IM-PERFECT VOL.03
Craft Project / Ian Jia, Sep. – Dec. 2023
About Scab
Before the holidays, I began to explore and experiment more with the concept of “scabs”. I personally felt that the concept fit the theme of my project, and that the existing finished product didn’t quite match the vision I had in mind. They always gave me a feeling of “unfinished”, and this idea was validated during the presentation. So I thought about how to control the texture and reduce the randomness of the texture to make the whole thing more refined.
PHULKARI
In the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, an embroidery technique called “Phulkari” is very popular. Women use brightly coloured threads to make shawls, turbans and other garments with highly overlapping, intricate designs. However, the makers would deliberately introduce small variations in colour or pattern. One reason for adding these variations was to protect the wearer from evil and to bring them luck. Others were used to record important events, such as the birth of a baby or the death of a loved one.
Imperfections in phulkari. Photo credit: Less than perfect
WHAT INSPIRED ME?
This weaving technique illustrates the specificity of “imperfection”. The small variations in the highly repetitive patterns are a manifestation of imperfection, and while these variations are controllable and ‘intentionally’ created by the maker, they are also significant. Phulkari, unlike many of the artists I have studied, does not use all the objects to visualise the significance of the work, but rather embeds this ‘imperfection’ in the repetitive patterns and regular shapes.
FAT (Failed)
I did a lot of thinking about the concept of “body anxiety” and eventually chose the latter of the two concepts of “thinness” and “flab”. Since flab is more expressive and visually appealing, my initial plan was to apply the flab element to the objects.
Defects
After the resin had cured, I noticed that a lot of the creases in the plastic bag were left behind, along with a lot of holes. I tried to get rid of these imperfections with a carving pen, but due to limited tools, I was unable to carve an organic shape to my satisfaction.
OTHER MATERIAL?
During the tutorial, we also discussed the possibility of using other materials and production methods, including using ceramics to better produce organic shapes, and silicone inverted moulds to produce shapes. However, due to the specificity of the shapes and the need to fit the shape of the seat, as well as the fact that ceramics shrink when fired, these methods were abandoned.
Poor fit
As I was carving and sanding it, I realised that it wouldn’t fit well into the shape of the seat section. And I couldn’t get rid of the creases very well, which led to me not being able to glue it to the seat section very well either.
CORRELATION
The bottom line is that I found the concept to have little relevance to the materials I was working with. “Flab” is more about expressing the concept in terms of shape, so I can use any material, even 3d printing, to make it. But obviously I didn’t want to give up all my previous research and exploration, so I was thinking about how to make the materials more relevant to the theme and the materials, so I focused on the concept of “scabs”.
Recycled Material
All the materials I use (except resin) are made from recycled scraps, such as unused wood from the woodshop, scraps left over from my own crafting, etc. While being as sustainable as possible, these waste materials are also more in line with the theme of my project than brand new materials.
"Scab" & "Healing"
When I looked again at the concept of “scabs”, I began to see the relevance of the material to the theme. First of all, the intact skin can correspond to the wood itself with its natural imperfections. And the newly recovered skin can correspond to the bio-resin with recycled wood chips. This recycled material also echoes the feeling of “re-growth”. So for “scab”, I chose to use recycled tree barks to make a stronger connection to the first two materials, so that the overall story of the work, from injury to scab to recovery, could be reflected.
About Scab
After I made the seat, table and bowl parts, I started to think outside the box about the “scab” concept. I wondered if I should use just one piece of bark of the right size, or if I should use multiple pieces of bark to put together. As I considered the theme of imperfection, I realised that using just one piece of bark would be a better representation of imperfection.
Making Process
I started making barstools, coffee tables and dishes from the recycled materials mentioned above. I used resin casting, turning, carving, sanding and so on.
“Though our remit is much broader now, at Sarah Myerscough we made our name initially specialising in wood sculpture craft and design so my heart was drawn to this piece exploring the imperfections of timber. What I love about the material here is that it’s had an entire life before it’s even reached the artist’s hands. The work grapples with the question of how we express that life – successes and traumas and I like how the artist considers this through healing and the scabbing of the wood.
This idea of the imperfect perfect is a real zeitgeist theme – the concepts of Kintsugi [traditional Japanese technique of repairing ceramics with lacquer and a metal powder usually made from gold or silver] and Wabi Sabi [Japanese philosophy of accepting and celebrating the aesthetica of imperfections] are really relevant today. I’m glad they are because I think there is a real beauty in vulnerability.”