Slash

This post has nothing to do with guitarist, or mega-store price cuts. Rather, for the love of all things paper, I have to share the wonderful exhibit that I saw in New York City called Slash—paper under the knife. The featured video (link above) is a few minutes long, but is worth watching for the close ups of the displayed artworks.

"Slash is the third exhibition in MAD's Materials and Process series, which examines the renaissance of traditional handcraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design. The exhibition surveys unusual paper treatments, including works that are burned, torn, cut by lasers, and shredded. A section of the exhibition will focus on artists who modify books to transform them into sculpture, while another will highlight the use of cut paper for film and video animations." (quoted from the Museum of Art and Design website)

What was so inspiring about the exhibit is the same thing that made it so easy to relate to: the medium is paper—paper we use every day, books we read, magazines we flip through, coffee filters we pitch, medical records we file away.

Olafur Eliasson—Your House | 2006
(Laser-cut and hand-bound book | Photo: Matthew Cox)

This book conceptually captured my attention: two-dimensional vs. 3-dimensional floor plans.

Ed Pien—Night Gathering | 2006
(Ink on cut Shoji paper | 96x192inches | Photo: Richard-Max Tremblay) 

Feel free to take a second to imagine 96 by 192 inches—amazing craftsmanship.

Seems impossible, but I do admire and appreciate paper even more after seeing these works. If you have a chance—you should visit Slash. It is on display until April 4, 2010.