Saturday, August 27, 2016

100

100 is a new series of posts spurred by a conversation that Pam and I had yesterday. We were discussing which workshop to take together next year - one asks students bring 100 of an item. Intrigued, we were imagining how the items would be used and what we could take. Just what did we have 100 of?
  
 
My brain kicked into gear and I spewed out a string of household items that could be interesting art making tools - 100 grains of rice, 100 sheets of toilet paper, 100 beans, 100 tea bags (empty or full)....you get the idea. The whole exercise had me looking around and viewing items differently.


100 tea bag tags from used tea bags gifted me by Pam and Ellen as well as a few of my own. All laid out on a grid first and then thrown into a small mason jar. Yes, they really are all in there...for safe keeping.

And that act alone had me pondering the various ways to present 100 of an item. The grid shows them all, yet it's the close up in the jar that I prefer. Perhaps both ways...or perhaps not. How would you show 100 of an item?

14 comments:

  1. is 100 of somethings a lot? or not? why is it so compelling? interesting in some way, but if you're me, you don't like the limit!

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    1. Good questions. One could wax philosophically about 100 being a lot or not...or just enough or just right. As far as why 100 and the limit it imposes, you'd need to pose your query to Dorothy Caldwell. It's her class that Pam and I are planning to take. However, I hear that Lissa Hunter asked her class at Haystack to bring 100 of an item too.

      If not 100, what would your perfect number be? Just wondering... Enjoy!

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  2. hmmm... it must be one of those really successful exercises... and i always do what good teachers ask me to! (and right now you are snickering away, aren't you?!) my perfect number would be "all". it would matter if i had to count and/or remember the things. ah, and now i'm being way to snarky but i really do love the idea.

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    1. It must be successful. Sandra suggested that I chose something (journal, cloth bag, etc.) and create 100 of it as an exercise during her class last year. While I haven't done that yet, it must be an informative way to work through variations to find which you like best.

      Feel free to be snarky. By the way, are you enjoying not having to get ready to go back to school?

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    2. all summer has been leading up to me not having to start trainings this week, and having students next week. and you know, it's ok. i feel like i've done my time. but it does look like i will be teaching book arts at university here in the spring semester. they will be adults, almost anyway. are your sweet urchins starting back next week?

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    3. Wednesday is the first day of school and it's a safe guess that I'm looking forward to it more than my urchins. Ha! They're eager to see their friends and are uncertain about their teachers...as it always is at the beginning of the year.

      Teaching at the university level, nice! I hope your students are appreciative, eager to learn and know what a gem of a teacher/artist they'll have leading them. Enjoy!

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  3. Hmmm... it makes me very curious as to what you'll be doing with the 100 items. Were there any guidelines given about the nature of the items? Multiples of anything create repetition, which creates pattern, such as your grid. But what if someone brought 100 marbles, or 100 toy cars, or 100 jelly donuts? Well, probably no one but me would think of that, but - well, you know what I mean? It does kind of make a difference what you're going to do with them, I think. Let us know when you find out!

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    1. 100 jelly donuts...so would they be the same flavor or a variety? Imagine the photo ops of them in a grid, a circle, stacked in a triangle...actually will all 100 fit into a triangle with no leftovers? Of course, you could quickly eat the leftover, but then you wouldn't have 100. Oh no...now you've got my brain kicked into gear and spinning away.

      Not sure what Dorothy has the class do with the 100, but Lissa Hunter's class at Haystack used their 100 + one other item to create a basket/vessel. My friend Ellen, who is mentioned in this post, took plastic straws. Ellen often works with Q-tips to create stunning black and white sculptural wall pieces.

      I'll definitely give updates when we register for the class and receive more info as to how the 100 will be used. Of course, instead of Roy G Biv posts, we could fill the blogging world with 100's. You game?

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  4. Replies
    1. The girls go back to school on Wednesday. How about I bring donuts and stop by for a visit? Or would you like to come to my house?

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  5. while i too love the notion of collecting, what worries me is that there doesn't seem to be any guidance as to the things to be gathered...transporting 100 leaves, for example, that might later be released to the four winds along with their attendant bio-hazards strikes me as being wantonly irresponsible. but i suppose, given the earth likely be absorbed by the sun in about 50 billion years, nothing really matters...

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    1. Thanks for the reminder about leaves! My friend and I are trying to decide between two of Dorothy Caldwell's classes next spring at Nancy Crow's. Dorothy is teaching Human Marks and In Place: Observing...Recording...Making. The 100 items are for In Place. The class info says:

      "100 objects from your place ... these could be all the same thing such as 100 pebbles or 100 pieces of trash, or 100 pressed flowers ... it can be anything that comes from where you live"

      The whole idea of 100 of something sparked my imagination...just how many items in my studio do I actually have 100 (or more) of? And what does 100 look like? What significance does 100 hold, etc.

      What do you have 100 of?

      Enjoy!

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  6. i'd have at least 100 pieces of string...

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  7. Hi J - such a natural step to use the tea bag tags given the use of tea bags as fabric in some of your work. The idea of a hundred can be an interesting challenge. I have had to make 100 brass tags and 100 flat brass leaves to take to Japan for the citizens festival. Go well and create well. B

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