Last Thursday was a wonderfully exciting day. Not only was my installation, The Cocoon, already receiving visitors in the Rensing Center Library, but Libby Dallis, a multi-media specialist with SCETV (South Carolina Educational Television) came to interview me on film. It was quite amazing to see the professional equipment being erected and put into use.
Libby had already sent a list of questions. We talked about my concepts, my TEDx talk that inspired this installation, the SC Arts Commission grant that helped fund the project, and the hopes that The Cocoon will find future venues.
Libby was quite thorough and spent several hours capturing detail images and watching people view the installation during the evening's reception, including ...
... the children who really did add one of the available yoyo-s to the existing panels.
One of the best moments of the day was a visit from printmaker Steven Chapp. Steven donated his mother's incredible satin wedding dress to the installation.
Another special touch was the delectable canapes and deviled eggs served beside colorful flower arrangements. The Rensing Center's board member Ron Few was in charge of hospitality. I am so very, very grateful for his time, attention to details, and theatrical arrangements.
On Friday morning, fifteen teenagers from the Oconee Cultivation Project came to the Rensing Center to learn about bees and other pollinators. Before embarking on this activity, they toured The Cocoon. Because it is a bit tricky to receive permission to photograph and blog/publish images of minors, I took only images of the staff/adults! (It was easy to ask the parents of the children attending the reception ... but not on a summer camp sort of workshop!)
So ... I couldn't snap pictures of the teenagers but I could capture the dreamy look of one of their supervisors, Katrina Black, who recently became engaged and found the nostalgia of the wedding dress a perfect way to remember her family's sense of "home" and all their marriages!
Shortly after taking this picture, Steve and I had to dismantle The Cocoon. It took only one-hour-and-fifteen minutes to take down all the panels, fold them over the heavy-duty hangers, walk the hangers to the cargo van, dismantle the pipe structure, and say good-bye. I'm now back home putting the finishing touches on the final report for the South Carolina Arts Commission's successful grant! Soon, I'll be working on an exhibition proposal and hoping to erect The Cocoon again!
2 comments:
The photos and videos are wonderful, but to be inside the cocoon is to truly experience. Let us know when Libby's work will air on #SCETV and certainly when it is again mantled for others to enjoy. I loved being their and of course, seeing you and Steve.
I've followed your blog for a long time. I was finally inspired to incorporate a tablecloth embroidered by my grandmother into a quilt. I also have a collection of doilies, many that I made when I learned to crochet in my teens which I hope to use in a quilt. I do have more quilts than I need, but at least they get used on a rotating basis, instead of gathering dust. Thanks for continuing to inspire.
Hilda's Hideout
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