Care of a Bricoleur
Workshop Dates:Sat July 26 - Sun July 27, 2008
Workshop Fees:$150 + $10 materials fee
Workshop #:WS0807-11
Course Times:9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Course Description: A bricoleur is a person who creates things from scratch, is creative and resourceful: a person who collects information and things and then puts them together in a way that they were not originally designed to do.
A bricoleur works with materials from life, objects that are part of life rather than purchased specifically for decorative art making.
In this way the bricoleur reveals a narrative that is uniquely his own from the very material life is lived from.
Assemblage - the art of collage with three dimensional objects - is becoming an extremely popular medium. But how do you make a piece that's more than simply a bunch of pretty objects put together?
In this course we will explore the fundamentals of building and attaching objects, but will work primarily with how to create three dimensional pieces with emotion and personal relevance. We will work with materials such as metal, wood, and fabric to construct our assembled dolls, boxes, books, etc.
We will also consider composition and juxtaposition to help give our pieces visual strength as well as emotional resonance.
Materials:
- fabric - old scraps, new scraps, any scraps
- wood - little bits you find on the beach, on the road, in your yard - a bag full
- metal - bits and pieces, old, rusty, new, shiny
- organic material - look for dried organic material, press some of it in books if you wish
- bric brac - little pieces of stuff, assorted odd things - you know, like what's in your kitchen drawer
- buttons, rusty bottle caps, bits of leather, matchbox, etc.
- an assortment of a few papers, old, new, anything
- photocopies or photos of meaningful photos - family, loved ones, old ones
- a handful of found objects - thrift store items, you know, just spend or find interesting and meaningful (to you) little bits of this and that.
Tools:
- pliers
- hammer
- scissors
- exacto knife
- knives
- tin snips
- hand saw
- sewing needles, big and small
Building supplies:
- string
- glue
- wire
- nails
- thread
Embellishments:
- paint
- mark makers of any kind
Please do not worry about bringing too much or too little, it will be just fine. If you don't have the heavy tool items, that's okay, it will be just fine. Bring what feels right, and it will be just fine. :)
Location:Denman Island Arts Centre
Ken Flett
Ken Flett brings his amazing array of materials, his love of creativity & his wealth of life experience back to Denman. As an artist, his work is widely shown and embraced for its depth and originality. As a teacher, Flett is a gentle guide who inspires all who work with him.
A graduate of the Alberta College of Art with a major in photographic arts, Ken has exhibited extensively across British Columbia and other locations including Prague and the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse.
He has participated in a residency in Mexico City and a winter residency on a cattle farm in Rolla, BC. As well as being a mentor at the 1999 Festival of the Arts, Ken was invited to the 2004 Childrens Art Festival in Singapore where he introduced shoe box art to hundreds of young people.
Ken has inspired other artists by generously sharing his knowledge and technical expertise in workshops, artist talks and multi-media presentations.