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EXPOSITORY MODE

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VISUAL ESSAY ABOUT BUTTONS AND PLASTIC POLLUTION

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Flat buttons have holes through witch thread is sewn to attach the button. Most of them attached by sewing machine instead of by hand. 4 holes flat buttons is a very common form, some of them also can be 2 holes.

Flat buttons are often used as practical buttons to fasten the clothes, so they usually not have much patterns, and commonly round shape. The differences are the colour.

These buttons have a round depression on the observe side, and it just an arc in the back side.

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Shank buttons have a hollow protrusion on the back through which thread is sewn to attach the button. Because of the hollow protrusion, it can be any shape or materials.                                                 Shank buttons looks better than the flat buttons because they have more ornament function. Although the buttons I collected are not fully ornament using, they still have  obvious differences when you are comparing them with the flat one.They could be any shape and materials, I even found a spheroidal one.

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Most metal buttons are also round shape, the main reason is the manufacturing methods which make a mass production.               The frequency  of occurrence is not much as the other two because the cost is higher. Metal buttons looks more official and they are often seen on the overcoat or the working uniform. They are durable and can be used for a long time.

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http://www.lisakokin.com/buttonworks-one.html
She have sewn since she was a child and the stitch plays a major role in her work. The further back one stands the better recognition the images become.

What began as a memorial to her father son expanded to the realm of family portraits, past and present, human and canine.

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Button Work Installations

Button Works

My father's death in 2001 sparked a period of introspection and existential rumination. A primal tie was broken and I was left to ponder my identity as the only child of one remaining elderly parent. Whereas in the past my work often dealt with larger socio-political themes, at this time in my artistic life my work took a distinct turn towards the personal.

Buttons had made cameo appearances in much of my previous work; never had they been the primary material until this series. My parents were upholsterers and my earliest memories are of playing in their shop with piles of vinyl and foam rubber. I have sewn since I was a child and the stitch plays a major role in my work, so it was natural to join the buttons together to form a reconstructed family portrait. What began as a memorial to my father soon expanded to the realm of family portraits, past and present, human and canine. The series culminated with a three-part public commission of button portraits of Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez and Fred Korematsu.

My work has always had an obsessive quality and this body of work is no exception. Every button is stitched to its neighbor to form a low-tech pixilated composition. Up close each piece is an abstract mélange of colors and shapes; the further back one stands the more decipherable the image becomes. This interplay between abstraction and representation is a source of interest to me. It is as though I am painting with buttons, building my palette as I go along. adding and subtracting until the interplay of colors and forms coalesces into a coherent image.

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Button Work Installations My father's death in 2001 sparked a period of introspection and existential rumination. A primal tie was broken and I was left to ponder my identity as the only child of one remaining elderly parent.

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https://www.textilecurator.com/home-default/home-2-2/alice-fox-2/

Alice Fox is a tactile curator. Alice’s fascination with nature is the focus of her art which uses found and reclaimed items as well as nature itself. Her work often follows a journey where the aging process(such as rusting) continues after the work is completed. Drawn towards similar colour palettes Alice’s work is recognizable for bringing the beauty of nature indoors.

