For our last action project, we created art items with our printed fabric. I loved being abole to create art out of art. I made a sculpture/pillow. Below is my artist’s statement and a couple images.
Zoe Friedland
Chicago in my Dreams
Fabric
2 ft. by 1 ft.
My piece is an image of the skyline of Chicago, stuffed and turned into a pillow. It then has cut outs of the buildings in front of it glued to the top. My print is very organic with the flowers growing, so I loved the idea of the juxtaposition of organic vs. the clean cut lines of the city. Chicago has a special place in my heart, because my entire family grew up in Chicago. The pillow is not particularly cozy, but it can be slept on, and I encourage the audience to give it a try.
My process started with the idea of creating a city skyline with wire sculptures, but this idea was quickly dashed after I realized that wire wrapping is not my particular strong suit. In fact, it was quite difficult for me. I then had the idea of creating an installation to put up against a wall, as if the city was growing out of the ground onto a random building. This is still an idea I want to follow through on, but it left a lot of extra fabric, so I decided to make it two sided and a pillow. The rest of the process was fairly straightforward, with sewing and stuffing and more sewing.
In the end, I am very proud of the work I did, and I am so happy I could challenge myself creatively in this way. It was a challenging, exhausting process, but luckily, I have the perfect item for a nap!