Coded Messages

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Category: In The Studio

Published on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 13:59

Written by Martha Hall

It has taken me several weeks to revisit telling you about this quilt because I have been working diligently on solving the problems I encountered with it.

Bits and Bytes, mixed media quilt, 24" x 24"  ©2013 Martha C. Hall

I started this quilt specifically to enter into a particular show. I knew it was a tight deadline and if I hadn’t encountered a crucial problem I think I would have met it.

Well, the deadline has come and gone, the artists have been selected and I missed out. SAQA members may have guessed that I’m talking about the “Text Messages” call for entry. No guarantees that I would have been selected anyway, but I think this quilt would have been a good fit to the theme.

As to the “crucial problem” I came up against ….can you guess what it was? It should be obvious, right? Hopefully you recognize that this is a QR code. If you don’t know what a QR code is, you can read about them in my previous post.

So…. I meticulously pieced and quilted the entire thing and then….. it wouldn’t “read”! Why I ever went ahead with the quilting when I already had an inkling of the readability – or non-readability to be exact – is a psychological issue for another day.

But there I was pushing right up to the deadline and experiencing an epic fail. Not to be deterred, though, I knew there was a solution. I did give up on meeting the deadline, but not on finishing the quilt.

With the deadline expired I had time to step back and think through some ideas toward a solution. I’ll talk about the solutions in a follow-up post, but just so you know – I did get the QR code to read.

If you have a QR code reader on your smart phone or tablet you should be able to scan and read my quilt from the image on your computer screen. If you don’t have a reader, Google “QR code readers” and download one for free. And if you happen to be reading this blog from your smart phone or tablet, well, then ……. you're not going to be able to scan the code with the device from which you are reading!

Why am I so fascinated with QR Codes?

First of all there is, to me, the obvious connection to quilts - the gridded structure, the patchwork of squares to form an image. I like playing with the design possibilities of the code, especially using color to take it beyond the black and white matrix (although I might experiment with a black and white version at some point).

There's more to it, though. Beyond the apparent imagery is a coded message that is not obvious. The viewer needs to go inside the code to see what that message is. Hopefully the color and construction choices support the coded message and, if necessary, stand on their own merits visually.

Bits and Bytes, detail (click on image to see enlarged detail)

While I've been finishing the final construction by hand, I've had ample time to think about Bits and Bytes. Technologically speaking, bits and bytes are small pieces of coded information that, when combined, create a whole. My bits and bytes are represented by the 'bits' of credit card plastic with fragments of words and letters. They are connected on the quilt surface by circuits of copper wire.

I started to consider bits and bytes as a metaphor for human communication. We provide bits and bytes of information about ourselves or about a topic or opinion. Others are expected to connect those bits to form the whole. But what if all the bits are not available or not connected? Then the message, the whole, may not be apparent. Whether by exclusion or misinterpretation, we may send 'coded messages' about ourselves or our ideas and opinions, that are not readable from surface appearance.

Oh my! Such deep thoughts! Well, that's what happens when I'm all alone in my studio working away on repetitive tasks.

Anyway, I will follow up in another post about what I did to solve my problems - with the QR quilt that is, not my personality ;-)  Stay tuned.....

Until next time -

MCH 

Is It Any Good?

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Category: In The Studio

Published on Thursday, 28 February 2013 15:57

Written by Martha Hall

The Six Stages of Artwork

1) Brainstorm! This is such a great idea! Let’s go!

2) Early on – Oh yeah, this is going to be good!

3) Somewhere Midway – Oh jeez..... I don’t know. What was I thinking?

4 ) Nearing the end – This is so hard. What a piece of crap. I don’wanna.

5) Finished – Whatever……. Thank God it’s done.

6) Revisiting… Several months later – Now that is some good work right there!

These pictures show around Stage 2 of my latest quilt. I’ve worked my way up to Stage 4. This piece is experiencing a major fail and I will not be making the entry deadline of midnight tonight.

Actually, the problem started showing itself at around Stage 2, but I continued on recklessly, convinced that I could fix it later.( Note to self: I should have fixed it earlier.)

I think the problem is solvable. Just not today. I shall perhaps expound on this particular quilt at a later date – after I have solved the issue.

In the meantime I’m going to take a studio break and go make a nice soup and get my house in order.

Until next time --

MCH

Assembly Required

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Category: In The Studio

Published on Friday, 01 February 2013 19:14

Written by Martha Hall

Doing vs. Done

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Category: In The Studio

Published on Monday, 06 August 2012 14:03

Written by Martha Hall

I'm doing a lot, but not getting a lot done . . . . . as in finished, completed. Dedicated studio time has been scarce lately, largely due to "The Wedding" which is less than a week away!

Last post I showed various ongoing projects. When I do catch some time in the studio, usually with my morning coffee, I've been working on the small Journal quilts. These involve mostly hand work, which I can do in small snippets of time. Although i sometimes get so engrossed that I spend long snippets of time. (Is there such a thing as a "long snippet"?)

The Journal quilts are samples for the upcoming workshop I am teaching, "Big Ideas In Small Art". I want to have them ready to show at my next guild meeting. One of the things we will experiment with is using unconventional or collected items in the small art pieces.

I collect various and random items. Buttons aren't so unconventional to sewing, but I do have a growing collection of all the extra buttons that come with the garments I buy. I don't have most of the clothing anymore, but I still have all the 'extra buttons'.

I emptied all the little packets they come in and, of course, I had to sort them.

I used various embroidery stitches to attach the buttons, mimicking the stitches used elsewhere.

After the buttons are attached I will do still more embroidery. These are developing as I go. I want the three pieces to relate to each other, but also be able to stand alone.

This week I will concentrate on the wedding projects - creating enough "petals" and patches for people to sign at the wedding, and also creating a dreamy swag of tulle and ribbons to decorate the wedding gazebo.

I'll also spend some time with my "extra buttons" and embroidery because the hand work helps to calm my senses. I am so very excited about the wedding, but also getting a case of nerves as it approaches!

Until next time -
MCH