Rachel Stein
Forum Replies Created
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My work will become fully realized as an installation at Goucher College, Bond Gallery, from April 17 through May 28, 2026. I’m working with slime as a central material, spilling from containers and entangling familiar plastic objects. I’m in the process of developing video elements that show hands excavating objects from viscous surfaces. (See attached a few images of works in progress)
In conjunction with the exhibition, I will be holding an artist talk and hands-on, slime making workshop on April 29 5:30-7 pm in the Hyman Forum at Goucher college. This event is open to the public and participants will be guided through the slime making process and encouraged to experiment with familiar, everyday materials like glue, shaving cream, and reused objects to create slime that activates the senses and invites play. The goal of this programming is to create an accessible entry point into play, sensory awareness, and our relationship to materials.
I’m open to any and all feedback as I finalized these pieces and the workshop idea.
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I’ve always been very inspired by the work of Judith Scott after seeing her work at the American Visionary Art Museum years ago. Her work has a strong presence, as the objects, she’s woven together tell a story about her life. Scott’s way of working was also a way of communication with the world as she was non-verbal. I could stare at her work and always find something new, hidden beneath the surface. Scott was working with what she had available. The repetitive act of scavenging, collecting, weaving, cocooning and concealing objects is something I can relate to in my work. I feel that working with objects in this way allows me to process the world and transform the way we think about our everyday moments. Objects unite us as humans.
Here is a great article with so many images and information about Scott’s work and background. https://art21.org/read/biography-is-complicated/
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I’ve found inspiration in Lynda Benglis’ work, as she explores themes of pollution and lack of containment through her forms and material choices.
Benglis describes her work in her recent book published by Phaidon, “was interesting to me that these were toxic chemicals, because I was calling attention to the material itself. I was also interested in how common they were. These rubbers and latexes can be found in everything from the pillows we sleep on to the inner tubes of bicycle tyres. You always need the organic with the chemical; they remain constantly in motion. Things like that interested me – the fact that we were making all these things that are both natural and unnatural in order to function, in order to explore, in order for the world to work. I was interested in how to take these everyday materials and transform them into something else. And there was something political in this. I wanted it to draw attention to these realities.”
phaidon.com
The dangerous chemicals that could have killed Lynda Benglis
The sculptor Lynda Benglis started water-skiing aged 13; in our new book, she recalls skimming over the local rivers and lakes of southern Louisiana. “They were polluted with oil slicks,” she says. Both those landscapes and that pollution remained with … Continue reading
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I love this idea… work WITH the flooding rather than fighting it. This concept reminds me of “Jugaad”, a term used in India that refers to problem solving with whatever resources are available… a resourceful improvisation.
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Love this idea! I think the more people that see that this is possible, the more they will consider it for themselves. Reminds me of the children’s book “The Big Orange Splot” by Daniel Pinkwater (which also inspired an entire neighborhood in Baltimore to paint their homes)
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Hey Alexi!
Love how the dollhouse inherently suggests play and imagination, which seems to be exactly what we need when envisioning futures. I also love the collaborative aspect, allowing for many visions of the future to be shared a collective “house”….perhaps the house is a metaphor for the world that we share.
Some artists that come to mind (at the moment)
-Rose B. Simpson “Dream House”
– Pepón Osorio “Home Visits”
-Do Ho Suh
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I love your idea for a collective future reimagining! Your meditative approach to this issue feels like such a needed reprieve. Taking the time to process our emotions while tapping into a collective creative energy feels so healing! This approach can have so many outcomes…
-creating new stories about our collective future (there’s not just one story!)
-channeling a new sensitivities to our surroundings (becoming more aware of the small things, appreciating beauty)
-reframing our challenges as opportunities
-creating a space for connection
Some books you may find useful:
-Adrienne Maree Brown- Pleasure Politics
– Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone- Active Hope
-Tricia Hersey- Rest Is Resistance
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Exactly! I’m trying to reframe that encounter as something that’s pleasurable while still being confrontational. Our pollution can no longer be neatly hidden or discarded but instead seeps into our environments and our bodies. I’m considering what a symbiotic relationship with our synthetic waste would feel like.
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YES! I’ve been very influenced by this book…so I think it’s time for a re-read! I like how she describes plastic as something that cannot be contained and is not separate from our world but rather embedded into it. My work revolves around this idea, trying to not separate the pollution from our lives but rather embrace it as a means to survival.
