March 30: Pattern Crafting
I used Stitch Fiddle, an online pattern-making program for textile arts, to design the pattern I'll be using to create my replica of Place Ville Marie. On the left is the outer facade, of which I'll make four, and on the right is the inner facade, of which I'll make eight. I used the geometrical specs of the building which Nathan provided alongside reference photos to create as exact a replica as I could. I still need to design the four sections which make up the bottom bank portion of PVM, as well as the roof, including gardens, restaurant, and lights. These will be more complicated to design, but also much more interesting & engaging work.
On the other hand, crafting the facades will be the most time-consuming & monotonous/meditative part of the project. It's in the crafting of these sections, this manifestation of slow-time, that I will do most of my learning, both through the process of making and by reading/listening to theory (through a speech-to-text program) and online lectures, podcasts, etc. I'm hoping to learn more about the physical construction of PVM, the people who designed and built the structure, and how the physical labours of architecture compare to that of needlepoint.
To highlight the aspects of gendered labour and slow-time being explored in this project, I'll be recording the making process as much as possible. I'm planning to do some live-streams of my crafting at home, time-lapse videos, and to do some/most of the crafting within PVM (or for as long as I can sit without getting kicked out.) The act of making and the record of this act will be just as much a part of the 'art piece' as the completed structure.
