Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., Sewing | Tags: nail art, sewing, vacation
I have made it through spring vacation week with my sanity mostly intact. I took my son to the Ecotarium in Worcester one day. I was trying to be a responsible mom, and not just let him play with his rainbow loom for eight hours straight while I stare at a wall drooling from excessive kindergartener exposure. The Ecotarium is a hands-on science and nature museum for kids. It even boasts a train ride! Unfortunately, the train isn’t working. It has a “tree canopy walkway!” Unfortunately, that’s closed as well. Humph. The vending machines work, though…if you need lunch because there is no cafeteria.
This is an image from the Ecotarium website:
Doesn’t that look lovely and educational??? Do not be fooled…the museum must be closed. A more accurate photo would show a maelstrom of kids and parents swirling around battered islands of educational displays. This is is pretty much the case with all indoor kid destinations: The Children’s Museum, the aquarium, The Museum of Science…etc. etc. They’re all the same. As a result, I typically avoid them like the plague. Bad mommy! I SUPPOSE it’s fun for kids. I’m not really sure. I know it’s not fun for parents…until they get a soundproof room with WiFi and a barista.
At least they had some live animals to look at. We got to see a soft shelled turtle, a spotted turtle, a bald eagle, some owls, a turkey vulture, a porcupine, a skunk, and other stuff. I loved watching a turtle munch on a big piece of lettuce. Adorable. Why are they so cute? Who knows.
I actually managed to get a surprising amount of stuff done this week, in spite of it all. Here’s some of the stuff that I made:
A bag for a friend’s daughter:
A pouch for a friend:
I also reupholstered two chairs. I’ve been meaning to do this for about four years. No joke.
They turned out pretty well, all things considered. I know that they’ll stay nice looking, as I won’t let anyone sit on them.
We also managed to survive Easter. I did such a good job hiding the eggs that we didn’t find one of them until the next day. Luckily, a squirrel had not tried to stuff it into his pouch and run off. (I mean in his mouth…I know that squirrels are not marsupials…)
Our eggs this year turned a little day-glo. I’m never happy with how our eggs turn out. Perhaps because I’ve got this in mind:
Am I setting the bar too high? HOW DO PEOPLE DO THIS???? Don’t tell me with some tiny little wax dropper…there’s no way. Have you seen what the side of a candle looks like after it’s been lit for an hour? That’s what I think of when I imagine dripping wax. Seriously…how can I get these egg elves to come to my house??? Maybe the people who make these are the same people who do nail art????
Look at those tiny flowers!!! It gets worse:
Three dimensional flowers…This person clearly does not cook.
Umm…is that real? This person clearly does not eat.
No comment necessary. This is not a person.
If ever my husband ever feels that I am not spending our money wisely, I’ll just show him this pic. Is an electric can opener really the sign of a cultural apocalypse? I think not.
Filed under: Fleeting thoughts..., sculpture | Tags: art, boston, crocheting, GPS, ICA Boston, Nick Cave, sculpture, Soundsuit
Spring is here! Time to frolic through the dead garden! Mince through the muddy lawn! Leap amongst the leafless trees!
In celebration of the GLORIOUS change in weather (it’s above freezing now…), I went to the ICA in Boston.
Yes, I managed to stop scrubbing the kitchen floor long enough to make this visit. (Ha ha!…just kidding, I never scrub the kitchen floor!!!)
I did see some sunshine for a brief period. Luckily, I got a sunny-ish photo to prove that, yes, indeed…it isn’t snowing!
This sunshine didn’t last long, as you will see in subsequent photos.
ANYHOO…the reason I went was to see the AMAZING work by Nick Cave now on exhibit:
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
He had three of these sculptures together. They are so comical, and yet somehow regal as well…
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
THAT is a closeup of what is going on in that mass of beads/ornament/tchotchke-palooza. CRAZY!
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
This piece is four ENORMOUS panels of chaotic, antiquated, thrift store finery.
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
You’ll notice that there isn’t any plastic “junk.” It’s mostly beads, metal ornaments, ceramic figurines of birds/fruit, and brightly colored afghans. I think because of this palette, and because the items don’t appear broken or damaged, there is a certain refinement and respect for the materials. While it does look haphazard, the figurines do have an orientation and are placed upright…the beads are draped and not wadded up/thrown on, so there is some order to the chaos. HOW he managed to fix all of these things together with no apparent fasteners is VERY interesting. They aren’t bound together as much as suspended somehow…
Okay, so that is his new work. Mind-boggling, right? Here is is older work, which he is more known for:
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
These “Soundsuits” are AMAZING. Apparently, Cave created the first one in response to the Rodney King beatings. “I built this sort of suit of armor, and by putting it on, I realized that I could make a sound from moving in it,” Cave told the Washington Post. “It made me think of ideas around protest, and how we should be a voice and speak louder,” Cave says.
These suits are beyond incredible. The materials and excess are astounding…the fantastic manipulation of the human form is phenomenal…and the fact that they could actually be worn and in motion is superb. See videos here and here for some of his other suits in action. Cave is an Alvin Ailey trained dancer. I LOVE the idea of these forms in motion. These photos are terrible in comparison to seeing them in person. Their enormous size/height makes them overwhelming and mesmerizing.
Here are some close ups of the INSANE textures/colors/materials he used to make these:
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
Nick Cave at the ICA Boston
I LOOOVE THIS! Pure genius. I would LOOOVE to see one of his soundsuit performances! I’m almost inspired to cover myself in handmade potholders and jump around the living room for an hour! (Just kidding, that sounds too much like exercise…) Someday, I fear that I may end up in a crocheted strait jacket made out of colorful granny squares…at least then I’ll have an excuse for not mopping…
ANYWAY, I had a super fun time at the ICA. After paying $15 for parking, I felt guilty about leaving. Wasn’t there anything else that I could do in the area? I decided no, and headed out. Now, I am missing the navigational genes that most normal people have. As a result, I rely heavily upon GPS to get me places. I know…did I really need GPS to get home when I had JUST driven to the ICA from home a few hours ago???? Well, yes…yes I did.
Unfortunately, my GPS had a momentary lapse in usefulness:
REALLY? In order to get to Arlington from Boston I need to take a FERRY???? Why don’t I remember the ferry ride coming over here??? Is traffic really THAT bad that it makes sense for me to take a BOAT home instead???
Sigh. I guess I’m not the only one that’s “navigationally” challenged around here. No wonder why I get lost so often…
slightly wonky 