Alexi Scheiber
Forum Replies Created
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I love the focus on lawns, this was something I recently focused on in my MFA exhibit! I think about the wasted space of lawns and parking lots and the wonders of the depaving and rewilding movement all the time.
https://alexischeiber.art/the-dreaming-manifesto
I think a lot of people want to see more native plants in their yard, they’re just intimidated to get started. I wonder if this project could be about creatively opening access or desire to meadow one’s lawn.
I’m also curious about the ‘diehard’ as the audience focus. I think the desire to sway the most dramatic (such as turning a climate denier) is obviously the most flashy. I feel it is often the passive or overworked individual who keeps their lawn not as a point of pride, but as a point of normalcy/ignorance might be a better and more grateful subject of such a project.
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sorry if this isn’t totally coherent, I’m a little tired! happy to rephrase later.
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This post is for the 1.3 requirement! I started typing this all out in 1.2, then realized I was getting into the weeds of the project.
I think this is also a good place to describe how I would define a “solarpunk dollhouse” the design of the house would take inspiration from various periods of biophillic architecture and Eco-architecture movements, including Art Nouveau, Earthships, and the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Other climate solutions, such as a mixed-use building (making a room on the bottom floor a daycare or food pantry) would be incorporated into the design.
Structure wise, I am interested in the accessibility in replication of a paper dollhouse. The ability to share the template would allow other artists to respond to the base structure of the house like a coloring book, which would have several solarpunk features built in, while allowing them the autonomy to bring their own sense of play to the design. Space for DIY and mutal resource sharing is another solarpunk philosophy we hope to embody.
In this way, the dollhouse would not only be solarpunk in terms of design, but in terms of publication. The dollhouse made by Goheen & I would be finalized with DIY and recycled craft materials, such as old beads, collaged paper materials, and other repurposed materials often found in crafting of this scale. Our dollhouse would serve as a model for anyone wanting to make their own.
While it would be fun to do a program or a workshop where others decorate their dollhouses, the goal for EDC would be simply to make the first dollhouse with Emerson Goheen, who has extensive experience with both book arts and lasercut. I would be bringing my knowledge of solarpunk design and illustration. Both Goheen and I are baltimore-based artists, the funds would help us dedicate the appropriate amount of time for artwork and design labor, alongside materials.
hundertwasser.com
Hundertwasser - Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) Hundertwasser, a visionary and responsible creator, mobilizes the power of his art in order to spread his message for a life in harmony with nature and the individual creativity. He is a symbolic figure for a non-conformist … Continue reading
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Hi all–
Just double checking I’ve done enough to count for stage 1.2 before I make my stage 1.3 post. I am affirming collaborating with Emerson Goheen for this project!
I’ve shared some inspiration in the replies, and wanted to really thank Rachel Stein for the excellent references, all of which affirm the power of miniatures, home, and play as worldbuilding:
Tracey Snelling is an artist I’ve been interested in for awhile who works at the intersection of dollhouses/minatures and fine arts. This piece in particular, “Disaster Proof Mobile Unit” which came from a collaborative workshop, “contemplates the uncertainty, displacement, and disenfranchisement that frames the present day. How do we find a safe place, protected from bad weather and circumstance, in an era of floods, fires, violence, abuse and pandemics?”
https://traceysnelling.com/section/512284-Disaster%20Proof%20Mobile%20Unit%20and%20Workshops.html
As mentioned above, I am also interested in Phyllis Birby’s “Women’s Environmentalist Fantasies” project.
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Rachel always rooting for you to get funding and continue your work!
