A couple weeks ago, Annie Asebrook proposed a 1 hour challenge: figure out a temporary concept ideally with only natural materials and 1 hour installation time as part of EvanstonMade’s Winter Wonderland at Canal Shores Golf club.
Since I ordinarily work with glass+concrete, it’s very freeing and playful to think about what materials and process can work as an entirely ephemeral experience. When Annie texted a picture of icicles I was immediately interested. Glass is a manmade material that mimics reflective materials in the natural world, especially water+ice. My interest in glass as an art medium comes from its unique capacity to catch and reflect light, creating a dynamic shifting visual experience that is a (very pale) imitation of the constant change and transformation we thrive on in the natural world.
Testing icicles 2/20/21
Testing icicles 2/20/21
Annie carefully extracted icicles from around her home+yard. I took to the alleys, finding unnoticed icicles in reach on the back of garages. This natural form, ubiquitous in early spring melts transformed into a building material.
We initially thought we would see an icicle forest take shape.
Detail Icicle city 2/21/21
Annie Asebrook 2/21/21
Heather Hancock 2/21/21
As we placed icicles a city skyline was clearly emerging. A lovely city-in-nature and nature-in-city connection.
Icicle city (detail) Annie Asebrook + Heather Hancock 2/21/21
Icicle city (detail) Annie Asebrook + Heather Hancock 2/21/21
We took images knowing that with the temperature at 35 through the rest of the day and night the work was shrinking and would disappear by morning. Such a satisfying thing to create an ephemeral experience that returns to nature without a trace.