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BOXES beyond borders

Category: Box

Box Category To Identify Post in Frontend.

Untitled

This contribution has the intention of respecting the original box in its form and functionality. The dear box brings important and meaningful images to my mind. It can be said that I collect shapes of different character and dimension. At times my sculptures are developed from one of these shapes. Today I have put together a number of them as protagonists of our origin, our roots: an exuberant treasure that all of us can return to.

The Story of Late Chen Yuen Mei (Ma Che)

The work focuses on the life story of late Chen, a ma che or domestic servant, who came to Singapore from China in the early twentieth century. Despite having a hard life, she persevered for a brighter future. With her meager earnings, she supported her entire family in China, and contributed towards the purchase of 51 Neil Road. The premises housed the former Yuek Ann Tang which was a temple as well as an association that served as a refuge for ma ches; these women like Chen, were alone and poor. In her old age, Chen suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Chen gains my utmost respect, not only for her contributions to the association, but also for her outstanding character. She demonstrated strength and perseverance throughout her life. The work aims to develop an invisible space beyond the box, and includes a web site that walks one through the places where she lived. To fulfill Chen’s dream of a grand funeral and send-off on her last journey, the box serves as her coffin.

 

Seeing

Seeing is believing.  While communicating with community, the residue I experience?  It is the vital input that I am going to develop mutuality with my community at all times. And, the control interaction with relationship.  The mental collection of past and present is an endless experience. To contain the invisible content of the input and output of the experiences I encounter. Therefore, the reflection and exposure is to show the multiple irreversibility of the community through mental forms.

 

Transmitting Life

This project is dedicated to my father. My dad has been a friend to me since I was young. Being a traditional Asian man, he has never made me feel inferior for being female. In fact, he gave me the space to develop my potential as a person. This work allows me to express my reflections on my dad’s failing health. Initially, I wanted to portray the notion of dying, but through prayers and time spent with him, I realized that even though his days are numbered, his undying sense of humor, his child-likeness, and his concern and love for the well-being of his loved ones have never diminished. Through his dying, I gradually learn to live; not to escape but to be present and available to my family. The red paper signifies the vibrancy of life which my father shares with me. In a symbolic gesture, visitors are encouraged to touch the paper and get their fingers tainted and red.

No Chains on My Feet

Inspired by Bob Marley’s concrete jungle. My box signifies the reality of life. Nobody is really free. There are restrictions, expectations, and guidelines on you, which don’t allow you to be free. People are fed lots of lies, been told things that sound good, just to keep them satisfied, but if you stop and really think your chains may be invisible, yet they’re present. You are never really free to be yourself. Life is captivity. The baby inside the box shows that the moment your life starts is the same point your freedom dies.

Garden of Life

Friends are the flowers in the garden of life. My flower gardens bring much pleasure to myself as well as many others. Through gardening and art, I have made many friends who enrich my life. Friends in far-reaching places oftentimes come to mind. I like to think of them as flowers given to me in my garden of life. True blessings.

It is my hope that my box will convey to others how important friends are. May my little traveling garden bring a smile to the viewer, along with a reminder of someone special—a flower placed in their garden of life.

Dice of Life

Dice of Life represents the various facets of life and the decisions people have to make in life. The wire mesh box represents institutions in which we are governed by: society, family, government. The dice represents the different phases in life and the kinds of decision we have to make. We make decisions every day and for each decision, the outcome is unpredictable. Like throwing the dice, we do not know what the answer may be. Every decision is very crucial and often there is no turning back. But once decided, this decision will be carried out, maybe for the rest of our lives, or maybe part of our lives. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it is up to us to make something out of it. This work is personal for me as I was once a single working lady and had to make a sacrifice in order to have a family.

Indulgence

This project is based primarily on my interaction with family members – my mother and sisters. I have chosen to engage in this community and my interaction with them started more than twenty years ago. All of them now are working females, already spending half their lives working, financing their flats, maintaining households, and taking care of children and husbands. Growing up in such an environment has prompted me to have many thoughts. As an artist and having the privilege to express, I included this engagement in my artwork to reflect and to question the roles of women in our modern society today.

Abject Expressionism

The workings of a patriarchal symbolic system have long associated culture and mind with the masculine (esteemed), and nature and body with the feminine (constantly devalued).  This work attempts to reevaluate that which is defined as inferior by deliberately using a body part that refused to fit into any particular definition. Hair– a symbol of sexual prowess (or lack of for the Western nudes)– also acts as a “momento mori”, marking lack. It is a significant abject material, highlighting the slippage between opposites, the living and the dead, the sensual and the repulsive. Because it stands at the borderline separating the inside and the outside of the body, it holds simultaneous powers of fascination and horror. The weaving and braiding of hair in this work act as a metaphor for the bonding and networking amongst women.

 

Bound – Unbound

“The child’s foot doesn’t know yet that it’s a foot,
And wants to be a butterfly or an apple.

But then stones and pieces of glass,
Streets, ladders
And the paths of the hard earth
Go on teaching the foot that it can’t fly,
That it can’t be a round fruit on a branch.
The child’s foot then was overcome, it fell
In the battle,
was a prisoner,
condemned to live in a shoe.”

From To the Foot from Its Child

By Pablo Neruda

Project Recipe Box

This is a collaborative effort by mail/email, having started in December 2000 and will conclude December 2002. It asks participants to contribute a recipe from their mothers. The word recipe is open to interpretations: memories/ remedies/ conversations that occur in the kitchen/ contents of a pre-packed lunch/ etc. This is a simple project, based on a chain of words – women/ mothers/ cooking/ kitchen – used within a simplistic context of a stereotype, there are many distinct and different identities. In a kitchen, each woman develops multiple and complex ways to deal with the role of mother cooking. This role (one associated with sugar-coated sentiments) is also the same role that allows a woman (who may have been defaulted into the kitchen) some measures of control over her family. The kitchen can be a very powerful or oppressive place depending on the woman occupying it. I would like to think that every mother occupied it differently. I hope that this project (a small and incomplete record of their many facets) may serve as a humble but deserving tribute to all our mothers. And if it fails to do that, it is at least, a collection of recipes to some very delicious and precious dishes.

The Women's Voices: Ye Shu Fang from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Nights and Days of Life

Some days are dark
We don’t get anywhere
We feel stuck in a dead end
Going round and round in a circle
Banging our head like a stone
On the walls of our own limitations

And some days are light
We feel free like a whistle
Our voice rings like a bell
We see light everywhere
We see clear through everything
And all makes sense
All shines and all is well

Such is life
After all
For every single one of us
Isn’t it just a mirror
Reflecting our own inner state

 

The Vessel of Light

The vessel of Light is a woman laid bare,
she is a city on a hill and a lamp on a stand
See her light from within and praise her creator.

The vessel of Light is a soul pure and true,
Her charm is not fleeting and her beauty never fades
For they come from the fear of the Lord.

The vessel of Light is scorned by the world,
For her beauty is not outward and she does not seduce
And the darkness on earth cannot understand the light.

The vessel of Light is set apart in the world,
In the darkness of the night, she shines like the sun
For she lives not for pleasures of man.

The vessel of Light will live on forever,
With others much like her too,
The song she sings to the world from the Lord
Is as much as for her as for you.

Her light never fades, and her joyous song never dies
For what is physical will pass away,
But what comes from within, shines eternally
From her Salvation, she’ll never stray.

If you see her Light, please don’t turn away
The glory is not hers she says,
It comes from her salvation in The Light of the world,
And it could be yours too today.

 

Women's Voices: Faye Shen, Singapore from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Hearth

Diverse meanings are attached to the shape of a box. This particular box represents the amalgam of two ideas. The first is the idea that all our judgments and ill-imagined, preconceived notions might go up in flames so that we might remember to view each other with fresh, clear perspective.

The other idea is that each of us would throw our boxes of hope and treasure onto the pyre for warmth of body and food on a cold night. This flame of necessity, real for some, but taken for granted by others, might illumine a way of looking at life – that we might value the bare essentials of life more than we do – and care for those who don’t have them.

The green flame represents the possibility for growth and a new way of life that would rise from the kindling of excess with unsurpassed brilliance.

 

Face

Soon after the birth of my first child, I became aware of a sense that on a grander scale, all children were my children. Universal.

I am now a grandmother for the first time. Mostly, I am happy. Sometimes I feel sad, maybe a bit jealous because I no longer carry the egg that becomes the baby. Look at my little grandson in utero. He is perfect, just like the one perfect living cell, the egg. What gift this is that we may, “…bring forth those who bring forth.”

Bacalah!

The contemporary Malay woman has been able to breakthrough poverty and tradition, from being illiterate to literate. Through the education system, the contemporary Malay woman has contributed to the community through her professional practice/skill. By using a box as a boundary confined to a space, I have inverted the box and carved into it ‘half ‘ patterns to imply the act of being out of the boundary. Entitled Bacalah! which means read, the journal resting on the box represents the spread of knowledge to the masses through a learning process. The inversion of the box with the journal alludes to the breakthrough that the contemporary Malay woman has made and that she is no longer being confined. As learning should start at a tender age where ‘the children of today shape the community of tomorrow’, an image of a child appears on the open page of the journal. The documentation for this project reflected in the journal was carried out in the form of a survey among Malays and non-Malays on their perceptions of the contemporary Malay woman.

 

Iamthereflectionofyoubutdoyouseetheconfusioninsideofme?

Culver City High School. Grade 11.

Inside of me there is a thin line between depression and happiness. Sometimes I dangle between the two, as if I am suspended on a wire and tied up by my own thoughts. Outside I am the reflection of everyone around me. You look at me and see yourself, see who and what you want to see. Although you look at me forever, you will forever see your own reflection and never penetrate to the inside where I am forever suspended between the two poles of my mind.

