Iced beverage basket

Since I got back from Berlin I have been catching up on applications, proposals, and some studio work. On The 21st of November a small group show that I helped select artists for will be opening at eyelevel art in charleston sc. I gave the show the theme of “things”. Loosely based on my misunderstandings and mis-interpretation of martin Heidegger’s essay of the same name. I liked the gist of his concept as a thing or vessel acting as a gathering force for community. I extended this to my view of the gallery as a blank sheet of paper or vessel for artwork. I tried to select a disparate but related body of objects by artists, across disciplines and am hoping once all the work is assembled in the space I can create interesting relationships with the things represented. For my part i have taken this opportunity to investigate my idea of seeing all objects that i touch as natural and hand made objects. this led me to investigate an idea i had a couple of years ago that still holds my interest. I liked the idea of seeing all portable consumer fetish objects for dispensing liquid, water bottles, coffee cups, gatorade bottles, etc as being baskets. This is a conscious decision to pursue the idea of what is touched by the hand today being a “natural” object. What I am currently working on is My iced beverage basket.

The image is based on the to-go iced beverage cups, with the dome lids.
I particularly like how the dome lid makes no attempt to hide its relationship to similar portable fetishes in non-consumer society’s. I am still resolving the form, and of course i will be painting the “straw” green.
I like the possibility that the piece can be presented either as the tipped over iced beverage,
a fetish image of loss and despair, or
as the upright with the lid removed to access the sweet nectar found within. But with a week left to work in between everything else i am sure i will find a comfortable resolution for this fetish.