The Flow of Things that People Leave Behind

Title: "The Flow of Things that People Leave Behind"
Materials: the flow of things that people leave behind

March 2010


“Let’s have a little more appreciation and reverence for the stuff we have instead of this mindless consumerism.” - Annie Leonard, author of “The Story of Stuff”

This piece was my contribution to the "Faux Real" exhibition in the Worth Ryder Gallery at U.C. Berkeley. It is a 7 1/2 foot tall woven waterfall which cascades into two ponds which are also woven. The entire work is comprised of almost fifty different materials including peeled paint, shreds of screen door, cassette tapes, party ribbons, plastic shopping bags, paper towels, Brillo pads, wood shavings, and artificial grass among many other rescued remnants.
The work is a literal representation of the flow of materials in our lives. I used materials that were left behind in various senses: following the passing of its owner, through obsolescence, when produced as a byproduct, or only meant for a single use. Each material used here, including the scrap wood used to build the 3 looms, fell into disuse through one or more of these avenues. The waterfall is comprised of heirlooms, scraps, and technologically obsolete or unfashionable materials.
Each of these materials were derived from nature and converted into a form that was eventually rendered either useless or undesirable, and compiled by myself into a strange artificial representation of a natural scene to suit the Faux Real exhibition.
The execution of this piece led to the discovery of many physical and conceptual attributes of the history of different materials and how we psychologically and physiologically relate to their presence, and eventual need to leave them behind.
The hoarding of objects is often a physical way of holding onto a person or memory, and the duration of holding on is even an indicator of mental health or illness. We often associate throwing away objects with ‘letting go’ of someone or some feeling associated with the objects. We also substitute a change of clothing or wardrobe for a change of our inner selves, and the abandonment of old adornments is a mentally healthy and normal way of ‘shedding our skin.’
Lately, I have been feeling an increasing aversion in allowing material to go unnamed, underutilized, and underappreciated. My main trajectory of work is dealing with the reactivation, and even reconsecration of discarded products and byproducts in ways that discuss their history as objects; as well as unlocking their aesthetic integrity.

... And a special thank you to Miss Amanda Poag for helping me immensely in the weaving of the pond! Time would not have permitted this project if it weren’t for you!