I Can See Beyond…

I Can See Beyond the Forest and Thru the Trees Now speaks for all modern women and will hopefully in the future. We no longer are tied to aprons, but represent a significant change in our roles, as mothers, policy makers and breadwinners. In the 60’s, we were underpaid as educators and had less chance to be  put into responsible position in life than our counterparts. We have come a long way in forming the framework for the future.

Untitled # 1

My love for boxes goes way back in time…It was triggered in me as a child when I was enchanted by all the silken colors, embroidery and sweets that came out of my grandmother’s old wooden box. And at that time, we lived in a yet bigger stone box that reeked of lemon and jasmine flowers. The color of its cover was interchangeable, ranging between bright sky blue to a shade of azure and it seemed as if it were decorated with stars. But there was always someone who broke my boxes that contained me and I them…

96 and 4 Extra

The negative space inside the box is able to contain 96 cubic centimeters of particles. If more particles are added, the pressure inside the box will increase. When the box is opened, the pressure will push the extra particles out. A similar reaction will happen to a human being who experiences physical and mental pressures. When the society, culture and family exert pressure on a woman, she faces physical and mental exhaustion, thus making her unhappy. But if she is able to release the stress, the force can be transformed into useful energy–just like the box, she can live a colorful and creative life.

Singapore Sling

My box sculpture represents my past and my hopes and dreams for the future.  Now I am caught in the middle as I work in Singapore as a domestic help.

It is the thought of my children back home in the Philippines (that’s why their picture is here) and my dream of having my own restaurant in Manila that keeps me going.

Think Local, Act Local

Santa Barbara focuses within its boundaries by caring for its people and environment, which causes a domino effect. The effect touches locally, but also worldwide. Santa Barbara is a jewel by the sea. Fishing is an integral part of the local economy. The sailing vessel made out the box exemplifies our location and the many wonderful sights and sounds that await tourists who touch our shores.

We “locals” touch the world community by our friendly hospitality and we offer tourists numerous and varied experiences to understand the American lifestyle. We care for ourselves, therefore we care for and respect others in all parts of the world. We have many organizations that support world-wide causes, such as Direct Relief International and Jean Michael Cousteau’s Heal the Ocean. We are seeking ways to maintain a homogenous community to assimilate all walks of life and when anyone encounters our beautiful city, he or she may also “think local and act local”.

Overflowing

As the world’s population increases at alarming rates, heavy human consumption is producing drastic amounts of waste and garbage. Landfills are overflowing and space for containing our trash is limited. This box represents Earth’s limited available space for containing our waste. By recycling, we can collectively help to prolong the Earth’s beautiful and natural elements.

The Bridal Chest

Sanduq Al-Saysum is a type of chest which used to be carved by craftsmen in the Holy City of Makkah (Mecca) from hard wood and decorated with pierced brass. Traditionally, these were one of the prized possessions of a bride which she brought with her to her new home. Being large and very heavy, they were used as safes.  Inside were kept valuables and family heirlooms. Even though few now live in the traditional homes, Saysum chests are still to be found in many modern homes.

I-Eye

I/Eye is one destination of a journey, the result of dialogues with a group of close friends and family. It is a fluid look-see at the emotional, intellectual and artistic issues of life; equally, a way of looking at my art and myself. I saw the box as very personal, as the baggage or the tools, both good and bad, given to me, with which to live this life. I have set this box within a fence that is open and yet enclosed, transparent, yet opaque. It marks personal boundaries. On this fence are the eyes of friends and family sketched as we talked. Their presence is about seeing eye-to-eye, or not, having them to look out for me, helping me to look at myself with creative eyes. The box was always meant to be the most transmutable part of my project, it did change, move and let itself be affected by this interactive process. Its final form, then, is one that signifies growth – a sort of literal ‘breaking out of the box’ to explore one’s potential, whatever that may be, wherever that may lead.

 

Worship

I see the work as a process linked to the practices of a community. The reflection of self and interaction with community run parallel to the notion of time and rituals. The work explores the idea of a mystical journey of life and hope. Imbued with energy, the yellow box is evolved around acts of cleansing, purifying and healing. The choice of materials used in this work reflects this concept.

America is Watching

The images on my box are from a series of relief prints in response to the U.S. Attorney General’s “TIPS” program. The program recommends that citizens keep an eye on one another and then inform the government of any suspicious activity. As disembodied doll eyes peer out from the inside of the box, images of men and women watching in various ways surround the exterior.

We’re All in this Boat Together

I work with containers because they make me happy. Each piece I create becomes a container of conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings: a nest, a womb, a secret, a surprise or a giggle. And always, a feeling of being in touch with my female ancestral beginnings.

My containers contain “me”. Being a wife, mother and “Nana” have been the most important things in my life. My baskets honor and celebrate the family. I use words and images of women and children because I want my basket/vessel to have content…to say something. I want to validate the importance of the family and the values and morals it nurtures. My vessels are autobiographical and are the scrapbooks of my life.

Throughout history women have found creative time in their lives to make baskets. Knotless netting, the technique I use to cover the gourds and molded forms, is an ancient, tedious, continuous thread technique that is used for nets, baskets and button holes and is symbolic of women’s work in the home.

 

Ask for Guidance

When I started this project, I had a general idea of what I wanted to say and how I would do it. However, once I started beading it began to take on a life of its own. For one thing, the beading took much longer than anticipated, which forced me to slow down and enjoy the process.

Beading is a mechanical type of thing which allows contemplation while still doing the work. It began to look a bit different than I planned and time was getting short so while I beaded, I literally asked for guidance and trusted that this would lead me somewhere. Is it a pillow, a blanket, a symbol?…it is any and all of these things and a place to rest and to think. The idea to glue messages to the box came as I beaded. Lesson learned.

“All you need to do to receive guidance is to ask for it and then listen.” Sanaya Roman

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

 

Altar for Eve’s Chromosomes

Eve represents the first woman. I am honoring her genetic material with this mixed media sculpture. All women have descended from Eve’s chromosomes, which are the most fundamental, significant and potentially eternal part of our experience as humans.

Artistically, this work is related to a series of white wood wall sculptures I made during the late 1980’s. The objects I have added to the original box materials are symbolically related to women’s genetic and cultural heritage.

 

Mom, Me, and the Pink Dancers

This work has to do with the cycle of life and where I am in that cycle now. It is a combination of fears–past and present, traumatic experiences—past and present, hopes, dreams, pain and frustration that continue, that I am more or less resigned to endure. It is to honor my mother and her teaching and love for me, my love for her and what each generation of women pass to one another.

The pink dancers were an image I formed from an interview I heard on public radio with young women activists who dress in pink and perform on the sidewalk of urban centers to attract people to engage them in discussions pertaining to social and political issues of the progressive left. I yearned and regretted for a moment that I was not there, was not a pink dancer. But soon saw that they were the next phase, and was glad just that they were there. Yes! to them.

War is still bad, starving children are still bad, and women still have to keep working to stop these things from happening. There is a lot of pain we must carry with us.

My own children (17yrs old & 21yrs old) saw this piece being made. The red stuffing, I told my questioning son, represented blood and tissue. However, it was not bad. Blood is everywhere when you are born. It is a good thing. Blood is life.

Such a small piece, so much to say. Very personal.

Untitled

Green, yellow and blue are the colors of our flag. Rwanda, a nation recovering from the blood shed of man. The red doom is the symbol of Genocide and the white cross with the bleeding heart of Jesus, who sacrificed that Rwanda be made clean, symbolized by the white cross.

Yellow is sunshine, hope for Rwanda. Green is life and growth and blue is reconciliation, possible only though the blood of Jesus.

Sparkle of Life

Coca-Cola Box Project.

Many years ago after a long and hot morning of doing house chores, my exhausted and thirsty mother would unexpectedly rush through the door. Intrigued, I would rapidly tie my worn out shoes and head to the kitchen. There holding a bottle, as if it were the last one left in the world, was my mom. As she drank it, a smile would slowly illuminate her face. Noticing my curiosity, she pointed at the bottle and said, “This is the sparkle of life.”

In a convulsive world of dispute over territory, religion and culture, men and women face a daily struggle searching for solutions to make this planet a better one for everybody. What has for many years been missing however, is the perspective of the real sparkle of life: The Woman. Just as Coca-Cola illuminated my mother’s eyes, this world would benefit greatly by considering more seriously the ideas and propositions of the woman. So, the purpose of this project was simply to portray and honor the woman not only as the sparkle of life but as the queen of the universe.

 

Ripened Fruit

“This world is a tree to which we cling–
we, the half-ripe fruit upon it.
The immature fruit clings tight to the branch
because, not yet ripe, it’s unfit for the palace.
When fruits become ripe, sweet, and juicy,
then, biting their lips, they loosen their hold.
When the mouth has been sweetened by felicity,
the kingdom of the world loses its appeal.
To be tightly attached to the world is immaturity;
as long as you’re an embryo,
blood-sipping is your interest.”

– Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi

A fascination with seeds, seed pods, fruit of both tree and vine accompanied my own struggle with fertility. What appeared to be fallow in my life gradually evolved into a period of regeneration and rebirth. At present, these familiar forms reflect the renewal of my work and symbolize the opaque and marvelous mystery of the human life.

This box is lovingly dedicated to Mary Interlandi: May 20, 1983 – February 10, 2003

Make Up

The title, Make Up, is chosen as it refers not only to the cosmetics we women apply on our faces, but also to other connotations–to fabricate, to supplement, to collect, to put together, to parcel, to put into shape, and to arrange–all of which formed part of the process in its making. Make Up looks at the notion of wholeness with reference to the obsession in women to be or to be seen as psychologically and physically sufficient. The mirror on the top of the box reflects the viewer’s face, thus engaging/making him/her as a subject. Hence, the artwork questions a woman’s need and her behavior in wanting to “fit in” through the act of supplementing her appearance with cosmetics. Is the woman’s quest to Make Up her complete self destined to fail?

