Pathway is one of my largest and most complex projects to date, and I want to record the thought process that led to its creation. There were many different limitations, choices, and problems that affected the final result. (You can view the final installation in my portfolio)
Pathway is an answer to a line of questioning that has been guiding the direction of my work in the past few years. I’m interested in the many ways that visual art and movement overlap; from challenging and changing peoples’ perception, mutual inspiration, and creating moments or experiences. Pathway is meant to spark a sense of wonder, challenge the viewer to look at the space differently, and physically interact with the art. Creating a visual and tactile experience that is literally a pathway forces an interaction between the viewer and the work. Additionally, it forces the viewer to move around and through the space to experience it.
These concepts guided Pathway’s creation, but it was also influenced by some specific limitations. I was on a budget, trying to create large-scale without breaking the bank. I also knew that I needed to be able to transport the piece to display it, so I needed a modular design that could be easily set up and taken down, as well as fit in my car. I knew I wanted to work with the idea of dangling a material down into the space, so I needed to keep it from tangling. It was built for a specific space, so I was planning according to what worked in that space.
The combination of limitations and goals informed my choices about material and process. I chose to use ribbon because it has a really pleasant texture, and Pathway would require people to touch it. It is also wider than string, and less likely to tangle. To further ensure it wouldn’t tangle, I weighted down each individual ribbon using BB pellets. While this took an extremely long time (probably about 60% of the overall process), it ended up being so worth it in the end. Not only did it help keep the ribbons from tangling, it caused each ribbon to give unexpected resistance to being pushed when a person moves through. That resistance is integral to the tactile experience of the installation.
The colors that I chose were also based on limitation. I knew I wanted the installation to look fairly plain at first glance, but transform as the viewer found their way through it. Color was the way to do that, but I was limited by the quantities of ribbon that I could find. My design required over 4000 yards of ribbon, so I had to select colors that I could purchase with enough yardage. After determining what colors were available, I did several sketches before landing on my final choices. The contrast between blues and oranges did exactly what I wanted, and the closeness in color between the orange and the pink created some very interesting effects, particularly when immersed in it. Several people described the experience as visually ‘trippy.’ Most important to me, it was unexpected, and led the viewer on a journey from mundane to magical as they moved through Pathway.
Chicken wire was the perfect base from which to suspend the ribbon; inexpensive, easy to find, lightweight, and most importantly pre-gridded. I could simply glue the ribbon straight into the pre-existing grid it provided. Once set up, it allowed light to shine through Pathway, and the light within the installation added a whole new level to the experience. The chicken wire was also key to how I made the installation mobile. I built it in folding panels that I cut to the length I needed and zip-tied together at the seams. However, with the large quantities of weighted ribbon it was suspending, chicken wire alone wasn’t strong enough to support the installation.
To this end, I built a PVC structure to suspend the chicken wire and ribbon. This process was especially interesting; In order to keep it mobile, and properly support the chicken wire, I had to create a frame that could be taken apart and rebuilt on location. Due to my timeline, I also wasn’t really able to test it in advance, but I was able to plan on how to use the location to help support it. I connected the frame to the surrounding fence, porch post, and even suspended one corner of the frame from a balcony instead of using a PVC leg. The chicken wire and ribbons were attached to the frame with zip ties, and then lifted onto the legs. The whole process took about 3-4 people, but it was quite secure once it was up.
Lifting Pathway up for the first time was unexpectedly emotional; but through the entire process, I had never been able to actually see it as it would be viewed. In order to attach the ribbons to the chicken wire, I had to invert my pattern and build it upside down. I had only been able to imagine what the finished installation would look like, and hope it turned out the way that I expected and planned. Seeing it up for the first time not only fulfilled my expectations, but completely surpassed them.
The process of creating Pathway was a series of problem-solving tasks, and even more than actual creation, planning. Making decisions, calculating amounts of materials, costs, lengths, and timeline in order to make it all come together. It was a combination of good planning, imagination, problem-solving, skill, and a lot of math that made it work. That, a lot of help, and even more math. Pathway was a hugely successful project, but even more a hugely successful learning experience for me. I hope it will be one of many to come.