Oregon Mini Artist Residency

Project Date	@July 20, 2020 → July 25, 2020
Collaborators	Yasaman Sheri
Location	Applegate, Oregon, US

Sheltering in nature for a week.

When Alex sent out a call for artists to stay at their nestled-in-nature cottage by a creek, I wasn't so sure about responding. Best practices these days have been to shelter in place to keep ourselves and others safe. However, when an opportunity came up to collaborate with Yasaman Sheri there, I was excited to make it happen. Alex's call made it clear it was a remote, safe space where we could easily keep our distance, and Yasaman and I discussed with our hosts how we'd come prepared and take precautions during the stay.

The residency (OMAR for short) provided space for Yas and I to discuss and collaborate on new projects, and also provided an extended blank slate for me to focus on a craft I had never done before. Alex was very welcoming and emphasized that the time and space at OMAR is for us to make what we want out of it (and for our hosts to see other human beings :). Alex sees how important it is for artists to be supported without any strings attached. This is not easily done in the US's culture or economic systems.

Emergent projects

We had some themes and ideas in mind for our stay, but the projects that happened came out of an emergent process during our week there.

🌿Dyeing with laser cut resists & more

I explored a set of ideas around digital fabrication and dyeing, the former which I am very familiar with and the latter which I am not. I ended up with many explorations into how laser cut objects could function as resists (known in Japanese as itajime shibori). See the project →

🌿Technology and culture from our design prototyping lenses
Yas and I spent many of the hot afternoons in the shade of our patio by the creek or cooling our butts in a shallow riverbed. During these times, we'd talk about our experiences as design technologists, and themes would emerge that we felt were worth recording. We're hoping to do something interesting with these discussions, post-OMAR.

🌿Prose, nature, and AI (Yas)
Yas curated a dataset of Cirsium vulgare (bull thistle) and other wildlife found around the creek, both in images and sounds. She also wrote and journaled extensively using the typewriter in the artist's cabin.

Photos

Thanks to Alex & Maluhia for hosting us, feeding us, and being good company, six feet apart.