 

Life Beyond the Box

A heart that is closed within myself…
Fostered by the many changes of my life
What is Life Beyond the Box?
Nothing but a complicated colorful world.

The wooden box has been left to its original color to represent the simple me. The colorful nylon lines are communication lines between my community and me. The intensity of the lines on each side of the box symbolizes the importance of the communication level. Phrases have been inscribed onto the acrylic panels to reflect the views of Life.

The Ideal Women

The work challenges the notion of an ideal woman and our perception of a perfect appearance. The Ideal Woman exists today in various forms.  The construction of the ideal woman is constantly propagated by the media, mass culture and social standards.  Reconstruction with corrective surgery, Cyber-heroines modeled in the realm of virtual reality, Plastic dolls with envious 38″-18″-34″ dimensions are but just a few examples of what influences our conscious psyche.

The box presents a metal pedestal upon which women fixate the psychological image of an ideal woman.  The proliferation of body types littering the box illustrates the quest to attain the ideal image through various stages of her life.  The doll parodies a woman’s fixation with her own body and her quest to find the perfect body.  Swathed in slim-wrap, draped with a tape measure, the woman is never satisfied and the craving for the image of the ideal woman never stops.

So, pause!  What / who / where is the Ideal Woman?  A fiction of our imagination, mostly.

Parcel

My artistic endeavors dwell on questioning the ideal body portrayed by popular culture, by way of designing and making prosthetic garments that allow small people to be what they are not; awkwardly tall, beer-gutted, seat-spillers and generally voluminous. The combination of humor, formal relationships and social commentary are also mixed in most of my site-specific installations.

Today Women

Women in today’s world have various facets, she is expected to fulfill multiple roles and there exist many issues which demands her time and energy.  The 4 sides of the box depict today women various circles of concern;

Family- She has to fulfill the role of good daughter to her parents, a loving wife to her husband and of course, a caring mother to her children.  She doesn’t only need to spend quality time with each but is also expected to keep in touch with their worlds, traditions and trends. Hence, observation of traditional customs such as Chinese New Year, celebrating Valentine’s day, knowing the difference between Ash, Pikachu and Teletubbies…the list goes on.

Career- She is naturally the co-bread winner, especially in Singapore’s society. In a knowledge based economy she has to fulfill the expectations and obligations of a model employee. She is expected to be efficient, innovative, receptive to the ever changing corporate identity (mergers and acquisitions making it more exciting), requirements and culture.

Social- In between all the juggling, she keeps herself updated of the news, happenings, fashion, trends, movies, television programs (even if she has no time for them–at least she must know what’s showing!) And definitely, squeeze in time for friends, neighbors, and maybe even some charitable work.

Self-Intellectual/Spiritual/Physical- In an increasingly borderless world, life long learning is becoming the norm–continuous education, for the diploma holders–the dream is to obtain a degree.  For the degree holders, the aim is to complete an MBA, for the MBA and MSC holders–a Ph.D.? Today, women must keep in touch with the internet world–or else she would be lost in the sea of information.

Health is important too–so time is needed for exercise.  Of course, not to forget spiritual needs as well.

Reflection- Today women, to perform her roles well–is that a challenge or an expectation?  In today society, there is no other alternative, so today women must make best of whatever resource she has, develop her skills, increase her knowledge and extend her circle of influence–with the sole objective of playing her roles well.

 

Tran-Sisters

This is a continuation of my Hole Project which started, and the beginning presented, in 1999. The holes drilled on the foundation parts of the box represents the idea that life is full of little openings.  The transistors (primary device for amplifying electronic signals) represents the idea of enhancing the message of openings we find in life. The interconnection of the 3 (number 3 is one of the lucky numbers for me) parts of the box represents interconnections that we beings can engage in among ourselves, to promote the attitude that there is hope because we find openings.

Family Bed

I’m three years old. I made a five-decker bed because I want my family to be together. My papa works in Jakarta four days a week and I miss him. I also love double-decker beds but papa said it is too dangerous for children my age. A five-decker bed will be nice–everybody can sleep together and Babybathtub (my doll) can have her own bed. I wanted to have a five-decker bed and mama helped me saw the box. Papa is very old, his bed has many beads–my hands get tired and Nadene che che helped me with the sticking. My bed has three beads because I am three years old and Babybathtub is only two.

Pat Chen, Regina Law’s mother

Nurture

We take care of things that are important to us. The females of most species are considered to be nurturers and keepers of the “nest”.

Being and artist has allowed me the opportunity to nurture the things that are most important to me – represented by the golden eggs in the nest of brushes. I care about many things and to limit myself to representing just four became a daunting task – I thought about Peace, Love, Compassion and Creativity, but upon reflection each day, the list grew. How could I not mention family, good health, rich soil and clean water, friendships and the miracle of simply being whole?

So without putting words to the golden eggs, I’ll leave it for those who view the art to ponder…How and what will you “nurture” in your life? We must take care of what is most precious to us.

Restoration

In Christian vocabulary, the term restoration means bringing oneself back to God who created the earth; saved from darkness; beings in the light; and bringing blessing to this world. This work, by a small community is an offering to the Almighty Highest in the first year of the twenty-first Century. Participants of this community came together to pray for needs that they observed from the mass media. This community and the artist share one faith and believe in the same God. The Box thus represents their prayers which are burdened with the sorrows of history and which brings hope to the future. It is likened to a funeral of sacred history and a birthday party of the new history makers.

 

Spill It, A Veil of Truth

Coca-Cola Box Project.

The idea for our box originated from a website that the Coca-Cola company published called Spill It. Contained within the site were thousands of messages by people all around the world who just wanted to spill their minds and share with others. The box, covered with small pieces of aluminum Coca-Cola cans found in trash cans around the campus, is overflowing with little scrolls of personalized messages from whoever wanted to contribute.

A Chinese Bridal Chest

In ancient China the mother of the bride had to give her daughter two chests of clothes on her wedding day to accompany the bride when she went to the bride-groom’s home.  The two words ‘Double Happiness’ had to be pasted on the two chests.  These beautiful decorated rectangular chests would be carried manually behind the bridal sedan chair followed by a group of musicians.  These chests would be supported by long poles placed on the shoulders of the two male carriers.  On arrival at the bride-groom’s home the mother-in-law and other relatives would inspect the contents of the two chests.  Then the bride’s family background would be assessed or usually criticized because of the poor quality of the clothes in the chests.  How the mother-in-law would treat her daughter in future would depend to a great extent on so called ‘dowry’ of the bride.

Beginnings

…woman’s sexuality, as spectator, must undergo a constant process of transformation. She must take, as if she were a man, the phallic power of the gaze, at a woman who would attract that gaze, in order to be that woman…

An attempt at examining issues pertaining to female sexuality, sensuality, cultural attitudes and ideas are my main concerns, which include the engagement and celebration of the body.

…a journey, which is both a conscious and subconscious process, through my body prints and food spices installations. These are born out of trans-cultural experiences and transcend apparent boundaries such as the celebrations of the human form and sexuality and sensuality. Whether or not femininity results in an unconscious symbolism, I choose to work with components of a visual vocabulary to achieve works in personal content that can be read by a larger audience.

I still have to question every assumption, every reaction I have, as a result of being culturally conditioned. The expression of my sensibilities and concerns is not a politicized feminism but more of a psychic bonding to my femaleness, Amen.

Endless Beauty

My work deals with the femininity of a woman, as she struggles not only to be part of society’s work force, but also to maintain her appearance as changes are brought about through aging.  Instead of the small wooden box, I have cast a larger box from wax, not only to enhance its appearance but also to give that sense of being alive.  The box itself is wrapped up with skin and it is this same skin that are stacked inside the box in repetitive folds.  The wrapped box together with the folded repetitive skin represents the struggles of a modern woman in the community, to which she has, to balance between society and the family, and yet maintain her >endless beauty for society.

Keep It Burning

matches played with in our youth
we were going to set the world on fire
maybe still
maybe again
keep it burning.

lighted candles, take a breath
don’t blow them out
inner glow, light, fire, magic
keep it burning.

grow with the flame; feel its warmth
light the passion
dance with the fire
keep it burning
keep it burning!

Medium: wood, metal

Tight Fit

This piece of work explores the notion of restriction and objectification by juxtaposing an old-time practice of foot binding with fashionable high heeled shoes.  Pain, in both historical and contemporary context, is symbolized by the shrouded shoe.  Times may have changed, but certain perceptions of women remain deeply entrenched.  In the past, women were obliged to have their feet bound in order to be considered beautiful and desirable by men.  Having small feet was a symbol of stature and gentility.  Hence, women’s feet were forcibly bound to fit into dainty, three-inch long shoes.  Today, women subject themselves to the pain and discomfort of three-inch (or more!) high shoes to enhance their feminine appeal.  Yet, hidden behind the glossy look is this sense of inadequacy and the desire to be looked at.  Are we now considered willing participants of a game of restrictive beauty, to the point of disregarding the possible hazards by wearing heels?

Women’s Unlimited Potential

This little box reminds me of a woman in the olden day, which a woman can only do things within this little space. What is a woman identity today?  Woman is no more constrained within this space. Woman is full of wisdom and Unlimited Potential.

She can transform herself in various forms.

She can express herself just like the color in the palette.
She can express her creativity just like a tree…so full of energy.
She can transcend all her cells to enliven this society.

