I've been teaching a class at RISD, and even though there is faculty parking, I sometimes park in the Biltmore parking garage in downtown Providence. I brought the students there for a lesson in location research methodology, a system I created to help me ask objective questions counter to my subjective ideas and projections of the person or place from which I am drawing inspiration. I thought that providing a structure or worksheet to facilitate a healthy conversation between the artist and the subject would lead to better and more interesting work.
The Biltmore parking garage—a somewhat generic brutalist design built in the late sixties—inspired me. I was drawn to the wonderful lines and the deterioration of the cement, which became my inspiration for some textile pieces I'm currently working on.
I'm planning to debut the project at my talk during the Penny Stamps Speaker Series at the University of Michigan on October 2nd. Please save the date if you live in the region.