RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH - Night\Shift 2017

RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH is the title of my project that will be revealed for Night\Shift 2017 in Downtown Kitchener on November 4th.

Inspired by the quilts of my mom, Margaret Anglin, the use of banners as tools of protest by feminist artists such as Allyson Mitchell, and the 1992 song Resist Psychic Death by the feminist punk band Le Tigre, I am creating a large scale (6 x 15 feet) felt banner in bright, feminine colours that reads RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH, and is decorated with hand crafted felt flowers, sequins, rhinestones, and pom poms, that will be hung above the entrance of J & P Grocery in Goudie's Lane. 

RESIST PSYCHIC DEATH is a call to the viewer to continue to think critically and revolt against oppression despite political forces (Trump, Alt-Right Hate Groups & Canada 150 celebrations) that ask us to suspend/silence our outrage. 

It also elevates the use of traditionally female and therefore de-valued art forms, as well as cheap, tacky "craft" supplies to the level of "high" art - ya dig?

So this was the drawing I created to base the banner on, that I pitched to the good folks at Night\Shift. They in all their greatness said, yes - go for it. 

I started with my felt flower garden.

and I made them into monsters using rhinestones, pom poms, googly eyes and discarded earings.

Like this one with a tear drop of breast milk falling from its eyeball.

and this one with vampire fangs and a labret piercing. 

Then I started the letters. This was the longest part of the process because I hand cut the letters, purple zig zags, then stitched them together.


And they were each two feet high - as evidenced by Eric Rumble, creator of Night\Shift, here seen holding the Y from Psychic aloft in the Goudie's Lane.


It took a lot of math to figure out how to make the letters the right size. I hope I got them right!

then one day this crazy huge piece of candy pink felt showed up in the mail. It was a bit unweildy.

But I had some strange creatures assisting me. 

My studio - aka an old formica table in the rear end of our tiny apartment. It does the trick!

Then I glued on the flowers. To quote famed drag queen Ben De La Creme "This? Oh this is all hot glue and desperation!"

Then I added pom poms, because everything's better with pom poms. 

this thing's starting to look really friggin' good and wacky, and we're gonna light it up like the fourth of july! So come see it in all its finished glory on November 4th from 7pm-midnight, hanging in Goudie's Lane (right above the entrance to J & P Grocery!).