I’m that Woman with Unlimited Potential!

Emerging Woman

don’t judge me on how I look
don’t assess my usefulness with inverse proportionality to the size of my waist
you will not measure my true worth in inches
don’t use my breasts to see a product that has no connections to my body
if my thighs are large
it’s because I use them to support myself
if my stomach is rounded
it’s because it is full and fertile
my face–my eyes, my smile are not important
I am a woman and therefore beautiful.

 

The Model and the Box

I pay homage to the naked form. In this piece the artist is absent, but her palette remains. The model is not naked but nude. To be naked is to be deprived of clothes, to be nude carries no uncomfortable overtones. She has no vulnerability. She has energy and vitality. She offers this artist stimulation and creative thought.

 

I thank the model, the nude…and the box.

Tentacles

Different lengths of ultra thin fishing wires with little wax-ends springing out from a pot of wax and resin, invite views to touch, shift, bend, change direction or distort. This work exemplifies the notion of interference, and seeks to actively engage the viewers to participate with the artwork to draw their own unique experiences from it. This activity will allow the development of patterns of collective creativity that does not merely privilege any one person’s experience.

Close to the Edge

This collaborative project focuses on the network of relationships which support the mother as she experiences changes in Self identity within the frame of Motherhood. The changing perceptions of Self, whilst universal in Motherhood, differs significantly from person to person. This project involves each member of my personal support group of expatriate mothers in Singapore, expressing their experiences of motherhood in a “foreign” environment. Through the box, I sought to express my personal experience on a theoretical basis, placed in the context of my support network. Thereby the work seeks to reveal the differing experiences and changes in the perception of self, as well as the importance of a transient support network.

Remnants

Remnants references my many, may years as a working artist, particularly as a printmaker. I selected remnants from 30 years of art-making into the contained box, making my own sort of small “retrospective”. Working on this piece brought up a wide spectrum of memories, thoughts and emotions – and the toil and labor that go into a work of art. I consider myself a very fortunate person.

Creation

This piece of art represents a woman with a steadfast and proud posture. She sits and carries in her lap the continuity of life: her own children. Her face reads of dignity. She carries on her head a pot with a dove: the symbol of love and peace. She creates and conveys life, pride and peace.
 
Medium: clay mixed with copper oxide, cobalt oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide and some kaolin as well as a wooden box

Coca-Cola Wind Chime

Coca-Cola Box Project.

As a child actor, Kelsey was in an ad for Coca-Cola when she was ten years old. The set was designed to look like a tree house. Kelsey was dressed as a tomboy and just wanted to hang out with the boys who were sitting around a table in the tree house drinking glass bottles of Coca-Cola. With longing, Kelsey was pictured peeking at the boys as they enjoyed Coca-Cola.

Celebration

My box is a celebration of the joy of life, magic and imagination. I used the red part of the cardboard and some of the words found on the carton the words joy and oz., referring to the Wizard of Oz, and Coke. I cut the cardboard in the manner of Matisse with shapes of women dancing.

I teach eight art classes at four different colleges, sixty hours a week including driving time. Needless to say, I have little time to stop for a meal. So when my blood sugar starts to drop, I have a Coke. There is nothing like it–the two major food groups of sugar and caffeine. Coca Cola gives me a lift and makes me feel good.

 

Granfaloon of 3

I adored my maternal grandmother and gave my daughter her name. Isabella. One day when my daughter was a tiny girl, she said to me, out of the blue, “Remember when I was the big lady and you were the little girl? Wasn’t  that fun?” It was fun.

Indra’s Net

“In the heaven of Indra, there is said to be a network of pearls so arranged that if you look at one you see all the others reflected in it. In the same way each object in the world is not merely itself but involves every other object and in fact is everything else.”

– Translated by Sir Charles Eliot from the Avatamsaka Sutra, approximately 500 BCE

Lorraine Serena furnished the box
Julie Coale suggested these pearls
Sylvia Hyman recommended Sherry Male for drilling them
Tyree McFarland provided the silvered glass and the glasswork
Daisy gave me the idea for suturing thread
Dr. Dee Dee Fredin supplied it
Dixie Gamble manifested the replacement glass
and Jane Braddock buttoned it up
women’s network.

My Grandmother

Coca-Cola Box Project.

As long as I can remember my grandmother in Mexico always bought seven bottles of Coca-Cola a week. She has one bottle a day: a few ounces in the morning mixed with two raw eggs; a few ounces with lunch; and the rest with her dinner. She never drinks water at all, just the Coke. She is ninety-two years old.

 

Dreams Fly

Inside this box, within a bird, a dream is sealed.

Please PICK-UP and hold this wise, matriarchal creature. Shake her gently and listen. Hear her dream stir? What is within her; within you? Permit your vision to awaken emboldened, released with wings spread and soar beyond every limitation that you impress upon yourself.

Goethe said, “Whatever you do, or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Truly, all women have dreams and passions pleading to be set free on the wings of imaginary flight.

Untitled

Survivors of Genocide.

I have drawn a volcano in eruption and fruits on a tray. I have also drawn a person in a boat. An active volcano is very destructive. Fruits are nutritious. If you take a ride in a boat you take a rest and feel happy when you look at the water.

Untitled

This box of boundaries and borders of seams and skin-colored patterns uses the images produced to explore the possibilities of connection. By using these borders between colors of skin as a connection instead of a boundary of separation, it creates a quilt-like or map-like pattern. The connection of the visual image similar to a map and the intellectual understanding of different ethnicities throughout the world attempts to introduce the possibility of these coming together beautifully without attempting uniformity.

This cloth covering, this skin is also superficial. This cloth is synthetic and covers the box almost completely, except for one run in the stocking and one square wall inside the box. These show the natural wood underneath this cloth skin, the same wood each woman began her box with.

The images produced from this quilting of panty-hose is almost primitive and yet the material is a symbol of progressive, fashionable women. The appearance of smooth, uniformly colored legs has been considered beautiful in Western Europe and America for some time now. This aspect introduces the difference in perspectives of beauty.

Sewing with my hair weaved in the traditional concept of long hair as beautiful and feminine. This image of women’s long hair is in many regions and reminds me of the many places I find hair I have shed, in the bed, in the shower, on my clothes, on the floor. Historically in some areas women used to sew with horse hair. The concept of women’s hair connecting many regions twists the projection of beauty into a powerful relationship where the object that was used as a thing to look at, now fulfills the position of bridging the boundaries, of connecting the borders.

The process of sewing this box reminded me of the women throughout the world who sew for their families and communities. They create to keep people clothed and warm. The process is time consuming and requires patience and care. The needles remain hanging from the box by hair and thread because we are still in the process of sewing our borders and recognizing our differences and using these to create a new understanding, a new connection of women artists around the world.

My World

My box is a small square world, and part of my world is in the box. On opening My World and looking closer one sees part of my individual history. A mirrored reflection of my wedding day. It represents love, culture, and intimacy. The bottom of the box is a coffin.

 

An American Girl

Is there no greater suffering than “An American Girl, Shopping For A Husband”? In her single days, she would cry and cry over lost loves, covet the sacred purchases of keepsakes in hope for love, and dream endlessly for the one– a final purchase of the dream guy and live happily ever after.

Medium: The box, Ukranian egg dyes, silver and gold spray paint, floral wire, embroidery thread, wood ball, buttons and dominos, netting, yarn, plastic shopping bags, things girls buy, one groomsman cut in half, newspaper clipping, wire, crotchet needle, Modge Podge and Tacky glue.

Island of Many Pleasures

Welcome to Singapore, truly inspiring city where East meets West.  A Country with a unique array of rich ethnic cultures.  A vibrant city with many exotic, exciting and extraordinary attractions for visitors. Visitors should be able to feel the spirit of harmonious Singaporean living together as ONE UNITED PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF RACE, LANGUAGE OR RELIGION. Let the World be UNITED like Singapore and there shall be PEACE & HARMONY.

Personal Affairs

The little book attached, describes the origin of the fabric (where it was woven and printed), its purpose (as far as it could be tracked down) and most important the donor. The donors are all women who I have got to know in Singapore (except my mother who has visited me in Singapore for 4 months). The box might be seen as synonym for the female body (or at least part of it), all those pieces of different fabric stand for the colorful, multi-layered women personalities.  The chain at which the little book is attached has a meaning too: It stands for all women who have not freed themselves from a world which is still very much male-dominated.

The Poppy Field

My nickname is “Poppy”. I go to school at Tanglin. I was born in Singapore.  My friends come from different places.  I have two brothers but no sisters. I go to England every summer holiday. Whenever I go to England to see my Granny and Opa, I see poppy fields. I love them and so I decided to make a sculpture of a poppy field. It reminds me of my holidays. I put airplane wings on my sculpture because we fly to England to see the poppies. I love living in Singapore but I miss seeing the poppy fields. Every year they sell fake poppies at Tanglin.  It is on the day the great war finished.  Opa was born when the war finished.

Pearls of Hope

Let’s hope

There will be no more wars and differences among countries… and instead, peace…

The world will be free of the evils of human nature–greed, fame and vanity…

The word cancer will be erased from our world with advancement in medicine…

The pearls of hope will illuminate our world, and help us realize our dreams…

I Would Still Like to Have…er…Chewing Gum

The ban of chewing gum a decade ago has caused quite a stir not only in Singapore but internationally too.  Although it may seem to be a trivial act or even unimportant matters in a political dimension, it has nonetheless created some public awareness of how far an average citizen can tolerate this form of authoritarian regime.

 

As a law-abiding citizen of Singapore, I have no choice but to give up one of my favorite habits and life’s little luxury during my younger days.  Nowadays, we can still spot someone chewing gum discreetly in public especially on board of public transport.  It’s not a big crime or anything like that as long as it is disposed properly into the bins.  Although the government has shown a good degree of tolerance, it is still against the law to sell or import chewing gum.

