The Box Project 2017

A group of artists was invited by Gary Deatherage and Alison Masters to an Art Challenge called the Box Project. We each randomly chose a box with some random things in it. Including a DVD and a secret message. There were also some larger objects at the front of the room that we could choose from. Such as a funky vintage sewing machine.

I was initially discouraged by all the junk plastic in the boxes, but liked how the sewing machine looked. As the ideas rummaged around I became inspired by the potato, a broken plant pot and the quote in my box. "Put a beat in every thing."

I took failed projects, scraps, and small samples and re-dyed, cut up, rearranged them. I have lots of strange creatures that I have made and made some more. Felted some felt milifori beads, some multicoloured cracks, some of the failed creatures went into the underside. I included some blue pods that I think of as rain drops. One side of the sewing machine is chaotic, rough, unformed, browinsh-

the other side is colourful, chaotic, more formed and smoother.

The underneath where one becomes the other is where the failed creatures are and colour melds into brown roughness.

I made a crazy orange and red and yellow sun and plugged the sewing machine into it. The sun was suspended from a lamp stand and the whole thing was set up on an antique ironing board.