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Alice Fox' fascination with nature is the focus of her art which uses found and reclaimed items as well as nature itself. Her work often follows a journey where the ageing process (such as rusting) continues after the work is completed. Drawn towards similar colour palettes Alice's work is recognisable for bringing the beauty of nature indoors.
Tell us about your background
My first degree was in Physical Geography, after which I worked in nature conservation for a few years. I then did an adult education textiles course followed by a part time degree in Contemporary Surface Design and Textiles. I graduated from that in 2011.
How do you describe your work?
I work mainly within textiles although I use techniques from fine art printmaking as well. My work is basically abstract but I aim to capture something of my experience of the natural world within it. My practice is based around exploring the world around me: noticing the detail, recording what I see and find, exploring the potential of the things I find for making marks, stains and structures. The things I find form a tangible link to the places I walk and my work is a response to those objects. It has been said that my work is 'process led'.
What is it about nature that appeals?
It doesn't just appeal - it is the foundation of everything. I have been fascinated by the natural world all my life, collecting, identifying and drawing natural things since childhood.
How has your work evolved over time?
My practice is relatively young so I think it is inevitable that things will change as I develop my skills and find a way of working that is true to me. In the final year of my degree I used natural materials and developed a particular aesthetic using neutral tones. Once away from the confines of the institution I developed a way of working that was more intuitive and less 'designed'. I increasingly used natural dye and staining techniques to make the most of found objects and materials. There is a certain degree of randomness or serendipity to the final form of my work as I allow marks and stains to develop naturally. I still use certain industrially produced raw materials (yarns, fabrics and papers) but I am always questioning the provenance of what I use and justifying to myself the choices I make. I am increasingly leaning towards weave techniques and towards working more three dimensionally.
Your work is very varied, what textile techniques do you use and why?
I do use a range of different techniques but I feel that everything I produce is related: part of a continuum. It is conventional to present work in distinct projects that have their own identity but I see my work as much more of a continuous process, a line of inquiry. I am told that my work has a certain aesthetic, so even though individual work may vary in material or technique it sits well together. Any new work is dictated by the places I have been, where I've walked and the things I might have collected on those walks. If I have found rusty objects I will use those to make prints or incorporate them into a textile structure and allow them to stain the threads that surround them. I may make woven structures in response to the form of objects, either staining these with collected plant material or mud, or leaving them unmarked. I might explore the potential of gathered materials for stitching into, manipulating or building a structure. Textured surfaces might lead me to make prints or embossed marks on paper and these may lead on to some sort of book structure. In each case the work develops in response to the objects or materials and the techniques are chosen as part of that response.
Apart from nature itself what inspires you?
I am very inspired by the work of artists such as Shiela Hicks, Eva Hesse, Sue Lawty and Polly Binns. I find the work of certain sculptors fascinating: for example Cornelia Parker and Anthony Gormley. It is as much their approach to their practice that I find inspiring as the work itself. I am really interested in Land Artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash and Richard Long. I read a lot of contemporary 'nature writing'. Authors such as Richard Mabey, Mark Cocker, Robert MacFarlane and Kathleen Jamie give me a rich and poetic insight into other people's experience of the natural world.
Can you describe a typical working day?
I usually have one or two days a week working from home and these days include admin, correspondence, writing and some practical work. When I have a studio day I get the kids off to school, have breakfast and then read for 20 minutes or so with a cup of coffee. I find this time settling and a good way to gather thoughts about what needs to be done that day. I might do a bit of email answering and then go off to the studio, which is a 20 minute drive away from home. Once in the studio I am very focused on whatever I'm working on there. It is a very cold building so you don't sit around and waste time! I work through to about 3 o'clock and then go home to be around for the kids coming home from school. Most days involve a walk to the post office at this time and I will often carry on with work at home for the rest of the afternoon or into the evening, either hand sewing, small scale weaving or admin work. Some days I walk locally. This is useful time for thinking and looking but also potentially good for collecting materials. Ideally I have three or four studio days a week but that is not necessarily the case, depending on teaching or family commitments. I am often teaching workshops at weekends or I'm with my family. Weekend walks are about relaxation but they will still get filed into the memory bank of experiences that feed into my work.
Do your books evolve through your work or does the title dictate your work?
Each of the self-published books I have produced has recorded the development of a project and formed a sort of exhibition catalogue, so they have evolved through the work. Natural processes in Textile Art is my first book for Batsford. Again, I would say this developed with my work as it features the techniques I use.
What have been your highlights so far?
Being selected for and winning the Quilters Guild Graduate Showcase at the Festival of Quilts in 2011 gave me a really good introduction to a specialist textile audience and has led to invitations to speak about my work and to teach workshops. Getting Arts Council funding for my first solo project, Artist in Residence at Spurn NNR, was a big stamp of approval. This project proved a very steep learning curve but really got me going in so many ways. Having my book published by Batsford this year felt like a real milestone too.
Do you have any advice for people who want to make a career as a textile artist?
I am finding that it is essential to have a number of different elements to my output: Workshops, blog, publications, exhibitions etc. I had some business mentoring a couple of years ago, which was very useful. Spending time on keeping the business side of things going can get you down sometimes but it is essential. Allowing time to develop yourself is important too, whether that it is through mentoring, attending workshops, networking etc. www.alicefox.co.uk https://www.facebook.com/alicefoxartist https://www.instagram.com/alicefoxartist

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Alice Fox' fascination with nature is the focus of her art which uses found and reclaimed items as well as nature itself. Her work often follows a journey where the ageing process (such as rusting) continues after the work is completed. Drawn towards similar colour palettes Alice's work is recognisable for bringing the beauty of nature indoors.

