.

Bri -Materialistic

 

3/5/26 - Refined Ideas

Over the course of the week, I have realized that I am not super happy with or excited about my original idea for this project. It just seems like a lot of hassle and will be a pain to make, store, and ship. The new idea I have in mind seems more enjoyable to make and would be more doable in our timeline. For this idea, I am thinking of trying to capture the sense of what it was like growing up at home in the Wyoming countryside, specifically, the peaceful fall mornings when my brother and I would walk down the end of our long dirt road together to meet the bus. One of the most prominent components I remember is the coos of the sandhill cranes that would fly overhead and rest in our grandfather's field nearby. 

To replicate this moment, I want to laser-cut a flock of Wyoming birds I see at home (probably all sandhill cranes after thinking about it more while writing this). I'd like to have 3 or 4 variations of birds, all in different poses, with some just taking off and others flying that will trail down the wall and eventually become smaller as if flying off into the distance. I'm curious as to how thick a material the laser cutter can go through, because I think this project would be best with some stiffer material than the chipboard. These pieces will all be separate so they can be hung up and taken down easily, but will also store flat and be light. I'm considering adding some paint to the etchings as well to add some extra detail to the birds.

The walls for this project will be positioned in a way that makes a tunnel between the stationary wall and the moving walls. possibly with a light blue colored sheet or fabric over the top that gently filters light through it. If possible, I want to paint the walls in a gradient that mimics the sunrise, probably being more of an abstract representation rather than true to life, so the room feels immersive, as if the viewer is taking an early morning walk. I'm also wondering if I could lay some small gravel on a clear tarp on the ground in the tunnel to portray the sense of walking down our dirt driveway. 

The final component that will bring the whole thing together is having 4 speakers play the coos of sandhill cranes (and possibly other birds), hidden behind my cutouts.

The sketch below is not blobby penguins, but an abstraction of the above sketch to show the layout of the walls to make the tunnel for the viewers to walk through.

New Materials List: 

• chipboard or a thin wood
• paint (yellow, orange, blue)
• blue or white sheets
• fine gravel
• clear tarp

However, I understand that it isn't fair to others to change my idea now, so I have a few new iterations of my original concept that make it more immersive. The first is making more cones that can hang from the ceiling and the wall to cover the corner of the gallery by the window in a wave of cones seen below). I would try to make 30 - 40 of these forms to fill the space, but it is possible that I may need even more than that, which makes this idea harder to accomplish in the time we have. 

The second new iteration I have is to make a hallway/tunnel with the moving walls and stationary walls that are covered in the cone forms, so the viewer is surrounded when they enter (below). I would like to make a ceiling out of fabric from sheets or something else that is long and wide to filter light from the spotlights into the tunnel so there is a soft ambient light. To help with time constraints, I have considered having the cones nearest to the window slowly fade into illustrations on the wall or flat cutouts made from chipboard or cardboard to still fill the space but reduce the amount of work needed. 

I would like to engineer the cones to be able to slide over the metal rods so they can be packaged separately. I'm also curious if the rods should be short and not visible or if they should look like plant stems. I'm worried that if they are too short, it would be a little too similar to your show in Fort Collins, but the shorter rods would be less time-consuming.

2/17/26 - Materialistic Ideas 

Joris Kuipers: Paper and wood-based installation

Website

 Joris Kuipers' style combines painting and sculpture through the utilization of hand-painted laser-cut shapes that are combined to make larger organic forms suspended in the air.  His colorful compositions bring the beauty of nature indoors, offering a sense of calm, wonder, and connection. Joris celebrates nature’s organic forms through dynamic and lively installations that energize interiors.

For my own installation, I have been interested in utilizing paper or wood components that are suspended in the air or held on the end of steel rods. I like Kuipers' use of color and plant-like imagery to transform a space and liven up a neutral colored space. 

