INKED ARTIST: Al[XANDRA BARAO l VG"UscuiPt/mi mc:{jor "In my recent sculptural work, I have been exploring the role of the handmade object \YithintR!) cgntext()f a society in which all goods ar~ masSipri)duced. [have been using materials that have traditionally been categorized within the field of crafts: materials that are widely used for functional or decorative purposes such as yam, e.mbroidery tIlrea~llDd beadS. J aj m to make U$~O£ tIles~,materials jJ1a (101,1#ft traditional, non-functional fashion, and in doing so, broaden the context in which we may think about them. "For my 'Maod1tla' UlstaJlation I created a design similar to the traditionalfibetan Buddhist mandala, but instead of using sand, I used thousands of colorful plastic 'pony' beads, the archetypal material Of childhood crafts. Similar to the monks who create tIlese temporary designs Nom sand, r chose, rather than adhering the beads to a surface, to arrange them on the floor as my own meditation on the nature of impermanence. The piece exi sted physically for only a short time, and was ritualistically swept up in the Same manner as the $and mandalas;'
Above: Mandala; Cover: detail of Mandala
