Progress

Wiring LEDs

Adding lasercut textiles

Go go go

Right now my desk looks like this.

This is some of my lasercut silk grass!

Lasercut silk grass

This is our lasercutter at work on silk.

Note bene: Iron fabric before cutting. The laser will be

more consistently focused.

Yum and Wow

The "Wow" is that I just planted cotton, and it has grown so much so quickly! I got the seeds from the cotton gin at Slater Mills in Pawtucket. Slater Mills is where the Industrial Revolution began in The Unites States, thus it's the oldest mill in America. Today it's a museum with tons of beautiful and functional old machinery.

"Yum" is because I juiced a lot of apples, and reduced the juice to a syrup. The syrup smelled like baked apples, my favorite smell!

I used the apple syrup to make a flan, in place of caramel.

I also made fresh rice milk

and gluten-free pancakes.

Electroluminescent wire

I received an order of EL wire today in the mail, and used it for the first time, which was pretty easy. It's appropriate and pleasing that half of their catalog photos are pictures taken at Burning Man. I intend to incorporate some EL wire into my diorama project, as well as use some for night biking visibility.

Popular Memories

I've been lately remembering elements of popular culture that deeply impressed me as a child. In no particular order they include:

"STYLE with Elsa Klensch" on CNN

Yogi Bear's early 1960s slang vocabulary

"Today's Special" and the idea that mannequins come alive when stores close

Cyndi Lauper's hair

the character of Claudia Kishi

the movie, Beetlejuice

"Voltron" and the idea of many individuals making a larger whole

John Waters' Hairspray

my mom singing Shel Silverstein songs

Jem dolls

the fanciness of Miss Piggy and feathery Fraggle hair

issues of VOGUE magazine from 1967

A new kind of poster!

Tonight, Thursday, the 20th of May, a lot of friends will be playing a show in Pawtucket at Machines with Magnets. I lasercut a poster for the show! The bold text is cut out, and the names of the bands are lightly etched because I want the viewer to be drawn in to see it, like a visual whisper.

The Big Fab Academy Project

That's what!

Follow this link to the longer post on the Fab Academy blog.

In the same direction

I lasercut silk for the first time. The pieces on the left began as a Chinese silk robe. The pieces on the right were polyester organza, which I lasercut and hand- painted.

I've been working on the chandelier component of my final project, and thinking about these older form studies.

Final Project Progress

I've been wiring lots of light- emitting diodes for the chandelier component of the diorama I'm making as my final project in the Fab Academy. It's due in two weeks, so I'll be working on it intensely to actualize all of my ideas.

Lasercut & airbrushed textiles and lampworked glass will be added to the lights. The larger diorama will include a lot of different components.

New York Weekend

I went to New York this past weekend for Mothers Day.

I also went to see Rebeca Raney's terrific opening. Throughout the duration of her show at the Union Gallery (359 Broadway, 3rd floor) she will be making 1000 drawings!

Another attraction was the overwhelming ITP show: The Tisch School of the Arts at New York University has a two- year graduate program known as ITP, which stands for Interactive Telecommunications Program. I'll be blogging thoroughly about this for the Fab Lab, but here is an example of one cool project that I saw there:

http://www.shaharzaks.com/scans/?id=10154628

You can interact with the data if you follow the link and play with the

sliding controls on the top left.

Providence Art Windows

I'm trying to sneak up on you.

Today I found out that I've been selected to do an installation for Providence Art Windows! I will be filling a storefront window downtown with a sculptural installation. It will be displayed from June 15th until September 11th, and it will definitely involve lasercut textile & flameworked glass plant forms.

Mikey also got the great news that he'll be doing a window, too!

I'm going to New York for Mother's Day. (Shouldn't it be punctuated "Mothers' Day"?)

I apologize for my longest absence yet from posting since I began this "web log." You know, it's nice outside and friends are always visiting and there's so much good food to cook and share.

Today I spent 2 hours at the Rhode Island State House (our capitol building) attending a meeting of the House Finance Committee as people testified against Governor Carcieri's proposal to cut RISCA's budget by an unthinkable and potentially disastrous fifty percent! The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is the same organization that awarded me the Fellowship of Craft so I will forever be thankful, and eager to defend them!