Jardins Suspendus, Aluminum Alloy, Acrylic Paint, 2026

Floral Abstraction III, Acrylic paint and gold leaf on wood, 2019

Jardin Supendus I, Acrylic paint on wood, 2012

 

My Ideas:

I have been struggling to get any ideas down that I liked because most were either too complex for the time we had or too simple, so I didn't feel they reflected my work ethic or pushed my skills. I finally found one today that uses some of the forms of my wood and paper piece but are made with materials that are quicker for me to use while also filling the space. I plan on making multiple conical shapes that are held up by steel rods, either welded to plates, with three branching feet or welded to other cones to make interconnected bundles. They will stand at around 1 - 1.5 feet tall when complete. The cones themselves will be around 4 inches tall with a 2 - 2.5-inch opening made from chicken wire and plaster gauze, cast paper, or rolled/forged steel sheets. I would like the cones to stay a white color to match the walls (possibly with some dry brushing of other tones of grey) while having pops of color within the inside of the cones with purple colored fluff of various shades. I'm unsure if I should use fluffy faux fur or wool roving for the texture on the inside. 

With this installation, I would like to portray the feelings of unity and interconnection, with each form being different yet visually connected to the others. I also want this area to provide a sense of peace, like standing in a field of flowers. To push this, I wonder if having some sort of sound playing would help, like the rustling of plants or a gentle breeze. 

Examples of the cone forms standing up and with texture on the inside.

This image is the sketch for how I would like my pieces to be displayed, with some being attached to the walls and floor. I'm curious as to how this installation could look if I hung some of the cones from the ceiling (It might be too much going on.)

Materials List:

• Steel rod (30 - 40ft)
• steel sheets?
• chicken wire
• plaster gauze or paper
• faux fur or various bundles of purple roving

Bri,

You are thinking carefully about material, and that shows. I appreciate that you’re considering scale, repetition, structure, and fabrication time realistically. That’s mature decision-making.

However, right now this still reads as a series of sculptural objects placed in a space rather than an installation that transforms the space.

The cones themselves are interesting forms. The contrast between a restrained white exterior and a saturated interior has potential. The idea of unity and interconnection is strong — but that concept needs to show up spatially, not just symbolically.

A few things to consider:

1. Scale + Quantity
If the cones are only 4 inches tall and mounted on 1–1.5 ft rods, they risk feeling like a field of small sculptures rather than an immersive environment. Installation depends on density and repetition. How many are you realistically making? Ten will not change a room. Twenty might begin to. Think about volume and how it alters space.

2. Spatial Activation
Right now, they appear to stand upright like specimens. What happens if:

• Some lean?

• Some cluster tightly?

• Some emerge from the wall?

• Some interrupt the viewer’s path?

• Some hang at eye level?

Ask yourself: what does the room feel like when someone walks in? Are they navigating? Surrounded? Immersed? Installation is not just repetition of forms — it is how those forms reorganize space.

3. Steel Rods + Structure
Be careful that the rods don’t visually dominate unless that’s intentional. Are they purely structural, or are they conceptually part of the interconnection? If unity is key, perhaps the rods physically connect forms rather than simply holding them upright.

4. Interior Material (Fur vs. Roving)
Faux fur could quickly read decorative or artificial. Wool roving may feel more organic and restrained. Given your reference to a field of flowers and calmness, subtlety may be stronger than spectacle.

5. Think Beyond the Making
I also want you thinking about the life of this piece beyond critique.

• Where does this live after deinstallation?

• Does it break down?

• Are the rods detachable?

• Do the cones slip on and off?

• Can bases stack?

• How does it transport?

• If shown again in five years, will it hold up?

If everything is welded permanently, this becomes bulky and difficult to store or ship. Installation artists think about disassembly and modular systems. If unity and interconnection are your themes, perhaps the system itself reflects that — components that connect and disconnect, adapt, and reconfigure in new spaces.

Right now you’re designing forms. I want you designing a system — spatially and structurally.

Let’s talk through density and a modular strategy in person so this moves beyond a collection of objects and into a resolved installation.