 

I still chew gums that I brought back from overseas and enjoy blowing big bubbles like I used to so; what’s a little law-breaking gonna do to me?

 

Untitled

You may read and see,

But you can’t touch her.

You may look and sympathize,

But you can’t feel her pain.

You may think the wound is healed,

But you don’t know it stays forever.

She trusts to be loved and guarded,

And in return she got that.

She isolates herself from you

As her world is dark and lonely.

She is suffering behind that smile,

You don’t even realize it.

She is unable to accept the truth,

As it hurts to talk about it.

Listen now… “Why me!

I trusted him and this is the time when he RAPED me”

Watersheds

Coca-Cola Box Project

We were intrigued by the boundary aspect of this Women beyond borders box project. Our thoughts turned to physical boundaries, specifically those found in Santa Barbara. By looking at a map, you can see the natural boundaries that are created by watersheds in our area. A watershed is an elevation, a divide, a drainage basin that separates one river system from another, and ultimately drains to a watercourse or body of water. Defining Santa Barbara by its watersheds would change our existing boundaries.

At this point in time, watershed education is important. There are vital connections between our watershed resources, human activity and water quality. Watershed restoration improves water quality, creeks, wetlands and the ocean.

Fannie’s Soap Box: The Story of an American Cheerleader

Tajima Box Project. An artist and an extraordinary woman collaborate to create a box. 

Fannie Flagg, ACTRESS, COMEDIAN, AND AUTHOR with Ramona Otto, ARTIST.

When I was told that I would be doing a piece on Fannie Flagg, I was honored. We are from the same generation, and I’ve always enjoyed her TV and film work, and was impressed that she was also a brilliant author and screenwriter. Because word play is often a part of my work, my original thought was to make the box into a soapbox, and then I could make the theme into whatever message was important to Fannie.

Fannie’s wish was to have a positive art piece because she was tired of all the negative art and energy being released into the world. She hoped her piece could reflect that life was good.

I hope my title gives a whole new meaning to the word “cheerleader.”

 

 

Shades of Africa

Everywhere you go In Africa a woman is always present. Through my presentation I portray three major roles that make African women so precious in our society.

A woman does not only bear a child in her arms, wood on her head or a clay pot in her hands, she bears the daily burden of African experiences.

She is the strength of Africa and I hope that we can learn to appreciate what a woman does and the one who created her, God.

Untitled

I am wary…
I am cautious…
I am conditioned…
I have hardened…
I am protective…
because I am vulnerable.
I am sensitive…
I am emotional…
I am afraid…
Take time to understand me.
Within is my core,
my soul,
and my heart.
I will unfold…
and reveal to you…
me.

Conflict

Like most domestic tools, the straight pin is usually considered a useful and innocuous object. I use thousands of them to make aggressive statements referencing handwork, domesticity and the female voice. The finished pieces are beautiful. They are also sharp and dangerous. Like the tiny pins that efficiently perform multiple household tasks, my work suggests more than what meets the eye. “Conflict” physically expresses endured emotional battles.

With my background in fiber art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I am intrigued by the works of George Segal, Edward and Nancy Kienholz, Cathy de Moncheaux, Annette Message, Louise Nevelson, Eva Heese and Ann Hamilton. Finally, the following excerpt, as read not in context, but taken from Anais Nin’s A Spy in the House of Love, 1968, pp. 6-7, sheds light on my ideological treatment of perception.

“She was like an actress who must compose a face, an attitude to meet the day…She must redesign the face, smooth the anxious brows, separate the crushed eyelashes, wash off the traces of secret, interior tears, accentuate the mouth as upon a canvas, so it will hold its luxuriant smile. Inner chaos, like those secret volcanoes which suddenly lift the neat furrows of a peacefully plowed field, awaited behind all disorders of face, hair and costume, for a fissure through which to explode.”

Who am I?

As a growing teenager, I often find it hard to determine who I am as an individual. I used the box as an icon of my self-being. I feel as a teenager we often take life for granted and forget how every decision we make is an important one. The stilts on the box are there to exaggerate how important the choices you make in life are. The shattered pieces of glass, directed toward the box, show the constant pressures in life. I chose mirror to show that by just looking in the mirror at yourself you think about who you are. The box is placed upside down to show how I have built my own shelter, apart from my family to protect myself in this world.

Open Box

The box I have created (recreated) is an “open box.” Here the box signifies self-imposed limitations within which we live. Whether in the marriage box, the mother box, the artist box, we notice ourselves playing certain preconceived roles. This becomes inhibiting and sometimes agonizing if we are not aware and perhaps unable to change the rules and roles of the boxes as we grow and change.

I particularly admire people who constantly recreate themselves; who seem unrestricted by society’s boxes. Louise Bourgeois, one of the great sculptors of this century, is one of these people. She looks at things, relationships, her life and her art always with a fresh eye.

One can see Louise Bourgeois in the ceiling of the open box by looking in the mirror. The picture shows her holding a large bronze phallus that she made. The photograph is by Robert Mapplethorpe. Above her is the shell which signifies the soul.

For Ritta

USA/Czech Republic

My sister died before I was a little girl.
She was put in a gas chamber in a
concentration camp.

My daddy was so sad he couldn’t stop
them so he made another little girl right
away so he could forget about Ritta and
be happy again

Only this was not ok with G-d. G-d
thought that this was too fast so he
played a trick on Daddy. He took
Ritta’s soul, which was still very upset
from being starved and gassed and
burned and sent it back to Earth.

Normally a soul would be allowed to
float around out there for a couple
hundred years or more to calm down
after doing Life. So it was shocking for
Ritta’s soul to come back too quickly
and-this was the mean part-to be
stuck in Janicka’s body.

This was very hard for me. I thought I
was supposed to smile. Everyone
wanted me to be a happy pretty little girl
so they could be happy and forget. But,
too bad looked like a bullfrog and I
could tell they thought that and were
ashamed. So no smiles. They didn’t
know about Ritta’s soul and that it took
up so much space may own little heart
didn’t have room to beat.

So along we went, poor starved gassed
and burned Ritta and what was left of
me and no one knew so I was very sad
and lonely. And poor Daddy couldn’t
forget Ritta because she was inside the
little bullfrog.

A Confirmation and Discovery of Witchcraft

My recent work is focused on issues of identity, sexuality and language. I am also interested in women’s history and in women’s roles throughout different cultures.

To address these issues, I explore a variety of media, whatever I feel most appropriate to convey a specific feeling or experience. Confirmation And Discovery Of Witchcraft is an homage to witches and their wisdom and to their power to combine magic, mystery and wisdom.

The box is smoked; the top of the lid shows a young witch casting a love spell. Inside the box are burned matches, inscribed with the names of real women who were burned because of witchcraft accusations. In the mirror is a scroll, in the shape of an uterus where oral language reads: ‘ar yu squerd of mai tiars an mai blod?

The Battlefield of Selfhood/ A Box of Empty Shells to Ponder

Beings killing out of jealousy, rage,
betrayal, revenge, self righteousness.

Some die without a loss of body though —
through abuse and intimidation, disagreement.

Untamed emotions creating a battlefield within.
Un-conquered, raw, heartless.

The primary battlefield.

Led from the mind, from the heat of hatred,
destroying another, destroying the Self.

Hear the names of outer battlefields —
Bosnia, Iraq,
Oklahoma City, Somalia, subways in Japan.
In the home,
Couples turning from lovers to killers.
Children killing children.

Anger looming in the human heart —
on the loose, unpredictable.
Where is the greatest battlefield to conquer,
on the terrain or in the heart?

Where to fight the battle?

A box of empty shells to ponder.

Eggies

Candy-like ovaries
Nibbling like berries
Sucking and squeezing
Pulling and pleasing
Contradiction and friction
Shiny, sweet eggs
Long skinny legs
Steel wire and red
Cold blue-purple and dead
Hot glue opaque blue
The barrier has become the existence
The chaotic shamble has become the resistance
Confine, restrict, disengage

Another Play-Thing

A child or an adult who handles this magnetized material discovers through a variety of experience what it is saying.

For those who like surprises, I suggest collaboration with this animated material when attempting a re-arrangement – even “letting go” and allowing the magnetic forces of attraction and repulsion direct the play.

A haphazard appearance is one of the factors which may provoke a viewer, out of attraction, annoyance or curiosity, to touch this material and discover that its arrangement is temporary.

Leaving Home

from the time my soft head crowned
through the red hole
and my mother’s spent muscles squeezed me
out of the watery place,
i began leaving home.
the empty tunnel that led me
from my first home
closed up and healed.
as i grew, i sloughed off years
like discarded snakeskin.
she saved the skins.
she wears them around memory’s neck,
to mark time to the cadence of
an ancient song
her mother’s mother’s mother once sang.

Self Portrait #1

My work is a personal investigation which began as an attempt to see the body through the photographic medium in ways which are impossible with the naked eye.

I realize that we view images of the body very differently when they are life size or larger. Other objects do not hold such power and are always subject to interpretation of space when confronted by differences in size. The body, although conforming to the same rules of perspective, also holds another set of rules. The body is the common denominator of all the viewers, it is something to relate with on the most personal and intimate basis.

When working in photography it is important to remember that, unfortunately, photography is the choice medium of pornographers. It is a transparent medium; one that is taken of evidence of objective truth with little subjective interdiction. Any picture of a body is not necessarily thought of as a picture of a body, but as a body. We see through the portal of the pictures medium and look at the picture as evidence of truth…or of the body itself. A painting of a body has a different emotional charge than a photograph of the same body. Where a painting of the body would be considered sensual, a photograph of the same body is considered pornographic.

