Ribbon of Dirt - Inpiration

I presented my latest CFC project today for the nature inspiration project.

Here is the run down.

Ribbon Of Dirt

I derive much of my joy and fun in life from small ribbons of dirt winding its way through the woods. Hours upon hours spent exploring these ribbons have thoroughly accustomed me to their specific bobs, drops and twists. But although I know them like a lover, they surprise me and challenge me and leave my body and soul thriving for more. In the same way a person can be spontaneous, so can these sporadic ribbons of dirt. New obstacles fall and are thrown in my path, but they simply are highlights on each new ride through my own personal amusement park.

Like a roller coaster I ride the natural dips, the natural hills. These ribbons are my muses where I work out the complexities and concerns of creative life. Every new ride clears my entirety, like a brand new day, and gives me the inspiration to carry on creating.

Pete Hall




My class mostly liked it and appreciated the way I had arranged it on the wall. I was quite happy with myself, I had this one pretty well thought out and had answers for most of the their questions (example, why did you not have it come in from white to color like you have it fade out? Well, because I know where I've been, what's ahead is always changing and new. Pwned that question.).

Thanks for reading!

Ant Farm

I presented the ant farm today in CFC, it went over quite well, I'm pretty happy with it.

The ants are doing great so far, and for only being in the sand for 3 days, they've started to tunnel a bit even. I only seem to have lost one or two ants so far (that's lost as in they've died, not gotten out), I assume they died when Kara and I put them in.

The piece was presented on a pedestal with my placard on the front explaining the piece. Shiva seemed to like it, and people kept coming back over to see it throughout the course of the class. Which I'm taking as a huge compliment. I think this may be my first cfc project that everyone likes, professor, class and me! Normally, I like it and the prof likes it but the class doesn't, or (more common) I like it kinda, but am unhappy overall, and no one else likes it either, so everyone liking a cfc piece of mine is a nice change.

The placard read,

Ant Farm

I aim to explore the harnessing of the environment by humans for our own benefit, be it frivolous, harmless uses like an ant farm or more serious uses, both in implementation and effects, such as disposal of pollutants. We dramatically change our environment and are thus limited by it, as we use our resources inefficiently we change the physical properties of what makes our environment, our environment. I aim to show this through ants constricted in an ant farm. Much the same as humans, the ants are constrained by their environment and they change their environment as they move the dirt but they are ultimately constrained by it and they changes they make. There is only so much space to move dirt in the ant farm, just as we only have so many resources.

Similarly, if we pollute a freshwater lake and abuse its ecosystem, we lose the lake as a source of drinking water and food. The ants only have a limited food supply; they must efficiently use what food is supplied to them to keep their colony alive. When their food supply runs out, they die. When we ruin our environment, we face the same pressures and consequences.

Pete Hall







The actual ant farm itself is made out of laser cut 1/4" clear cast arylic and an acid that melts arcylic and then lets it harden again to create a seemless bond where two pieces of acrylic meet whose name I can't remember.
The ants are harvester ants (who can apparently bite!) and have a limited food supply of seeds and other foliage and are living in simple sand substrate. I got them from antsalive.com.

Thanks for reading!

Ants!

I bought ants a while back. Their still in the mail, I hope they make it here by Wednesday for my CFC Ecology project (I'm making an ant colony!). I bought it from one of those sites you never knew existed, but when you need them, hey! there is a site that sells ants and ant food! AntsAlive.com!

Thanks for reading!

Conceptually Unfinished

Ah, CFC, how I dislike you.

So, the unnatural project for CFC III. I find it so hard to spend time on CFC classes in general, I'm more interested in my other courses, that my CFC projects really end up suffering. Case in point, the unnatural project.

My idea was to do something with a little Hindu girl named Laskshmi in India born with 8 limbs (4 legs, 4 arms) because of being born with a parasitic twin attached to her at the hips (no extra head). She was revered in India as a goddess, specifically the goddess Lakshmi, who she is named after. The rest of the world did not. So I was going to picture the little girl coming out of a lotus flower (which the goddess is normally pictured coming out of), thing is, I waited till last Monday to start. It was of course due Wednesday! So my lotus came out nicely, but I didn't give myself enough time to make the girl work, so I left it out. Big mistake.

Alone the lotus flower was nice, but had not one bit of concept. Opps.

The frame was made out of some nice stiff jewelry wire and lots of masking tape.

Then I wrapped it in pink tissue paper.

Added some green leaves and viola! a lotus with no concept!

Oh well, it's over now. I'll do better from now on and actually give myself time to work on CFC, no matter how uninteresting it is.

Thanks for reading, and Shiva (my cfc prof) if your reading this, sorry for coming to class with such a poor project.