objects of loss

Re-reading my making notes I realise how ideas slip from my consciousness  and then reappear to me in a slightly altered form; I hope the important ones re-present themselves!

I am reconstituting the paper clay I want to fire strips ready for laser etch- hmm one of the tech guys suggested hanging it in the kiln, how would gravity affect it? It needs to be flat if I’m laser etching it and I want torn edges.

I have also been thinking about the black edged mourning envelopes Si showed me Tuesday night, I would like to maybe put oxide edges on my paper clay- apply whilst at greenware stage? I could also check out the Paul Scott book for firing photocopies onto the surface, could be another way of getting a fugitive image? So does that mean they could be envelope size, they were small and beautifully formed and a very particular size and shape, recognisable to someone who knows about mourning envelopes. I like the idea of them being the material size of an earlier ritual artefact. I could cut the sandals out and use them to make an impression in the clay, like the embossed funeral cards.

 I am wondering about printing the slipper image white on cream paper or digitally printing an inverted image and then burn with the laser my footprints. I think I need to  re-photograph on the floor at home, focus on the imprint of Chris’ foot in the slipper. This relates to the Bildwerk glass – I could film moving past  the glass pieces to create shimmer?

What am I going to do with tying the threads photos?-  I want to somehow suggest the passage of time and its relationship to my grief but this is not linear or logical.

 I Tested synthetic translucent fabric in the heat press and it didn’t melt and will pick up colour easily – so need to get more when i am back in Cornwall and plan images for heat transfer the next time I’m in.  Maybe make them the height of Chris –5ft 10″, incorporating slippers at the bottom and my footprints.

The big digital print shall I make it 150 x 210 or half that? I think I need to draw it out hang it up see what it feels like…or possibly also relate this to the height of Chris?

I Talked through with Michelle the practical  steps for getting the slipper images to work as laser cut and engraved objects. I need to trace the sandals with a felt tip and scan to get good outline edge and then live trace in illustrator two sizes small for funeral cards and large for heat transfer. Then have a jpeg of the image same sizes inverted and contrasts pushed maybe save few different contrasts so can test depth of cut – cut in mount board and/or mdf (can coat afterwards with PVA to strengthen).