I am dealing with the total involvement of the figure and the role and relationship of the artist and viewer.

Family

This altar is dedicated to my boys, Shawn and Josh, two beautiful people who I cherish. Between the little dots in the photos are images of them surfing in Mexico. The inside of the box and the top of the box have surf “sex wax” melted, hardened and enclosed in resin. The wax will turn to liquid when it gets hot and change its shape when it dries. I like that.

Grief Repair

All is metaphor, even that which we may take as fact. Human logic is fragile. The box may represent a construct of human logic. Boxes do not occur in nature. It contains wax with the translucency of human skin, threads, a needle and blood. The needle under the “skin” is a metaphor for the grief of women all over the world in their efforts to keep love and the grace of human relationships and community whole, despite a world which seems eternally based on war and conflict. The needle is used for healing. The box is a prayer for continued courage and creativity.

Untitled

Top: the 3 jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma (teaching) and the Sangha (spiritual community)

Colors: monastery

Images: goldfish, land, mountains, river, clouds; an island surrounded by water; fruit

Inside the box: barley, primary ingredient of Tsampa, a basic Tibetan food

A Strange Tricky Game

The little showcase represents nothing unusual in connection to museum life if it were not for the object on display missing. One becomes aware of many suggestions and clues on the object concerned.

Simple tape markings on the bottom of the case and the glass say: FRONT, BACK, ANOTHER, ONE. The signs are to be read from the inside, not from the outside, thus we can read the direction from the side from which we are just looking out the showcase. The rest of the directions remains to be read backwards. To imagine to be in the case does not stop irritation, because the pane says FRONT is not opposite of the one which says BACK. It is impossible to relate ONE-ANOTHER- BACK AND FRONT to a single central point. Wherever one is standing, in reality or in imagination, we are bound to arrange these terms in a systematic order related to the surrounding space.

This space has to be considered not only around the vanished object, that is, the inside of the showcase, but also the space all around the showcase.

A Strange Tricky Game: contradictory and meaningful.

Untitled (Pandora)

People say that in some northern farmyards a cover closes the wells that are not in use anymore. The owners justify this closure, saying that children or visitors could, accidentally, fall to the bottom of one of these wells. The truth is that their motives are less thoughtful. What they fear is not that somebody might fall, but that the child who was thrown to the bottom of the well, like a family secret, suddenly surfaces again to the world.

New Population

The characters presented in my box are called New Population and are a part of a larger fictive universe called New Civilization.

My fictive universe is a subjective/allegorical system that develops and analyzes simultaneously. It consists of digital characters, sampled from objects within contemporary culture that exist in the threshold of the future. They are teaching us how it is to feel electronic.

The New Population observe the ever growing, omnipresent, mythical, and still becoming…culture (and beyond that).

As the creator, I observe, name and classify. The only conclusion I have been able to make so far is that these might be Holy People.

Yoni As Mirror Stage

“As a body is to the soul and an oil to the lamp, a yantra is to the divinity.” –Kularnava Tantra (chap v, 86)

Through the mirror you constitute yourself as an object (you observe yourself from the others point of view).

A comment on a certain problem of perception, a problem which tacitly influences our ways of communicating with the world. Languages, images and other forms of representations of reality are not fully transparent tools to relate to the world. In all languages and representations, there is a displacement, or rather, distortion of the world and they are dependent upon the expectations and information we put into play in a communicative situation.

Made By Woman

Although it is very difficult for me to think in the terms of ‘feminist’ art (or any kind of separation between the men- women activities), I can’t avoid the context of the Women Beyond Borders project. So I created the double box out of the single one. What inspired me was the fact found in the catalogue that the original wooden boxes had been constructed by a man (called Jack). Inside this wooden box I have put the soft textile box sewn by myself.

The work corresponds with the pattern of sharing the work: men build houses while women make home of them. Such a box is still staying empty, waiting for a real (probably common) issue. Besides this, I simply enjoy sewing.

REFERENCES:

Joseph Beuys: felt textile

United Colors of Benetton: bright colors, social dimension of dressing

‘Titanic,’ the movie: Jack & Rose relationship

My past works: ‘Portable Home’ project

Constraints Faced by Contemporary Women

This work seeks to explore and express the constraints faced by contemporary women who live in public housing apartments–also known as Housing Development Board (HDB) flats–in Singapore. About 86% of Singaporeans are housed in these HDB flats. Like the vast majority, I too live in a HDB flat and one of the personal constraints that I face is the lack of physical space. This inspires me to conceptualize the given wooden box as a block of HDB flats with many dwellers within. Each of the niches in the box represents a female dweller. The different constraints faced, ranging from physical, emotional, mental, and social to religious realms, are reflected in the interior decoration of the units and the contents of the ampoules. Women from different phases in life–teenagers, singles, married with and without children, and retirees–are invited to participate in a survey, and their views are expressed collaboratively in this box.

Journey of Love

Journey of Love is about the relationship between my mother and me. It explores the all-consuming physical and psychoanalytical paradoxes seen in this relationship between mother and daughter, and the problem-solving exercises that may inform one’s point of view about relationships, change, and seeing oneself among others. This exploration leads to the use of the needle and thread, and the act of weaving which symbolizes the journey in mending of a relationship. My mother is my best friend and she is loving, intelligent, patient and reasonable. To weave is to tighten the ties between us. Each act of weaving symbolizes my efforts to mend my relationship with my mother. The use of gold thread constantly reminds me of my mother’s skin because she seems to glow with such warmth and health. The needle attached in-between the weaves with some of the thread wrapped around it symbolizes the act of weaving or repairing which does not end but continues on a more emotional level. The experience in working on the box was illuminating and therapeutic, offering me not only an opportunity to reflect on my life, but also it gave me the strength to be closer to my mother.

Untitled

Before 1994, our country was good. After April ’94, blood was shed. Many people died and the majority of genocide survivors are struggling with life.

So, the telephone you see is calling for help. We believe that God is the first to come.
Inside the box, there is my heart. I will never forget my relatives, my friends, children’s blood…

The blue color means that I hope to live happily. Jesus will take me with him.

Hidden Beauty

Real beauty is hidden and then found like a box of treasures. These textiles represent women from different regions of my country. A heritage that should be preserved for our children.

The words on the box are prayers: to make good choices; be a better person – humble, patient and thankful.

Beatrice’s Box – A Coffin

The figures on the top represent her husband and four children who were all murdered during the genocide. She had to (forced) watch, as her husband was hacked into four or five pieces. Overwhelmed with tears, she could not go any further.
Note the small red heart on the side.

Posibilidades

What is this piece about? For me, it’s about the danger of sensuality. How we are beckoned by the flesh. How our desire can become our anguish. How a wrong decision can mean death, be it of the spirit or the body. How the need for self-destruction can be initiated in a seemingly healthy person from the hurt and pain of a relationship. Thus — the presence of the sword. Although I also see this sword as positive, perhaps a form of protection or an attribute, like that of Saint Agnes. *

The question of violence enters in here, too. This woman — in all her sensuality — is in a coffin. Why? Was she a victim of violence, of rape? Can our sensual self die under certain circumstances? Is our nudity kept hidden away in a dark, quiet place?

The veil also invokes the mysteriousness of Muslim women, their eyes being their only available sensual feature.

* (Saint Agnes was very beautiful, but she rejected all of her suitors, one of whom became angry and had her condemned to death. Since it was forbidden to execute virgins, she was first sent to a burdel. Nevertheless, no man was able to touch her. After being tortured, she was finally decapitated. She is often portrayed with a sword piercing her breast. She is the patron saint of virginal innocence.)

My Culture My Pride

The Maasai are a pastoral people who live in Kenya and Tanzania in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. The Maasai believe all the cattle on earth were given to them by God. The Maasai way of life is spent in moving from one place to another in search of grass and water for their herds.

Today, the unique customs and traditions of the Maasai still exist and are treasured by them. Great effort must be made by all to see that this treasured culture is preserved for the future.

By revealing this beauty of the Maasai people, I hope my contribution in some way helps in the preservation of this priceless culture.

The small portrait is of a Maasai woman painted on a fragment of a special and very useful “Oleleishwa” tree. The tree is used by the Maasai to clean calabashes for milk, as perfume, for making clubs and thatching beds.

Mimo

Now, we humankind encounter a life crisis that we have never met before. This crisis may have been brought upon by the competition for “superiority” and “profit” for such things which each person belongs to, as the nation, peoples and sex…etc. I wonder how we can surmount this serious condition? Can we evade the collapse and find out the light of hope in the twenty-first century?

A primitive man held awe and respect to the universe and nature. We should bring them to life intensely and lower our head and pray sincerely to them. The ancients prayed for the approach to the sacred thing through praying. We should also learn a lesson from their wisdom.

Now each of us must be in immediate need of breaking our little shell of ego and appearing as our universal or spiritual soul which sleeps undeveloped in deep layers.

Painting, building, singing and dancing…these acts are also a prayer itself, I believe.

Make a Rhythm Called Silence Next to Transfiguration

Soundless loud voice
Silent move
If no sound is the loudest noise which someone gives,
Silence is an allegory only for some.

Organisms bring silence, rhythm and perfection. The shape of the organism and the balance of energy is given out by the organism through me, naturally.

Why is the shape made by nature so fluent in spite of taciturnity? It may be a wrong thing to deform a complete thing by making over it as a work. But I think that meeting the “thing” is going to be much wider by adding my power and moving the space.

A space has energy, resonates with energy from objects, makes a noise and rhythm, hops, bumps, and bursts open. The organisms soundlessly cross between their energy and ours.