Bethany - Materialistic

March 2

I didn’t get to work as much this week so I don’t have as much to report, but I got a few things done. First, I looked through my excel sheet to figure out the conversion factor for the individual pieces I will need to cut out for the pattern. I had a funky number, so I rounded a bit. Then, I cut out cardboard guides for each of the pieces. I cut out fabric from that to double check that everything is right, but I haven’t had the chance to sew it up yet. If I need to edit the size of the guides I can do that after I sew it up. I  I think I will cover the edges of the cardboard with tape before using them for cutting.

I think I may need a new blade for my rotary cutter, too. It was not cutting very well on my mock ups. 

I’m worried I may not have enough to fill the space based on my number of houses. I am considering having just blank fabric hanging in between if needed to bulk the fabric use up.

Feb 19

This week, I made four sewing mock-ups to settle on a pattern and figure out how much fabric I would need.

First, I used this pattern. I unfortunately lost this sample, but I learned a lot of issues with sewing this type of fabric. I also wanted to make a bigger version to see if that made things easier.

Next, I made the no-seam version of the pattern twice as big. I used a flat-felled seam so there wouldn’t be a raw side. I thought I would like this better, but I found it really difficult to make straight lines and I actually liked the raw side more. I also realized with this version that the lines look strange without color.

Then, I decided to try just stitching the house shape. This was surprisingly hard to do, and it looks a little cartoony. It would be a good back up, but I don’t like it as much.

Finally, I modified the original pattern to have no door and instead be a narrower house exterior. My cutting tool was struggling at this point, so it is messier than I would like, but the pattern works. I would make sure to line everything up better on the final project.

This is the sample that I landed on. I want to make it about twice as big for the final project. My resident engineer helped me convert all the sizes to find how much fabric I will need to make them all about 24” in width. This will also make it so fewer houses will take up more area. I will sew them together vertically and I might clean up the sides once finished. I actually like having the insides have raw edges because I think it contributes to the concept.

Installation plan + written statement

Written statement:

I want to make a ghost-like neighborhood of houses that the viewer can walk through and peer through. By using panels of sheer fabric, I will quilt vertical lines of houses that will be suspended in the room. Faint sounds of a breeze can be heard as you enter. We all have our own associations of what a house signifies. I want viewer to think: Is this place abandoned? am I partaking in surveillance? Is this a dream? The space is rather narrow, so one may have to push past the fabric to walk through the room. I hope the translucent fabric will be combined with the volume and layout will make the room simultaneously full and empty, open and claustrophobic.

Installation plan:

There will be two rows of panels in squares hung from the ceiling. The inside square will be hung on the grid inside the lighting lines. The outside square will hang from the grid on the outside of the lights. The inside row will have one panel on each side, and the outside row will have three panels each. Each panel will have 3 houses each with each house block being about 24 inches wide. This will make 12 panels total with 36 houses total. Ideally, they will hang about three feet off the ground. The lights will point down at a slight angle towards the center of the room. There will be a speaker playing faint sounds of wind and road noise near the entrance.

Viewer encounter strategy:

I want to the room to be feel close together. The viewer will have to weave through the fabric to walk through the room.

Materials list:

·      White crystal organza fabric 13 yards - $34.98 before taxes and shipping

        o   https://fabricwholesaledirect.com/products/crystal-organza-59-60-inch-fabric

·      Dowel rods to hang top of fabric on $4.20*

        o   woodpeckerscrafts.com

        o   *I am unsure if this is the best way to hang them

·      Fishing wire to hang panels= est. $6

·      White sewing thread =est. $6

·      Some type of speaker/mp3 player for sound

·      Correct needle for fabric type $8.88

        oamazon.com

 

You have done something important: they’ve tested, edited, and landed on a direction. That alone is growth.

First: I’m impressed by the amount of material testing you have done- well done. Four mock-ups is real process, not guessing. You learned from each version, and that shows in the final decision. The shift toward the narrower house without the door is a smart edit — it simplifies the form and removes narrative cliché.

