Wednesday, November 17, 2010

When Kitch becomes Cool

After complaining to a friend the other day about a totally unrelated matter, he recommended a Chinese herbal remedy. ʻWhere would I find that?ʼ I asked. The best place would be China Mall, according to him, and off I went.

The last time I saw so much kitsch under one roof was when I exhibited at a trade show in New York. There was so much bling that you needed sunglasses to find your way around, which incidentally is sold there too, every fake designer brand imaginable, competing with each other in both authenticity and the lowest price tag.

Believing deep in my heart not all things can be bad, I decided to explore. Places like these are invention opportunities and I started thinking of what I can do with what. I ended up buying strips of plastic runners, ʻbeautifullyʼ finished in silver and gold. It was so bad, I couldnʼt resist the temptation to buy one in every design possible. The shop assistant was totally confused why I only needed half a meter of each, surely I had bigger tables?

The reason for that is that my slab roller can only accommodate that width, and I will use the sheets to add texture to my work. Wonderful things can happen when you just open your mind.

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