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The Map Project Exhibit In the Fall of 2003 I was contacted by a New York City design firm looking for an artist to make a “Map of the World” for a client in Connecticut. Over the next several months, I experimented with my favorite ribbon weaving technique – tri-axial weaving, or the “mad weave” – along with knitting and crochet.
Eventually, I met with the designers and the clients at their contemporary home in the Connecticut woods overlooking a steam. The home is an oasis from the clients’ Manhattan lives, and provides vistas and comfortable nooks for contemplation in many of the light and airy spaces. After the visit, I got down to sketching and more experimenting with techniques, finally finding the one which drew me in. One which I was certain would please the clients who had urged me to do for them something which I had never done before.
The design process was one of getting all the ideas down on paper, making samples, and then paring them down to the final solution. Rejected ideas included cartouches, insets depicting local flora and fauna, animal charms hung on the surface, representations of roads and cities, having multiple panels by “different mapmakers” to suggest a collection of maps, and a blue and green planet.
Working with a wide variety of fiber materials, I produced three panels which depict views of a “world” from high above the surface. I have always been fascinated with geological formations visible from airplanes, and frequently lost track of time while working on the pieces. “The Map Project” exhibit grew from samples I made while searching for the right technique. |