Wednesday 17 February 2010

The Fandango Foundry_ 13_02_2010

1. Consequence Creatures
We began the session with drawing 'consequences creatures', using the format of the game 'Consequences' in order to create hybrid monsters amalgated from bits of other animals. We gave them new names made from the names of the monster's constituent animals (e.g. alien + pig = alig).

2. Discussion & Intro
In order to understand how we could make a Fandango,
we talked about hybrid animals, nonsense poetry and looked at objects & buildings that are made from other objects & buildings.


3. Fandango Collages:
Next, we did a tour of the ICA and the children took polaroid photos of objects, surfaces quirks and details of what they were interested in. We then made collages in order to hybridise their ideas into 'Fandangos' (Please read earlier blog entry to find explanation for the workshop and what a Fandango is...)




4. The Fandangos!
From their collages, the children then went on to spatialise their ideas through making Fandangos.

Friday 12 February 2010

My Fandango...

My 'fandango' is a hybrid architectural object, inspired by found elements of the ICA. It is a fantasy amalgam made for the ICA's front desk, conceived as a combined desk tidy & a mug heater (for keeping tea warm). It also includes a 'pipe mic' for PLAYWORKS announcements, paperclip store, a 'stove' that slides out (with a pseudo-extract) and is placed on a plinth constructed out of a bad romance novel.

Much like nonsense poetry, it ‘looks like it works’ but it doesn’t quite... it is an object of fun.

An earlier iteration.

Saturday 6 February 2010


Just stumbled across this wonderful project by Readymade Projects, Mogollon and Daniel Hakansson....

New York designer Stephen Burks of Readymade Projects has collaborated with art directors Monica Brand and Francisco Lopez of Mogollon, and photographer Daniel Hakansson to create a limited edition of posters depicting hybrid creatures.

It is called The Hybrid Project, the images feature assemblages of found objects that have been photographed and collaged together.


Here’s some information from Readymade Projects:

"The Hybrid Project

What is a Hybrid? In a word, it’s a mix, a mongrel, a collaboration and a contradiction. It’s an impossible juxtaposition of cultures, beings and objects. It’s the moment, the blur, the hapa, the half-breed – erasing borders, combining forces, re-thinking our mission on the planet.

Stephen Burks of Readymade Projects came back to Brooklyn after working trips to Africa, India and Europe and discovered that globalization was right at home in his studio – from the trinkets and handicrafts he brought back, to the objects he’s collected on his travels and his own prototypes. Hybrid is more than a buzzword, it’s the remix and the layers of culture that influence us today and that will continue to inform our future on the planet.

The Hybrid project was conceived as a collaboration amongst Burks, art directors Monica Brand and Francisco Lopez of Mogollon and photographer Daniel Hakansson as an ongoing exploration and illustration of cross-disciplinary process, cross-breeding of projects and the cross-pollination of ideas.

The first collaboration of the project is a series of colorful assemblages – anthropomorphic creatures of uncertain origin who have a life of their own – a Hanuman astride an African basket with lightbulb legs and a wiry protective cage, a vase with powerful arms of beads wrapped around its chest, clips attached to its frame. From there, the “monsters” – as so many half-breeds are called – were photographed and collaged and given graphic treatments creating posters that are works of art on their own.

The tangible result? A limited edition of offset printed and silk screened posters to be sold exclusively on the upcoming Readymade Products website Declare your unity with pluralism. Be one with diversity. Are you a hybrid?"

http://www.readymadeprojects.com/

This project has made me think that using an 'animal' or living thing to express ideas may be a good concept for the PLAYWORKS workshop. The children may find it easier to create ICA 'monsters' or characters, that are borne out of the building and its paraphernalia. That perhaps expecting children to make hybrid 'objects' with hybrid functions is a step too far for 5-11 years olds? Need to work on this one.