LILLIPUTS

FLAG FOR JULIA SMITH - WORK IN PROGRESS

FINISHED FLAGS

Flag made by Peter Muennig and Celina Su 

for Sydney Chastain-Chapman 

Flag made by Sydney for Peter and Celina

Flag made by Mari Beckman for Tema Stauffer

Flag by Ashley Wenham for Lynne Chan

Flag by Sasha Gora for Dan Price

DIORAMAS

BIRTHDAY DIORAMA FOR A'S 30th

BIRTHDAY DIORAMA FOR KUNDI

PETERZILLA BIRTHDAY DIORAMA

THE MAKING OF A FLAG

ANATOMY OF A FLAG

ANATOMY OF A FLAG

Hoist

Fly

"A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification."

YUKINORI YANAGI WORLD FLAG ANT FARM

THe World Flag Ant Farm (1990)

This piece was built for the Venice Biennale and consists of 170 national flags, each made of colored sand and filled with ants. Over the course of the exhibition the ants build a network of tunnels in each flag and travel to neighboring flags via a network of tubes. In doing so the ants move the colored sand around, breaking down the design (ie. the nation itself) and the borders between the nations.

UMA-JIRUSHI FLAGS

FLAG PROJECT

During a recent trip to Waxahachie, Texas my friend Grace and I came upon some beautiful handmade banners from a Masonic Lodge. While both of us are quite ignorant of the practices of these semi-secret societies we both agreed that these banners were beautiful works of art, filled with unusual images, text, and some very strange symbols. We then discussed the prospect of making banners for each other, the idea being that they could hand on the walls of our home and state something about who we are.

So I am putting out a call to my fellow artificers, to those of us who love to create beautiful objects and love the idea of exchanging said objects, to participate in what I am simply calling "The Flag Project."

The idea is very simple. Each participant will be paired with a a fellow artificer. They will design and create a flag/banner/pennant for said person and in return they will have one made for them.

To start with you must contact me and let me know you wish to participate. You must also send me your mailing address.

You will then be sent the address of your fellow flag maker. You will then collect material to send to said flag maker. What you send is up to you. It could be some random images, your favorite color or animals, a song you like, a self-portrait, a story or myth, a poem, some text, misc. ephemera, or a sketch or idea - anything that might to serve to represent you. Your flag maker will then take these materials and use them to design your flag, just as you will take their materials and design one for them.

I will fill in more details as things develop but the idea is that sometime in October (when I am back in New York) I will organize two evenings. The first will be for anyone who wants/needs help finishing and sewing their flags and the second for exchanging of flags (out-of-towners can send their flags by mail.)

So that's the idea. If you are interested please contact me as soon as possible. If you know someone who you think could make a mean flag or would be genuinely interested then pass along this information. I've also collected some images of some banners, flags, and pennants and they can be seen on this blog.

Cheers,

June

FLAG PROJECT DATES & ADDITIONAL DETAILS

TIME LINE

August 31st - Each Flag maker should receive the name and address of their fellow flag maker.

September 10th - Inspirational packages should be mailed out to F.F.M.

Middle of September - You should receive F.F.M's package and begin designing/making flag.

October 26th - Flag Crafting Party

January 15th - Flag Swapping

SOME (LOOSE) GUIDELINES

-Flags can be of almost any size but should be no smaller than 18" x 24" (feel free to go larger and be playful with shapes!)

-Flags are intended to be hung indoors and made of some type of fabric. They can be hand or machine sewn, painted, or constructed as you see fit.

-Be sure to think about how your flag will be hung when designing it.

-Also think about using text in your flag. Try to send your F.F.M a few words that they can incorporate into their design. They could be your name, a quote, a geographic location, one of the 52 virtues that are the "essence of the human spirit and content of our character" (see www.virtuesproject.com) or your favorite nasty saying.

-And lastly please take a photo of your finished flag and send me a copy.

LODGE, UNION, & MASONIC BANNERS

MORE FLAGS, BANNERS, & PENNANTS