How this artist uses pool noodles to create giant beadwork
by CBC Windsor, transcript by AWE Staff Fei Qin
Transcipt:
Vanessa: My name is Vanessa Dion Fletcher, and today we are talking about XWAT Naaniitus, Big Doll, at Art Windsor Essex.
This is a common pattern that’s used to make earrings, and in the middle here we have a ladder stitch, and then this is a brick stitch that goes up and then down here.
I do have a process, and oftentimes I will draw or I will colour in the plan for how I’m going to make something. And you can actually see on the wall over here, these white dots, our grid, makes the same shapes, so they’re what I would use to plan out these pieces.
I’ve taken them all to pools, so people can swim and play with them.
Mike: and I can see that you’ve got some needles!
Vanessa: Yeah! So big beads requires big needles, heh, the first ones I ever made was out of cardboard, and then I got these ones made out of wood, so they can pick up the beads and this is just a nylon rope and they get strung together. This, you know, could be the start of a piece.
Mike: It must be so fun for kids to see this.
Vanessa: I hope so, I think it’s really fun. One of the photos is my nephew playing with some of the beaded work. I’ve made similar murals and foreign students really enjoy it. I think a lot of the themes are about fun and participating and feeling like you’re empowered to join in the making of the work.
Watch the video interview here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6986917
