Taiko Chandler with Tyvek庐
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ARTIST TRANSFORMS DUPONT鈩 TYVEK庐 FROM FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL INTO BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK.
Taiko Chandler has always been interested in art, design, fabrics, colors and papers. So when this former nurse from Japan started expressing that interest through a variety of media, she began a journey to her second career as an artist.听听
Now living and working as an artist in Denver, Colorado, Chandler first trained as a printmaker and then began to explore three-dimensional installations. She experimented with different materials, including handmade papers, fabrics, plastics and wire mesh sheets. But she couldn鈥檛 achieve the effects she was looking for with any of these materials.听
Then she remembered the Tyvek庐 envelopes she had kept in a box of supplies from a screen-printing workshop taken years before her art career began. 鈥淚 started playing with the Tyvek庐 and became fascinated with its texture, flexibility, durability and translucence,鈥 explained Chandler. 鈥淚 thought the characteristics of Tyvek庐 were fascinating because the combined effect is both powerful and beautiful, and very different from any other material I had previously used.鈥
Creating with Tyvek庐
In early 2015, Chandler purchased sheets of Tyvek庐 at a local art supply store and continued to experiment. 听
鈥淚 had to adapt, improvise and develop techniques to create art with Tyvek庐,鈥 said Chandler. 听鈥淭here is no book written about how to use Tyvek庐 for art and it is not taught in schools, so I improvised and developed a technique that takes advantage of the unique qualities of Tyvek庐 to expand the boundaries of my artwork.鈥
By June 2015, Chandler had completed her first piece using Tyvek庐. 听Entitled 鈥淧athway to Somewhere,鈥 this three-dimensional installation combined a 10-yard scroll of Mulberry paper with a constellation of more than 560 small pieces of Tyvek庐. 听Each of the pieces of Tyvek庐 was cut by hand, pierced with a sewing machine, zapped with a soldering iron, folded and sealed with glue before being tied together using fishing line.
鈥淚 particularly like this first installation because of the effect created by the light that shines through the Tyvek庐,鈥 said Chandler. 听鈥淚t inspired me to explore further the potential of Tyvek庐 by printing on it using an etching press.鈥
With a free-hand painting technique that she developed using the edge of a small piece of mat board, Chandler created nine monotypes on Tyvek庐 sheets, then hand cut shapes into the printed Tyvek庐 using an open blade before assembling all nine sheets into a single piece of art. Titled 鈥淪imilarities Attract,鈥 this installation was awarded 鈥淏est of Show鈥 by Bud Shark of Shark鈥檚 Ink at the 鈥淪econd Annual Pressing Matters鈥 exhibit at the Art Students League of Denver in 2016.
As Chandler continues to create artwork with Tyvek庐, she explores new possibilities as a result of the unique qualities of Tyvek庐. 听As she explained, 鈥淭he weight and flexibility of Tyvek庐 help me to create the shapes, pleats and ruffles that I am seeking in my three-dimensional work. In that way, Tyvek庐 is similar to organza, but better.鈥澨
Reflections from the Artist
鈥淢ost people have not thought of using Tyvek庐 as a medium for art, so it creates an initial reaction of surprise,鈥 said Chandler. 听鈥淏ut when they see my installations, they quickly realize how the unique properties of Tyvek庐 bring a different quality to my artwork. 听In particular, its translucence, which allows light to shine through the piece, creating wonderful shadows.鈥
鈥淚 am very excited to continue pushing the boundaries of my work using Tyvek庐 and want to expand people鈥檚 perceptions of the possible uses of Tyvek庐 beyond its important practical applications,鈥 said Chandler. 听鈥淭yvek庐 is a wonderful material that has transformed the art I am able to create.鈥
About the Artist
Taiko Chandler was born and raised in Nagano, Japan. Since 1998, this former nurse has lived in Sheffield in the United Kingdom; Miami, FL.; Austin, TX; and currently lives in Denver, CO, where she is pursuing her second career as an artist. She credits the combination of a longstanding interest in art and the experiences gained from living in a wide range of vastly different cultures for shaping the work that she produces today. She is represented in Denver by SPACE Gallery (). To learn more, visit听
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