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http://www.stuarthaygarth.com/works

Stuart’ s work around the discarded items, these items are diligently collected, classification, carefully and skillfully assembled into sculpture. He was very good at turning this waste into lamps or some other practical device. This way people will also think of the environment when they see them.

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Portfolio of works by British artist, Stuart Haygarth

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https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/plastic-facts-and-figures/

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How big is the plastic pollution? How much plastic is in the sea? And how much is actually recycled? These are all questions that are not easy to answer. We have only been aware of the 'plastics soup' phenomenon for about 25 years.

Slowly but surely, the answers are trickling in from the hundreds of scientists around the world who are trying to get a handle on both the extent and the consequences of the problem. To provide you with the following plastic facts and figures, we have made a selection from the scientific research we consider reliable. The sources used are listed.

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Plastic Plastic Facts & Figures - Plastic Soup Foundation

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How big is the plastic pollution? How much plastic is in the sea? And how much is actually recycled? These are all questions that are not easy to answer. We have only been aware of the 'plastics soup' phenomenon for about 25 years.

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https://steemit.com/art/@flamingirl/artistic-space-55-steven-rodrig-and-the-art-of-electronic-recycling

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Steven Rodrig, born in Havana, Cuba in 1963, was always fascinated by experimenting with various materials, until he found love in electronic components, structural mechanics study is the aviation school of Long Island City, NY, so it is not strange because it was born in this hobby to see materials with other forms, after all, aviation was inspired by birds for aircraft designs. That's how Rodrig was able to reinterpret the electronic materials and give them a new meaning.

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Join us to learn a little about the life and work of this incredible artist.

Steven Rodrig has found a unique way to keep the old parts of the computer from becoming obsolete; make them works of art! His animal sculptures on circuit boards add unique insight into the imaginative inner workings of our "electronic pets," so to speak. Imagine one of these animal designs helping you after you type something into your search bar!

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Rodrig, does not consider himself an artist, he has always been linked to art, that great passion for sculpture, in particular, his professionalism comes from structural mechanics, it is precisely these skills that gave him the imagination to be able to undertake in the sculptural art he makes.

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He spent a long time experimenting with some mechanical pieces, but he found in the electronic pieces the ideal thing to make sculptures with those components, his vision and interpretation allowed him to compare them with natural organic parts, it was precisely when he began this beautiful journey.

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The first work he made was called dragonfly in time, and it was the great beginning to make other sculptures that quickly came to his mind. So he sharpened his artistic thinking based on the continuous observation of real facts and real things and then imitate those with the materials of the electronic age.

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He asked his closest friends and family to give him as much as they could in electronic pieces that he needed, he began his period of accumulation, and when he could have numerous pieces he began little by little to discover each sculpture, in the way he had to develop different techniques, some new ones to be able to execute his models, almost exclusively the end, putting the tools to the service of the art.

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Currently, Rodrig is very popular for the ingenuity overflowed in each piece he has sculpted, adding the novelty and unusual of using components that are very common among us. His intention is to reveal the hidden side of the electronic pieces for others to appreciate their beauty, forcing him to use each component of the circuits, such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes.

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If you think that this artist can do the same work twice, you are wrong, he does not repeat any work, since he makes each sculpture with random pieces of the objects he has found, so each piece is unique and unrepeatable, so we can consider this a true art and not a hobby of making similar pieces. As if it were a craft, deeply respecting all those who dedicate themselves to manual trades.

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As we can see in this publication we continue with the Junk way of seeing things, of giving artistic utility to objects that are vulgarly discarded, that end up either in the streets or in rubbish dumps, and bring pollution that increases every year.

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Thank you for reading

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Artistic space #55 - Steven Rodrig and the electronic recycling art - Steemit

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Steven Rodrig, born in Havana, Cuba in 1963, was always fascinated by experimenting with various materials, until he found love in electronic components, structural mechanics study is the aviation school of Long Island City, NY, so it is not strange because it was born in this hobby to see materials with other forms, after all, aviation was inspired by birds for aircraft designs.

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I'm really not good at it.