PROJECT: To introduce aesthetic considerations into your eco art practice, select one common ingredient of your life that depends upon a machine. Then conduct this activity without relying upon a machine.

 

READ TO LIFE! pages 33 – 42

PROJECT: To introduce aesthetic considerations into your eco art practice, select one common ingredient of your life that depends upon a machine. Then conduct this activity without relying upon a machine. For example:

 

-dry your hair in the air / dry your hair with an electric hair dryer

-start the day by observing dawn / start the day with an alarm clock

-get wet in a rain shower / get wet in a bathroom shower

-walk up a hill / drive up the hill

Complete the form below identifying the aesthetic components of each.

TEMPO of experience

(fast / slow)

                                          

RHYTHM of experience

(regular / variable)

EXCITEMENT of experience

(easily anticipated / unpredictable)

VARIABILITY of experience

(diverse / uniform)

START and END of experience

(abrupt / gradual)

SENSATIONS and FEELINGS.

Describe the affect of these

aesthetic ingredients upon you.

For each experience, describe if

it was boring / pleasurable /

exciting / 

surprising / sensual / 

disturbing / soothing, etc.

Assignments:

-break open fountain pen and use ink with a hand made brush or quill tip

-gather charred wood from fire pit. crush charcoal to fine powder (with rock/mallet), mix with hot liquid wax/olive oil (do not mix ash with water – can create lye and give chemical burn)

-gather soft rocks and soak them in water, or collect wet from stream, beach, etc.

rub stone for pigment (different rocks give different colors). use a harder rock to rub the softer rock. can also crush with a mallet, while wearing protective eye wear

-when crushing a hand made brush can be used as a tool to brush the broken rocks back into a pile in order to crush additionally. repeat until the rock is a fine powder. mix with a small amount of water, or oil

-roll up leaves, flowers, grasses and rub onto paper

-crush bark, mulch or colored roots then wet and apply to paper. can also draw directly with soft wet wood or bark

-collect soil from the four corners of your property to use as earth pigments. compare colors and textures. mix with water or oil and apply to surface

-make natural dyes – boil dye stuffs in water: beets, red onion skins, black walnut hulls, turmeric – mix with oil, wax, egg whites, etc.

-draw with the red exterior of a red raddish, or orange carrot

-apply iodine, betadine or other stain colored liquids from medicine cabinet or household closet