The raw edges are not a flaw. In this context, they actually support the concept. The houses are ghost-like, permeable, slightly unresolved. A perfectly finished edge might contradict that.

Now let’s refine.

Concept

The strongest part of this proposal is the tension between:

• Neighborhood (familiar, domestic, communal)

• Sheerness (exposure, permeability)

• Surveillance / insecurity / dream-state

• Full yet empty

That’s sophisticated.

The “ghost-like neighborhood” is working.

Be careful not to over-explain it in the written statement. The power lies in ambiguity. Let the viewer decide whether they are:

• Walking through memory

• Trespassing

• Being watched

• Or simply drifting

You don’t need to spell out every interpretive option.

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Installation Plan

The two-square layout (inner + outer) is smart. It creates:

• Compression

• Navigation

• Centered stillness

Make sure the spacing is tight enough that the viewer must gently push the panels aside. That physical interaction is crucial.

Three feet off the ground is good — it avoids draping but keeps it architectural.

Lighting angled slightly inward is also strong. You want shadows to layer and double the houses on surrounding walls.

One suggestion:
Test how sheer the organza actually is under your gallery lighting. Too sheer and the house shapes disappear. Too opaque and the ghost effect is lost.

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Quilting vs Drawing

Quilting gives material presence.
Drawing gives subtlety and speed.

Given your timeline and 36 houses total, be realistic.

If quilting all 36 will compromise installation time, consider:

• Quilt the inner square.

• Draw or stitch-outline the outer square.

Hierarchy could strengthen the space.

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Sound

Wind is good — but subtle.

Avoid anything cinematic or dramatic.
No howling.
No heavy storm.

A faint ambient exterior tone is enough.

The sound should almost be questioned — not obvious.

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Materials / Hanging

Dowel rods are fine structurally, but make sure they don’t visually dominate.

If the dowels read too much, consider:

• Thin steel rods

• Or tensioned line with reinforced hem

Fishing line could work — just ensure knots are secure and level.

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What’s Working Conceptually

This installation understands:

• Material restraint

• Repetition

• Architectural activation

• Emotional ambiguity

It’s not sentimental.
It’s not literal.
It’s spatial.

That’s a big leap.

I’m very pleased with how much testing you’ve done. The refinement of the house pattern shows real decision-making. The ghost-like neighborhood concept is strong, especially paired with sheer fabric and spatial compression.

Keep the ambiguity — don’t over-explain the themes in your statement. Let the room do the work.

Be realistic about quilting time. If needed, mix techniques to maintain installation quality.

Make sure the panels are close enough that viewers must negotiate them physically — that tension is key.

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Bethany, you are operating at a higher level now. This reads like someone thinking in space, not object.

Feb 16

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on my installation. I want play off of my first idea with the sheer sheets in a cube combined with the sheer quilts. My idea is to make several quilted panels hung in two squares, and inner and an outer, with houses quilted on them. I want it to have the look of a neighborhood with houses in a line. The viewer would be able to walk through the panels and stand in the middle. I would hope that the sheer fabric will create some dim shadows across the room.

This is different than my other ideas, but I think it hits more on the materiality that I was wanting to work with while also having a theme that I can latch onto better. I have been thinking a lot about families and the state of our nation. I think the imagery of houses is very relevant, especially houses that can be seen through. I think this can convey themes of surveillance, insecurity, weakness, maybe even a dream-state.  Also, I think using this simple sign of a house will let the viewer apply their own feelings onto the room. I want it to be a little eerie; the houses are ghost-like.

The panels would be white voile or organza fabric, most likely. This would give a sheer look, but stiff enough to not drape too much. Rachel Hayes uses shimmer organza in her quilts. I am a little worried about quilting that many squares. It will help that it is all the same pattern, so most of the work is cutting out the pieces. Alternatively, I could draw on the houses with a very light color. It is most important that the outline of the house is present, but faint. I don’t want the outline of the houses to overpower the room. Each panel has three to five houses on it (maybe 5-6 feet long), hangs from the ceiling, and stops around hip/thigh height for the average height viewer. I also would like there to be a sound element to this room. I was thinking of a faint breeze/wind sound or ambient outdoors sounds.  

