SPACE IS THE PLACE
BA Konstfack Exhibition at Enskilda galleriet 2008.
Material: Mixed media, machine knit.
"Not high tech- Crap tech"1)
My work focuses on the development of a hobby aesthetic, like using acrylic yarn blended with wool, hobby felt and other materials rejected by design and handcraft circles to produce an shabby, unpolished effect. I would like to challenge the status and value changes of aesthetic expression and the defenition of "good taste". By crap tech, I mean their reference to science fiction and devotion to the 1960s design and flourescent colours, but with the imprecise and homemade appearance of handcraft, somewhat childish and naive, with hand sewn, visible stitches that 'clash' with the geometry of op-art patterns and designs. There is a thrill and directness in what I am attracted to- teenagerish. An important reference is music culture in the form of flyers, posters, backdrops, visuals and album covers.
My project begins with Sun Ra's experimental jazz film, Space is the Place from 1974. This film summarises everything I am looking for: 1960s futuristic design with a crap tech handmade finish- papier maché spaceships and crazy coloured pharaoh costumes. My goal is to create a world of images and aesthetics. The film and title communicate the initiated alternative musical context that underlies my work.
