Even divas reuse

Marija Plavsic from NYU sent over this short film Storefront Diva, which is a collage from a 4-hour performance inspired by Joseph Cornell’s dream fragment in which he saw Claude Debussy playing piano in a storefront. A few months ago, Marija picked up carpet, fabric, paint, Plexiglas, trim, and more for the costume and set of the piece that occurred on December 27 in Greenwich Village. The whole performance was fantastic and people stood outside in the rain and wind for a long time just to watch. This performance was Phase One of Storefront Diva, and Phase Two will occur at The Flea Theater this June. It will be a new composition and feature a new video installation creating a fusion of past and present, so be sure to check it out. Here is the collage of the first phase:

Winter weavings

Yukako Satone from Loop of the Loom shared work she did in conjunction with the New York Botanical Garden. For the NYBG’s holiday event, Yukako gave participants a quick lesson on SAORI weaving, which they then practiced on a loom using MFTA trim and thread. SAORI is a free-style hand weaving technique from Japan that has no rules or restrictions. Without limitations, the medium allows for total expression; there are no samples to follow, and no mistakes to make. I’ve never tried it myself, but it certainly sounds interesting. A “ZEN art… that is dedicated to free expression and self-development”? Sign me up.

New books from old paper

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Yolanda Vivas from IS 171 in Brooklyn has been a frequent visitor to MFTA for the past few months, and she is one of our members I am delighted to see each shopping day. She recently shared the work she’s been doing with her students, and it sure is great. The students used fabric, paper, envelopes, ribbon, and card stock to make books, journals, and photo albums. One parent even made her daughter a backpack out of brown bags and recycled folders for her eighth grade graduation. The work shows the very practical side of reuse, and the little details make sure each book is unique and expressive.

Catch a Sickness at The Flea Theater

There’s more exciting work from The Flea Theater, whose current production, These Seven Sicknesses, runs through February 19. In the work, Sophocles’ seven surviving plays – Oedipus, In Trachis, Philoktetes, In Colonus, Ajax, Elektra, and Antigone - combine with music and food to create a stunning portrait of the human condition, where the intermingling of chance and fate yields disquieting results. A witty and relevant interpretation of the classics, These Seven Sicknesses is an epic examination of the past and a window on the present. Penn sent over some of the rehearsal photos, which show quite a bit of emotion, though even more emotional is the first of seven trailers for the production:

Definitely looks intense, and it is sure to be filled with excitement. Tickets include a (vegan!) meal, and are on sale via their calendar.

Little bunny re-use

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Richard Diaz from PS/MS 282 in Park Slope had his students make these rabbit puppets using multi-colored gloves, fabric, buttons, and notions. The students did a great job making them diverse and unique. Not to mention adorable. The project exemplifies one way teachers can find everything they need right at the warehouse. For more ideas on ways to reuse items from the warehouse, teachers should also check out our next round of P credit classes, beginning February 11.

Queens Vocational High School recycling team gets creative with reuse

This student used a dismembered snowman's head in her commentary on the lack of snow in New York City this winter

Last Friday the recycling team from Queens Vocational and Technical High School visited MFTA to learn about art and reuse.  Before their warehouse tour, we discussed how both visual artists and musicians reuse ideas, sounds, and objects in their work–the students thought of Andy Warhol and a couple of hip-hop pioneers from the Bronx. Back at school the students were thinking of ways to raise awareness about recycling, waste reduction, and reuse, and their trip to MFTA spurred lots of great ideas for getting fellow students excited. At MFTA the recycling team created sculptures which show how items thought of as waste can be reused as art and decided they will incorporate found objects into their awareness-raising campaign back at school. Check out their work after the jump.

Make every day Earth Day with these datebooks

At MFTA we encourage you to make sure every day is Earth Day, and what can be a better reminder of this than datebooks made from reused materials? Esther Smith of The Segue Foundation sent over some photos of datebooks she made using leather and paper right from the warehouse, and they came out great. She designs and stitches the books by hand, then typographer Dikko Faust hand sets real wood and metal type and hand-feeds paper into a vintage letterpress. The duo has been making these usable artist books so long that they have done every iteration of the calendar. As Esther told me, this year is a leap year and it repeats every 28 years, so this year’s book can also be used in 2040, while 365-day years repeat every 11, 6, 11 years ad infinitum. The intricate detail and knowledge of the process is remarkable, and the repurposed sea charts as paper is definitely a great touch. Check here for more photos, and for more information (and classes), check here.

Experience the Wild West in NYC

Joe from Showpaper sent over a bunch of photos of a project he did with Brooklyn-based duo Javelin. The project is called Canyon Candy, which is part EP, part short film, part music video, and part “visually stunning and immersive cabin/cave/canyon environment.” There are many components here. The last of which used paper, fabric, books, and other items from the warehouse, and is currently on view until March 1 at Clocktower Gallery. Photos of the installation can be seen here, and its construction can be viewed at this album. The music video/short film (music film?) can be seen below the jump. It’s really cool: 

Teachers: Bring literacy to life with no sew costumes!

The Common Core Standards (.pdf) encourage students to discuss and retell key details from texts to demonstrate understanding and mastery. An exciting way to encourage these discussions, especially regarding characters, is for students to design costumes based on what they read. Teachers can learn how to bring ELA and social studies texts to life through costumes–and it will cost very little money, or nothing at all! During our upcoming P credit course, “Creative Infusion,” teachers learn to use free MFTA fabric and common classroom tools like staples and tape to create “no-sew costumes.” The construction of these costumes will foster small group discussions–which the standards encourage–and students will naturally recount key details of different characters as they create their outfits. DOE Teachers can earn “P” In-service credit upon successful completion of this course. Other educators may audit this course as noncredit participants at a discounted rate. For more information or to register, click here.

MFTA fabrics at JFK

Sandra from Choir Academy of Harlem sent over this photo of a quilt created as a gift for their corporate sponsor, American Airlines. The students researched a city that AA flies to and came up with a distinctive symbol for that place to contribute to the quilt. The idea (as well as the materials) for the work came from a donation at the warehouse of various fabric swatches from Michael Miller Fabrics. The quilt was unveiled last Thursday to AA during a special presentation, and it will remain in the school lobby through this week before being transferred to the AA terminal at JFK. Make sure to look for it next time you are there.