Feb 9

I thought more about this project, and I’m still struggling with a direction. I went through my fabric and found some sheer panels that are pretty. I also found an artist that makes large transparent quilts named Wally Dion. He will often layer them  in a room so you look through them all. Rachel Hayes does a similar thing, but on a larger scale. It looks like they both use a sewing technique where you fold and sew the seams so there is only one layer of fabric and no backing needed.

Rachel Hayes

Wally Dillon

I think at the core of my ideas, I want to use fabric and light to enhance the room, but I am not sure how to do that well. I have some fabric that I could try experimenting with. I think I’m just at a little bit of a conceptual roadblock. I think I am mostly struggling with how to adapt the space. What do I want the overall experience to be like? 

I think that visually I like my first idea better, but it is lacking conceptually. The sheer quilting could add context to the sheer panels, but I’m still struggling to clarify my ideas overall.

Jan 30

I have been struggling to pin down an idea for the materialistic assignment. My first idea is called “The World Needs More Cowgirls.”

So far, my idea revolves around being a woman in Wyoming. I want to talk about the women who have had an impact on our country from Wyoming as well as the experiences of women here.

 There would be a cowboy hat in the center of the room that is obstructed by sheer fabric and covered in quilted fabric. I am not sure if I would like this fabric to have something painted on it or instead do long paper-cut designs like lace. Either way, I would like the fabric to tone the room and cast shadows in some way. The hat would be on a stand with fabric coming out from underneath that falls into a sort of puddle. This fabric would have names of women from Wyoming. Guests would be invited to write a name of an impactful woman in their life on a scrap of fabric and add it to the pile. I would like to have a speaker inside the cowboy hat with voices of woman talking about their experiences.

I want the room to feel pretty but a little bit unsettling. It should be mostly dark, making the Having the fabric pile grow in the middle signifies the impact of women, but adding to it involves tossing the name of a woman on the ground.I would like to paint on the fabric panels, but I am unsure of what currently. I could write words as well, but that could be too much text. I want there to be obstruction of the hat, so maybe even male forms. I just am struggling to refine this idea as a whole.

My second idea was to make a sort of prayer room. There would be birds and flowers from the ceiling and bean bag chairs around the sides. I would also like panels that have psalms written down them. I would like there to be a sound element as well, so I was thinking the audio of breathing. There could be some sort of dish that people can write and leave a prayer. The lighting would hopefully cast shadows on the walls.

Bethany,

I want to start by saying how much your thinking has matured over the semester. Looking back at your early ideas — the cowboy hat, the prayer room, layered symbolism — you were searching for a way into the material. What you’ve landed on with the sheer quilted houses is much more focused and spatially intelligent.

The ghost-like neighborhood is strong. The repetition of a simple house form paired with translucent fabric creates exactly the kind of tension you’re describing — full yet empty, open yet claustrophobic. The fact that the viewer must physically move through the panels is important. That’s where this becomes installation rather than textile display.

A few refinements to consider:

• Keep the ambiguity. You don’t need to explain surveillance, insecurity, dream-state, and national commentary all at once. Let the space hold that tension without narrating it.

• Be realistic about quilting all 36 houses. If time becomes an issue, consider mixing techniques (stitched outlines on some, drawn outlines on others) while keeping visual consistency.

• Test the fabric under actual lighting conditions. The sheerness needs to be calibrated so the house form reads, but doesn’t overpower the space.

• Make sure the panels are close enough together that viewers must negotiate them physically. That friction is essential.

The raw edges you mentioned -They work. They support the ghost quality. Don’t over-finish something that conceptually benefits from slight vulnerability.

This piece feels materially grounded, spatially aware, and emotionally restrained. That’s a significant step forward from the beginning of the semester.

Let’s finalize spacing and hanging logistics in person so the installation reads as intentional and architectural rather than decorative.