'Infinity Snake', cast iron, wax, gun blueing, 2016.
Arts/Industry resident Marne Lucas working in the Foundry at the Kohler Co. factory. Photo courtesy JMKAC.
FOUNDRY-
I made the first ‘Bardo ∞ Project’ sculptures at a 2016 Arts/Industry residency, a program of the John Michael Kohler Art Center, at the Kohler Co. Factory, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The work I made was based on time I spent with my first collaborator, Brooklyn photographer Chris Brunkhart. I was at the Cast Iron and Brass foundry and the porcelain Pottery factory. My residency began just four days after my first collaborator Chris Brunkhart’s memorial in Portland, Oregon. Within that narrow window of time I flew back to New York, packed, and took a bus to Boston to visit collaborator artist Joe Heaps Nelson.
I arrived at the Kohler Co. factory with staggering grief and a few ideas sketched into a notebook, and spent four winter months making the first Bardo ∞ Project works, learning for the first time the processes of mold making, foundry casting, enamel powder coating, sandblasting, porcelain casting and glazing, and a vast library of machine tools. Public tours of the factory commenced five days a week in the mornings, including the Arts/Industry artist studios. I found the tours to be a rewarding experience as I was able to workshop the Bardo Project. The very positive public response informed my decision to continue the Bardo Project as my most intentioned work. I am immensely grateful to the Associates for their knowledge, support, and comradery.
'Memorial Birdbath' cast iron, enamel, brass, PVD coating, hardware, 2016. Permanent collection of the Kohler Co. Factory.
'Memorial Birdbath', Marne Lucas, 2016, cast brass, pvd coated brass, cast and enameled iron. Photo: Ken Sager. 'Makers in Place' exhibition, Kohler Co, during Art Basel Miami, December 2024.
Detail: 'Memorial Birdbath' cast iron, enamel, brass, PVD coating, hardware, 2016. Permanent collection of the Kohler Co. Factory.
'Memorial Birdbath', cast iron, enamel, brass, PVD coating, hardware, 2016.
Detail: 'Infinity Snake', cast iron, wax, gun blueing, 26 x 11 x 4”, edition of 3, 2016.
‘Chris’ Gloved Hand Holding Camera’, cast brass, PVD electroplated coating, found plastic camera, 8 x 7 x 6”, 2016.
‘Ouroboros', Cast brass, PVD electroplated coating, 16 x 16 x 4”, edition of 2, 2016.
Detail: ‘Ouroboros', Cast brass, PVD electroplated coating, 16 x 16 x 4”, edition of 2, 2016.
'Chris' Hand with Camera 2', cast brass, found camera, 2016. Permanent collection of Arts/Industry, JMKAC.
'Chris' Hand with Camera', cast brass, PVD coating, found camera, 2016. 'Chris in Iceland', porcelain tile with decal. Photo of Chris Brunkhart by Marne Lucas
'Tree Conch' cast brass, wax, 10 x 13 x 3", ed. 1/1, 2016.
Detail: back 'Tree Conch' cast brass, wax, 10 x 13 x 3", 2016.
'Chris with Hospital Dishes', Porcelain, glaze, photo decal, found plastic dishes, 2016. Photo: Arts/Industry, JMKAC.
'Departed Grandmothers: Aprons and Skulls', vitreous porcelain, glaze, 7 x 6 x 2”, 2016.
'Departed Grandmothers: Aprons and Skulls', vitreous porcelain, glaze, 7 x 6 x 2”, 2016.
‘Mother Universe’ tryptich, photo decals of black and white infrared thermal video stills, on vitreous porcelain, cork, paint, 2016, 10.25 x 14.25 x .30 inches each. Featuring NASA/SDO imagery of the sun, moon, and Milky Way constellation.
‘Mother Universe: Pregnant’, photo decals of black and white infrared thermal video stills, on vitreous porcelain, cork, paint, 2016, 10.25 x 14.25 x .30 inches. Video stills are from my infrared thermal film 'Incident Energy' (2013). The pregnant woman was a friend of mine, I documented via infrared video her pregnancy, the hospital birth of her daughter, and three months later breastfeeding her baby. Cooler areas appear dark, hot areas are white.
DESCRIPTION 'Haute Flash Tile #2', 10.25 x 14 x .30 inches, vitreous porcelain, infrared video still as photo decal, cork, 2016/2018 edition 1/2. Made at Arts/Industry, a residency program of the JMKAC. Video stills sourced from 'Haute Flash' (2018). Filmed on Maui, Hawaii.
'Useless Fucking Tools', cheap tools, tool dip, 2016. I made these humorous, dysfunctional tools as gifts for the factory Associates, and to reference my steep learning curve while in the Foundry. The "tools" have rubberized plastic dip on the wrong ends, with the original plastic handles removed, were accepted with leg slaps and laughter.
‘Transfleurs, Accumulation’, vitreous porcelain, glaze, 2016.
‘Transfleurs, Accumulation’, vitreous porcelain, glaze, 2016.
TRANSFLEURS
I made the ‘Transfleur’ ceramic work at my Arts/Industry residency in the Pottery. The factory setting is about non stop production: I assembled molds, poured slip, dumped slip, sanded, glazed and fired works over and over for two months. While in the pottery working on the pieces, the song “I’m In Touch With Your World’ by the Cars was playing on repeat. The lyrics seemed to flow with my ideas about gender, sensuality, the body, and the reproductive nature of plants.
Excerpts from “I’m In Touch With Your World” -The Cars
…you can tuck it on the inside
you can throw it on the floor
you can wave it on the outside
like you never did before
…i'm in touch with your world
so don't you try to hide it
i'm in touch with your world
and nobody's going to buy it
it's such a lovely way to go
…it's a sticky contradiction
it's a thing you call creation
everything is science fiction
and i ought to know
The “flowers” are inspired by senior transgender artist and inventor Misc. Pippa Garner (nèe Philip Garner). She was instantly inspiring to me upon meeting her at the 2015 Spring/Break art fair in NYC. Soon after I went to Long Beach, California to photograph her for my Sitting City artist portrait series. We became fast friends and share a similar sense of humor and appreciation of the female body. Pippa coined the expression Trans Alchemy, which rivets me to a philosophy of trans ideals. My portraits of Pippa can be seen in my artist portrait series.
Previously Pippa worked in an automobile factory in Detroit and thus could relate to what I was experiencing at the Kohler Co. factory. Our elliptical conversations kept our sense of humor intact in spite of her life’s recent challenges: her chemotherapy battle with lymphoma, and the recent death of my photographer friend Chris Brunkhart.
Update
Philippa Venus “Pippa” Garner died on December 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California after battling lymphoma. Pippa was a force of nature, creativity, science and beauty. I will miss her dearly! Her work lives on through her gallery Stars in Los Angeles.