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Hi Kate,
Just wanted to make sure you also saw the Solarpunk call at the Crow’s Nest (includes seperate, free programming call) https://www.crowsnestbaltimore.com/solarpunk-call We are very aligned in purpose!
crowsnestbaltimore.com
Call for Art Due March 03-- Solarpunk
Speculative artwork allows us to envision the future, but this genre is dominated by dystopia– notably cyberpunk and steampunk. In visual arts, dire warnings get lost in the allure of cybernetic partners and elegant Victorian costumes. “Solarpunk” was devised as … Continue reading
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Solarpunk Dollhouse
Hi All– This is Alexi putting on my artist hat,
— First of all, checking if this is the right place to do the first step in applying for the EDC Project Awards!
— I would also like to ask how expansive ‘design’ is! My artistic practice sits between fine arts, animation, and illustration. ‘Antidotes to Toxicity’ aligns a lot with work I recently made for my MFA thesis.
The problem I am engaged with:
I am thinking a lot about our capacity to imagine a world where the climate crisis is actually solved. I have found it is incredibly difficult for most people to do. For many, it is easier to imagine the destruction of humanity than humanity living in harmony with nature.
The project I am proposing is a solarpunk dollhouse.
I believe play is a great space for us to expand our imaginations. The first barbie dreamhouse was incredibly powerful– allowing young women to imagine themselves as single homeowners, yet unheard of at the time. I find a dollhouse is a powerful way for us to imagine new ways to live. The solarpunk could take the form of upcycling a found dollhouse as a single unique interactive sculpture, collaborating with other artists on individual rooms. This could also take the form of making multiple copies of a pop-up book dollhouse, again inviting different artists to take their own illustrative spin on different rooms. I am happy to pursue the latter if it counts as more ‘design oriented.’
Apologies if this is the wrong location!
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Hi Siyu, thank you so much for posting our current opportunities! We’ve got just over 2 weeks left on our solarpunk call, we’re looking forward to the final wave of submissions!
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Congrats on having the Goucher show lined up!
You’ve been pursing these themes in your practice for awhile, but I think you’re continually mining new questions and possibilities from the broader inquiry. I really enjoyed looking through your references.
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Hi Rachel!
Home Visits is such a tender and powerful series, I hadn’t heard of it before– thank you for all the references!
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Hey Emerson! So great to see you on here. Would be so grateful for your expertise!
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Hi Kate,
I would love to have the dollhouse as part of an interactive event or gallery exhibit. It’ll depend on how hardy the materials used end up being, which one always has to balance.
When I was a kid I loved designing and endlessly rearranging my dollhouses. I had a dollhouse made out of old ikea shelves and craft paper that I picked out with my mother. I would love to use this project to share that childlike wonder, feeling empowered, place-making, and more, while orienting the audience with restorative and eco-friendly elements, even if more fantastical under the ‘solarpunk’ umbrella.
One other idea to make the element of play more accessible to more folks while still getting to have artistic control for myself is to go the accordion book route and to share the template for free (maybe printing off limited copies for a workshop). The base of the furniture/rooms would be ‘stuck’ in one spot as this would essentially be a pop-up book template, with decoration fluid for whoever wants to make their own.
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Lindi, thank you for introducing me to Alyssa’s work! Her portfolio is completely revelatory.
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Hi Lindi! Thank you so much for your reply and for attending Rejjia’s talk! I’m very interested in play as a worldbuilding space– the act of designing the dollhouse as collaborative play (pro version of crafting with friends) as well as its use afterwards!
I’m also very inspired by Noel Phyllis Birkby’s “Women’s Environmental Fantasies” https://www.architexx.org/subtexxt/flashback-feminism-phyllis-birkby-and-womens-environmental-fantasies
architexx.org
Flashback Feminism: Phyllis Birkby and Women's Environmental Fantasies — ArchiteXX
By Stephanie Schroeder"It appears that if you were a man, you should be studying architecture." With that dismissal, in 1948 Noel Phyllis Birkby’s suburban New Jersey high school career counselors squashed her career aspirations. Based on their rigid notions of … Continue reading
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Hi Lindi! Thank you for the clarifying message! I will be deleting my other comments to avoid making anyone else confused!
