Following the first week of failed attempts to engage participants in the Gentilly neighborhood, who needed garments re-constructed, I began the second week of the project setting up shops, in unoccupied commercial real estate. During these production performances I constructed TARP-WARE Domestic Linens, which consist of a set of 6 FEMA tarp/fabric place mattes and coordinating napkins. These NEW ORLEANS PROUD TO BE HOME items were then randomly left at FEMA trailers in Gentilly.
I have continued setting up shop for two weeks; the locations consisted of a Po-Boy shop, a restaurant, a gas station, a Billiard house and a boy’s home, where Louis Armstrong learned how to play the trumpet.
Friday June 8, I had my first customer! She needed to have two pieces of fabric sewn together to use as a throw to recover her couch and chair. When she stopped three other people stopped and each had a different story of seeing “the sewing lady” around the neighborhood, and each also had something for me to do. Looks like I’m going to be busy until Wednesday when I head back up to Chicago. I feel like I’m running out of time, and the project is just getting off the ground. Which means I will have to come back to New Orleans.
The polaroid image was taken by one of the visitors.
No comments:
Post a Comment