Last week I started an installation project. I will hang plastic bags filled with water by a walkway where the sun hits. The water bags will interact with sun and wind, making them interesting to look at. As people walk to class, they will be flanked by these objects, making the walk itself more fun. I'm excited about it.
And, then I counted how many of the plastic bags filled with water I will need if I am to flank the whole walkway. The answer is 84. 84! I was still determined to make them all, until I started the process. So far, I can make and hang about 4-6 per hour. That means that in the next class period, I will be able to make and another 18 or so. That added to the 20 I already have up is a far cry from the final number I intended to have. What to do...
Making them in advance, doesn't really seems to be an option since they leak from the top when sitting on a flat surface. If I tie harder, the fishing lien breaks. Maybe I could freeze them at home, but for that I would need a much larger and emptier freezer than the one I currently have—and investing in a larger one is not part of the budget right this moment.
That leaves me with two options:
- Make and hang more outside class time (84-20=64/6=10.7), which would mean about 11 hours to make another 64, which means 3 hours of class time until deadline plus 8 "studio" hours. I easily worked this many hours on the last project, so not impossible.
- Let go of the initial vision, and be fine with the amount I can do in the 3 hours of class time between now and the deadline. I do like the project as it is right now, so from that perspective I don't feel that I'm slacking. When I think of what the project could be, then I do feel like I must put the effort to have all 84 up.
I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll compromise and come in on Friday and see how many more I could add. If I work another 6 hours, that would add about 36 more for a total of 56—little more than half of the initial intention...
No comments:
Post a Comment