the high and low of materiality...

I started with a set material, XPS insulation purple foam. I choose several words that were violent, because at the beginning all I wanted to do was get rid of the foam form my dorm. I was attracted to burning it, stab it with pliers, with hammers, and so forth. This material is toxic when burnt, so I had to use caution, buy the right mask for safety, and find an outdoor spot to perform the actions. By using a lighter in different areas, I added depth into the material, creating different tonalities and controlling the randomness of the fire reaction into the material. By using the hammer and the pliers I create holes and areas of contrast (untouched areas) where you could get lost on what was untouched and what was the material. Reaching this level of contrast, while also making it look natural was important for me. Something in between disturbed and undisturbed.

After trying these couple actions, I remembered something I used to do about a year ago with this material to create curves. Using the wire cutter in the studio was how I achieved the smooth curves along the outside of my vessel structure. These made it look like a rock formation and it was a key step to see the “erosion” like cracks and layers. From plastic to natural looking, even with the purple color, the three vessels resemblance that of an amethyst crystal. Curiously enough, this mineral rock is belived to calm rage, fear, and anger.

A material that is from nature, with properties so different from purple foam and the plastic/toxic/ prefabricated world, can end up looking and feeling very similar. The first vessel, the circular one, I wanted to play with how people hold it in their hands and the very straight forwards perspective it had in the middle hole. The second vessel, which is divided in two in the center, has the idea that is a rock formation cracked open in the center, showing in detail the layers and unnatural “erosion” created by the fire and the hammer. The third vessel is a result of the second vessel, the interior shape of it created only by the material leftover from the action of stabbing. Showing the interiority as a shell is what I was trying to experiment with.