To embody “the voice” is my hope, and it is pleasant to have a relationship with it through my work.

The Distance from Time #2

In Japan it is believed that people are able to keep supernatural, mysterious and precious things in a box. It is prohibited to show them to anyone.

When the lid of the box is raised, it is supernatural and mysterious time, isn’t it?

Additional boxes by same artist

Modoka Hirata, The Distance from Time # 1

Simulacra

Every little treasure has a message inside…..

SIMULACRA is the title I have chosen for my work in aluminum realized using the original box as a model for the casting. I engraved the cover of the box (previously covered with terra-cotta) with stylized signs, although the meaning of this work is not to be understood in these signs.

SIMULACRA (in the Latin larger sense means: copy, effigy, sculpture…) plays a role of criticism to the idea of original (represented by the original wooden box I received) and “copy” (in the way the original one is cast).

You may ask yourself which one has to be considered the original between the two: the two boxes having to be exhibited always together!

I play too with the idea of container and content implicit in the fact that the object is a box.

Finally the title SIMULACRA allows you to think about the platonic concept of mimesis (Art as imitation, in a larger sense), this is not to provide a solution but to push the viewer to think about these matters.

Arrivederci Roma

In a world of many and endless wars, this music box of memories represents moments of happiness from the past that offer us hope for a better future.

Invitation reverberates within the box’s walls. Notes hang from the ceiling, filling the shallow emptiness, filling us with the joy of a new moment, a new life, a sharing, a memory.

A Letter to My Mother

The box contains notes with words which were never said to her mother.

Dear Mother,

When I was eighteen, I bought you, with my first salary, a wooden jewelry box. You still keep it, treasuring it. Now, twenty-five years later, I’m giving you this box which treasures words. These are all the words I could have told you during our lives together, but wasn’t able to. These are words I should have told you, dear mother.

Here are all the missing words, just for you. It’s a wonderful opportunity to write them down, to feel their sound within my heart. To prepare a special gift for a special woman: my mother.

Your loving daughter,
Shuli Nachshon

The Women's Voices: Shuli Nachshon, Israel from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Fire

Fire is an important symbol in the Jewish culture. There are many passages in the Bible condemning pagan ritual sacrifices at altars in the forest, and extolling proper burnt sacrifices to the One God:

“…then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness with burnt offering…” (Psalm LI: 21)

There are many holidays in which fire plays an important part: Lag BaOmer, when bonfires are made as an echo of the signal fires lit against the Romans during the Bar Kochba rebellion; Hannuka, when the miracle of a lamp containing oil enough for a day burned for eight; the tradition of “soul candles,” which burn for 24 hours on the anniversary of the death of a close family member.

But perhaps the most constant and important fire in Judaism is the Sabbath candles, to be lit on Friday eve by every daughter of Israel. I see the Sabbath candles as a symbol of home and the woman’s duty and privilege to protect and care for her family, physically and spiritually.

My piece contains an unlit Sabbath candle to remind myself that no matter how much women expand our potential as human beings, the role of homemaker is a very profound commitment. It provides the foundation of faith upon which miracles can grow.

Eva’s Last Wish

“33 years old, 33 kilos; that’s it. Listen Sara, this is an order, because I am going to die, afterwards they will call you to get me ready. You will take away this wishy washy red that I am wearing, and you will replace it with the transparent Queen of Diamonds that you bought for me yesterday, the one from Revlon.”

These were the last words of Eva Perón to Sara Gatti, who used to take care of her hands.

I combined three elements in this box:

• Cards we all play with. The most elegant queen on the deck, surrounded by a special touch of distinction: diamonds.
• As a metaphor of adherent beauty, I have interpreted acrylic nails shops, which are very popular in Guatemala nowadays.
• Evita is the heroine, the saint, the prostitute, a character that still touches many a heart.

Queen of diamonds. An embalmed body with painted fingernails. Symbol of a moment in which she took care of history. Every story has had an Evita, a woman who rules, loves, orders, and rouses from her fingernails, the power of her own world, her own story, her own time.

Evas, to the end; queens, not forever.

New Apple, New Manifesto

For a long time, the apple has been a metaphor of the female’s voice, of Eve’s voice, the voice that carried Adam to the supposed sin and expulsion from paradise. Woman has endured this sinful story for centuries. The same tale is connected to the traditional story of Pandora’s Box. Pandora’s curiosity leads her to open a box that the gods have forbidden. Her sentence is to find within all the evils of the world.

However, in this apple I present a new voice, one of many women who fight for their dignity. It is placed upon a stand and framed as an homage to the women who in the Asia, Africa, Europe, etc. struggle against practices that have put them in positions that are submissive, second class, and at times inhumane.

This new apple is a new manifesto, that of the creative woman who has had to fight for her space and had to change old meanings.

The Myth of the Spider

For years now, being taught by the spider, I weave webs.  Small ones and large ones using all kinds of materials.  To me it is an infinite source of spiritual codes. I chose the ancient myth of Goddess Athena and the Spider. From the little box arises what has been marking us for centuries, the challenge of becoming Gods.

Two women comprise the myth…Goddess Athena, holder of wisdom, protectress and teacher of the weaving art and the Spider, mortal, outstanding weaver, daughter of Idmon the colorist, mother of Clostiras. Spider challenges Athena to a weaving contest. She creates a beautiful, flawless tapestry. This image insinuates the desire of mortals to reach the divine qualities of the gods to desire to live up to their level.

Athena infuriated by this, punishes the spider sentencing her to live from then on and forever hanging from a thread, transformed into an insect. Being an insect now, the spider weaves its beautiful webs till this day, still creating.

Art contains arrogance.

Art challenges the gods.

Art creates little gods.

Basta Ya!

We are living in a society where violence and abuse are everyday words. We read it in the papers, we see it in the news, and in one way or the other we have been victims of it.

On May 9, 1997, a group of mothers “Las Madres Angustiadas” and other people joined in front of the Supreme Court of Justice of Guatemala, where thousands of candles “veladoras” forming the words BASTA YA! (Enough) were lit, asking for a solution to this problem.

My box unifies all those lit candles in the churches, in the small private spaces and those lit in front of the Supreme Court.

Amazons of the Next Millennium

As the title suggests, my box is a symbol of the Amazons, female warriors, who lived and fought together in a migratory way of life during the golden age. My box is filled with a series of women’s names (two hundred) of all nationalities from antiquity to the present, printed in capital letters, in different colors on white paper tags. Each of the names brings into mind images of a woman we know, we read, we are, or we want to be.

This open box filled with names, which come out from all four sides, becomes almost invisible and signifies the power, the strength, the importance, the influence and the voice we women could achieve working together, for our rights against violence and discrimination at the beginning of the next millennium.

Box-Bird and Branch

The cosmos of my work is in a forest. Flights of birds grow on silent trees and huge seeds take different positions. The leaf is the poetic unit which allows the magic passage from the world of plants to the one of animals and from there to the geophysical world.

When I begin my work, I spend a lot of time minutely observing the physical world. Then this state of vigilance is changed through a more distant positioning in which the object I observe is the parallel motion of my creative process to that of nature.

Is there an ecology of conceptual and creative phenomena? I often tend to incorporate ecological concerns by contrasting elements (birds on trees without foliage, seeds with burning interiors) to suggest the interplay of human interventions on natural processes.

Untitled

In keeping with my usual approach, I experimented with the material that was sent to me: a small wooden box, a cover, and a rubber band. A spatial sculpture resulted from this. It unites a rigid structure, a hollow shape, an inner space, and a band connecting it, all which simultaneously groups surfaces and spaces. The box is an autonomous small sculpture, but at the same time it is also imaginable as a model for a large-scale sculpture.

Bluebeard’s New Room

Continuation of the Bluebeard Legend:

In a crystal-clear night in February 1996, Bluebeard suddenly appeared in front of me and asked me to design for him a new and secret room which would no longer bring a woman misfortune, but would fan the flames of her yearning. I nodded assent and immediately started working. I built a blue-shimmering space out of mirrors and semi-translucent walls with numerous peepholes. Deep inside I enclosed my secret. I nailed tight the transparent entrance doors. In the pale light of morning, Bluebeard returns. In his curiosity he bent over the little box, — and then he dissolved in blue smoke. [Bluebeard’s Redemption]

Parir Me Quiero

My work is completely visceral. Each work or piece that I create is born from an experience or event that has marked my life. For me it holds the meaning of a ritual of celebration, offering, thankfulness or prayer. In this sense I believe that it is profoundly religious. It is my way of struggling with the world, of transforming myself into a “Cleansed One.*”

*Shamanic rite to remove the physical or spiritual evil from one’s person.

Just A Tear

The box: the everyday object is used in different ways. It is taken out of its specific context in order to become an object that is artistic, cultured, of utilitarian adornment.

In this case the change is taken from a philosophical, conceptual foundation. To accept this transformation from a common, everyday object for purposes of exhibition, it is necessary to take on the challenge of new shapes and ideas, to comprehend their true structure in order to give it symbolism and a distinct visual representation: a confrontation between form and action, between reality and idea. This is to say, the object must be viewed from another angle in order to break the established canons. This shall be the philosophical stance for my work.

My subject is tears. I began with an incision between the warmth and gentleness of the wood sharply contrasted against the rigidity and coldness of the metal exterior, in order to place, in its delicate interior, a tear.

Tears are shed daily; they are commonplace and become relics when taken out of their context, just as the crusaders brought back relics from the Holy Land: pieces from the cross, from the crown of thorns, from the robe, from the nails. These amulets, upon being sacrificed, acquire properties of protection for those who hold them.

This syncretism happens in the Americas, lands which we carry deep within ourselves from the cultures of our origin and the influence of the Christian religion brought over by the Europeans.

