Body Electric

Body Electric sculpture
Dennis and I have been a bit distracted lately. In addition to running two brick and mortar businesses (City Lights Neon and Deux Design) and Ephemerascenti on Etsy, we have been working on a pro bono piece. It will be auctioned to benefit our local Building Values, an affiliate of Easter Seals.

ReUse-apalooza Designer Challenge is the additional focus. The challenge invited local designers to browse salvaged and used materials and receive a store credit up to $100.00 to be used in an artistic or functional piece. The challenge will culminate in an event and silent auction of the finished works on April 8th, 2011.

Dennis and I browsed the facility for nearly two hours; considering materials for multiple projects. We selected, after debate, vintage painted wood molding, used fuses, and a common mirror, from among well organized and displayed materials. Our design was not pre-conceived, it was driven, with spontaneity, by the available salvaged materials.

We knew we would augment the salvaged items with materials from our studio. We had off fall from glass tubing and perhaps a neon transformer that we had used to power a prop for a movie or shoot we would not sell as new.

We also realized the need to weave the theme we described as “body electric” through the piece. We decided to etch the used mirror to mask the barely discernible scratches. The etched design, highlighting the chakras and meridians, would re-iterate the theme and link the fuses as materials to the etched image.

The neon, made in our studio, would provide an indirect orange glow suggested by the graphics on many of the fuses. As an indirect light source, it would be enjoyed as a halo of light shadowing and enhancing the work.

An interview with the “Living” editor of our local newspaper, The Enquirer, resulted in a feature presenting “Body Electric” and other examples of our art which often includes up-cycled or re-sourced materials. Our greatest reward will be seeing the bids accrue and knowing the sum will be donated in its entirety to Building Value/Easter Seals on April 8th!