Now at ltd los angeles is Ruminant Recombinant by New York artist Rachel Foullon. An installation of found and reclaimed materials combined with dyed and stitched canvas, the show covers the walls with the fruits of Rachel's labor. By re-purposing her work, materials, and past themes, she is able to tell an entirely new story.
Us OCLA'ers went to the opening last Thursday, where the support was strong—evidenced by the amazing turn out of friends and family! I interviewed Rachel before the opening, curious to know more about her process.
Sam Handleman: Where do you find inspiration?
Rachel Foullon: The most basic yet powerful inspirations for me come from experiencing the material world in a tactile way, and then using my imagination to think about the larger implications. Touching the worn wood of an old tool makes me think about the history of human survival, and examining the directions in which my dog’s fur grows makes me think not only about shapes and forms, but also about the history of our relationships with animals. Things like that make me want to make other things.
SH: What materials did you use?
RF: The molding on which everything hangs is Western red cedar that I stained gray using a two-part process—I created the method several years ago and have used it in a lot of my work. The Cluster sculptures are assembled from sewn and dyed canvas garments, fabric elements from existing sculptures, and a slew of found materials from an old cow barn in upstate New York.
SH: Why did you choose these materials for Ruminant Recombinant?
RF: I wanted to use the exhibition as a platform for exploring my relationship with making things and creating an accumulation of work over time. I had been “renovating” old farm tools (four of these pieces are included in the Ltd exhibition) and then I asked myself the question, "What if I tried renovating my own work through temporary re-arrangement and repurposing? What if alternate versions of some of my pieces could exist—could a sculpture [an object often perceived as a permanent fixture] live a double life?"
SH: The creation of the show was somewhat improvisational and spontaneous, right?
RF: Yes! While I fabricated all of the new sewn and dyed elements and cleaned all of the mouse poop and grime off the found stuff, I intentionally brought everything into the gallery as raw material. I wanted to arrange the clusters from scratch, without hierarchy or preconceived forms, and do it in a condensed period of just a couple of days. This improvisational approach speaks to a sense of urgency I was feeling.
Through May 26th, 2012
ltd los angeles
7561 W. Sunset Blvd, #103
LA, CA 90046
MAP
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Us OCLA'ers went to the opening last Thursday, where the support was strong—evidenced by the amazing turn out of friends and family! I interviewed Rachel before the opening, curious to know more about her process.
Sam Handleman: Where do you find inspiration?
Rachel Foullon: The most basic yet powerful inspirations for me come from experiencing the material world in a tactile way, and then using my imagination to think about the larger implications. Touching the worn wood of an old tool makes me think about the history of human survival, and examining the directions in which my dog’s fur grows makes me think not only about shapes and forms, but also about the history of our relationships with animals. Things like that make me want to make other things.
SH: What materials did you use?
RF: The molding on which everything hangs is Western red cedar that I stained gray using a two-part process—I created the method several years ago and have used it in a lot of my work. The Cluster sculptures are assembled from sewn and dyed canvas garments, fabric elements from existing sculptures, and a slew of found materials from an old cow barn in upstate New York.
SH: Why did you choose these materials for Ruminant Recombinant?
RF: I wanted to use the exhibition as a platform for exploring my relationship with making things and creating an accumulation of work over time. I had been “renovating” old farm tools (four of these pieces are included in the Ltd exhibition) and then I asked myself the question, "What if I tried renovating my own work through temporary re-arrangement and repurposing? What if alternate versions of some of my pieces could exist—could a sculpture [an object often perceived as a permanent fixture] live a double life?"
SH: The creation of the show was somewhat improvisational and spontaneous, right?
RF: Yes! While I fabricated all of the new sewn and dyed elements and cleaned all of the mouse poop and grime off the found stuff, I intentionally brought everything into the gallery as raw material. I wanted to arrange the clusters from scratch, without hierarchy or preconceived forms, and do it in a condensed period of just a couple of days. This improvisational approach speaks to a sense of urgency I was feeling.
Through May 26th, 2012
ltd los angeles
7561 W. Sunset Blvd, #103
LA, CA 90046
MAP
