L.O.C.

EBCOLab's first opening, L.O.C. (Llama Obstacle Course) took place last Friday, March 23 at EBCO. Starry Acres Llama Farm brought three llamas, Tommy, Luna, and Twinkle, to test out the course. I designed the course according to guidelines established by the American Llama Showing Association (yes, it exists) and built the obstacles over the past six weeks with EBCOLab's teenage participants and their supervisors.

Although the course is not entirely made of salvaged materials, we were able to incorporate used plywood, second-hand paint, street signs, lawn chair parts, and some cast off packaging material.

For more complete coverage, check out my flickr page, or Timon's flickr page.

Knitprovisation

While browsing the New Books section of the Mead Public Library yesterday, I came across my new favorite craft book, Knitprovisation by Cilla Ramnek. Instead of confusing knitting patterns for start-from-scratch projects, she teaches a more organic approach to knitting with instructions such as, "Study the picture and improvise." Her projects often start with a knit item, such as an old sweater, and she gives tips on how to transform it. She even includes bags knit from plastic bags!

I've come to believe that knitting was never meant to be captured in a pattern. It's best learned through trial and error and making it up as you go along. With so many books on knitting out there in the universe, it's refreshing to finally find an author who gets it.

Let's Play A Game!

How many Nothing New Strategies can you identify in my living room?



Answer: 9

Living Raugh (sounds like "Raw")

After 9 months of living like a gypsy, today I move into my own place. This should spawn a series of posts dedicated to furnishing an apartment without buying anything new (I've spent the weekend in and out of every thrift shop in Sheboygan looking for goodies).

But I've been hesitant to fill my place with second-hand furniture. Now that my taste for kitsch has worn off, I find it harder and harder to find second-hand furnishings that suit me.

As I was thinking about all this, I accidentally re-stumbled upon the "Rules of Raugh" as established by my favorite artist, Andrea Zittel. Her website describes "Raugh" as follows:


While “Raw” suggests a more natural or original state, “Raugh” on the other hand actually means the way that something becomes naturally “undone” over time and as the result of repeated lived experience.

There are many “Rules of Raugh”, some of which include:
• Raugh is absolutely comfortable
• Instead of being easy to clean, a Raugh surface absorbs or camouflages dirt rather than reveals it
• Since everything will ultimately break down or wear out, a Raugh design must deteriorate beautifully
• Something Raugh doesn’t require an “expert” to make it


This concept of creating "raugh" objects really rings true to me these days because this project has taken me beyond what I had originally anticipated. It's no longer about buying a second hand couch or making myself a table. It's about rethinking what I choose to include in my living space. Instead of designing and making objects that I would normally buy, I'm constantly evaluating if I need the object at all and how I can make one that's better than what's available for purchase.

Stay tuned...It's just starting to get good.