Personal Newspapers

Personal newspapers published 25 February 1998, is the only copy of this issue. By the time you see it, it will probably be old, illustrating how precious or meaningless yesterday’s news is.

Newspapers are like no other object in the world varying from necessity to inflation.

They are part of my project “The Exhibition of the local newspapers, 1994 – 1998”, which consists of indoor and outdoor exhibitions, and includes several authorial newspapers, created throughout Europe and the U.S.

Newspapers have always been only local, (authentic languages and interpretations), only their consequences can be interpreted globally.

Ex/tension

As a woman artist, activist and feminist, I try to challenge all kinds of social stereotypes (conventions, boundaries) about women, art, politics, etc. that are causing the painful TENSION of my body and my mind.

I know that I share this feeling with many women artists from the past and the present.

I also want to express the women’s strength, courage and creativity which are the means to EXTEND those limits, labels, categories…..It’s hard work and it’s never done!

Why?

The box, as a symbol of woman and one which will simulate a mother’s body. I will open and leave open so that my body is weightless and free. My face is protected by a condom, but not out of fear, because covered can also mean uncovered.

Weasel

For centuries, women in Bosnia have been telling fortunes by looking at the bottom of their cup from which they drank coffee.  This is a sort of white magic.  They turn the cup upside down and then different shapes from out of the coffee  grounds left in the bottom of the cup. Each ‘figure’ represents a symbol; dog-fidelity, horse-strength, rabbit-speed…

The weasel has a special place in the history of Bosnia.  It represents the protector of the Bosnian rulers.

The weasel, which is a very blood-thirsty animal, amazes us because of the gentleness of the mother.

I started thinking about this after I had seen this ‘figure’ in my cup.

Of Sticks a Stack – a Stake (a Failure?)

Listen, don’t tell anyone: I failed at the object/box (by the way a daily experience, not at all new). But here’s the result, just look at it: everything twisted, turned upside down; the lid, instead of dropping it, has become the basis of a stake (surprise, surprise!). Too small for burning witches, too small for celebrating heroes, but small enough for the kindling of a stirring idea.

We Are This and That and Everything In Between

Ironically, rather than dealing with the Individual, Western society tends to place us in particular categories (little boxes) and more specifically opposing polarities in order to deal with us more easily, more quickly, less personally.

This easy stereotyping is even more prevalent in regard to the position of women: Madonna/Whore, Mother/Worker, Young/Old, Beautiful/Ugly, Nature/Culture. This box contains references to the stereotyping that we as women experience and the title, We are This and That and Everything in Between, refers to the true individual nature of the female sex.

 

The Women’s Voices: Diana Robson from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Pressing Issues

In the tradition of the found object and the democratic processes of making and distributing art, I have made a mini printing press out of my cedar box. The box is now a stamp with a pad inside the box with pressing issues waiting to be revealed.

• Who controls female fertility?
• What happens to all the women and children who are refugees?
• Can women artists maintain careers into old age?

Therese Kenyon, Australia – Director, Manly Art Gallery from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.

Magic Box

Covered with computer motherboards, connecting wires and glittering holographic stickers, harbors a rabbit inside, the oldest trick in the book. The rabbit represents the ambiguous nature of technology, simultaneously creating fantastic and magical results, while conversely negating magic and myth through infinite research and explanation of detail.

The march of technology is rampant, and it would be foolish not to become involved. Considering its widespread implications for the future, it offers a Pandora’s Box hope to potentially help the world through science, medicine, information, etc.

Changes will come just as they always have, only with lightning speed. Time for contemplation is scarce, but it is nevertheless necessary, for we don’t want to find in the end that the magic tricks which technology promises are simply the same illusions which have clouded our visions in the past.

Whittle Box

My whittle box was created in a moment. I wanted to express through the box something which was inherent about my life as a woman now.

When I began the box, I was looking after a recent exhibition. With time on my hands and feeling at ease and relaxed, I began to craft the box carefully smoothing the edges and finely sanding the surfaces.

I put the box away, took my exhibition to another state and on my return found myself overwhelmed by things to do. Every one wanted a piece of me and I wanted to do it all, but I found myself being whittled away, becoming more fragile with each passing day. I carried my whittle box around with me everywhere, waiting for an opportunity to work on it.

Finally after finding myself locked out of a premises one day tired and frustrated, I took my whittle box out of my bag and began whittling and stuffing the wood shavings back into the box the way I wanted to try and renew myself. After a few hectic minutes of total expression I fell asleep.

My whittle box is an expression of the frustration and fatigue felt by those who give until it hurts, stretch themselves to the limit and find that sometimes, they lose sight of themselves.

 

Limitation

Each restriction, each limitation is just like a coffin.

Don’t dance, don’t see, don’t speak, don’t do anything and
don’t be what you want to be. . .

Each restriction, each limitation which annihilates natural desires and wishes is like a coffin overwhelming the spirit.

Although all through history and in many educational and governmental systems these coffins have been made for men and women, women have always been more victims of these restrictions and limitations or confined to these coffins.

 

The Facade of Glamour

The glamour we see in women is not always representative of her inner self. It is just a facade. This box has all that goes with glamour on its outside, but on the inside it has all the turmoil and agony resulting from her daily chores.

Stone Upon Stone

“Stone upon stone is our house on top of the hill White in sunlit dawn and in the moonlight green And betwixt one night and another, We know nothing but waiting.”

– From July in the City, a collection of poems by Palestinian artist, novelist and poet, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, 1959

In these devastating times of deliberate, pitiless destruction of homes, history and peoples, I defiantly built an edifice of stone to celebrate the future. It is a shrine, a shelter, an obelisk for all those people and countries whose future has been brutally marred and who are denied the chance of generating personal and collective memories. For, as every stone touches another stone, so does memory–it is created by an ageless, unbreakable bond between the past, present and the future.The stones used are ancient Byzantine mosaic cubes collected from near an archeological site in Palestine. The mortar to fix the cubes together is an old Palestinian building recipe.

From a Picture Frame On My Mantelpiece

As a 32-year old female Indian Diasporic artist, my preoccupations are complex. Feelings of confidence and vulnerability exist at the same time. My formal research, for the longest time, has been a documentation of my interactions with people and experiences by using photography. These photographs form part of a tale. The front, from top to bottom, depicts a meandering path of images of women, starting from infancy to old age. The back of the frame shows my life, whilst growing up in a politically charged environment, that all pervasive racism between the whites and the blacks and the Indians, and my moving to England at the age of fourteen, conflicting lifestyles, hidden desires, and a magnetic pull towards my (so-called?) homeland, India. Almost all my work reflects my relationship with India. In that murky sea of conflicting humanity, a different code is at work; therefore I am not in control, and have much to learn, and to re-learn. This preoccupation is less a romance, and more a sort of obsessive compulsion.

Time Capsule

The objective of the project is to approach women of all ages, from all walks of life and of different nationalities, to express their views about what it means to be a woman in this age and time.

They were asked to express their concerns, worries, happiness or grouses, et cetera; basically, any subject that touches their lives and how their lives are affected as a result.

These expressions are kept in the Wbb box which is the Time Capsule.

It will be sealed for now, and it carries an instruction for the curator of Wbb permanent collection to open it fifty years later on 8 January 2051.

I.T. Image Trap

I.T. Image Trap is derived from visual images of women. Women tend to be regarded more as ‘ornaments’ than the opposite gender and this resulted in a human condition where attention is focused on physical attributes than on what lies beneath. I.T. Image Trap has an ornamental quality and it possesses as the ability to deter from being simply regarded as ‘surface beauty’ which could be replaced or be out of fashion. It aspires to be considered as a work with endless possibilities, meanings and pleasant surprises. Just like any sensible woman who wants to be looked upon, I.T. Image Trap teases one to unmask the trapped image within.

Untitled

I find this concept very challenging although of course initially, I found the concept of Women Beyond Borders and the form (BOX) contradictory, as boxes inherently are about discreet entities/objects with their own definite boundaries, surfaces and edges etc. And these boundaries are walls in themselves, not just an imaginary line or flat paths on the soil dividing countries nor printed lines on the map. In other words, the whole notion of borders and liberating women from it contradicts the very form of the box given to every participant that say so disturbingly otherwise. My intention for the approach to producing a work for this project is to deal with this collision of concept and form. I have gathered a few women and men from the community I am with, to witness a cremation of this box, after which the ashes would be placed in a custom made replica of the box but it will be in cut glass. Death to borders–of course the glass box and its glass walls is practically a vitrine – to enshrine the diminishing of all borders that divide us.

Until Death Do Us Part

In my home country, Japan, there is a legend for girls that says that their prospective husbands have their little toes tied up to them with an invisible red thread. I used to believe in this legend as well. In my opinion it is wonderful to be able to believe in such a thing.

Since we’re infants, we are educated to play a role either as a woman or as man. I still remember when I used to play house-dolls with my friends and how much we enjoyed playing the mother’s role, like all the mothers of every mother. It is a simple but very pleasing memory that all women have inside. However, nowadays I often feel a victim of the male order and often wonder what can I do about it.

I was thinking of this as I was making my box and I felt like I was playing with dolls again because I was doing typical housework tasks such as sewing, washing, and ironing.

I hope you will tender my piece during the traveling exhibition as if it were our collective memory, which men will never be able to understand. And please, wash it and iron it when needed.

P.S. Do you know what? In Japanese, when we say “to get married” we use the word “to be tied up.” In the end, every princess will be tied up to their blue prince.

House Cleaning

We clean our house every day and throw the useless things away. But often our minds for years get filled with foolish thoughts and fears.

The Women's Voices: Jennifer Barton from WOMEN BEYOND BORDERS on Vimeo.