Heather Flood: Punk’d

Heather Flood's Punk’d installation at SCI-Arc Gallery explores the visual effects that can be produced when 2D graphic patterns are translated into 3D constructions.

At the intersection of architectural and graphic form, Punk’d slips between two and three dimensions into a space of 2.5D, where color, pattern, and luminosity are precisely calibrated in an effort to augment the effects of three-dimensional form.

Rejecting applique as a method for integrating graphics with architecture, Punk’d seeks to explore the visual effects that occur when the graphic field emerges out of the logic of construction. Rejecting applique as a method for integrating graphics with architecture, Punk’d seeks to explore the visual effects that occur when the graphic field emerges out of the logic of construction.

Flood uses textile design as a foundation for translating graphic patterns into three-dimensional form, creating an installation of twisting and interlocking strips of colored aluminum. The color palette for Punk’d is lifted from the Balmoral tartan, the official tartan of the British Royal Family, which is illegal to wear without the express written consent of the Queen.

Heather Flood, <i>Punk’d</i>, SCI-Arc Gallery, Los Angeles — Heather Flood, *Punk’d*, SCI-Arc Gallery, Los Angeles

Tartan, often mislabeled as plaid, is a method for constructing fabric that yields a specific graphic effect. Tartan fabric is produced by weaving strips of colored thread into a grid of rectangular shapes. When threads of different colors overlap, new colors emerge. While tartan serves as a model for developing a graphic tectonic, it also serves as a foundation for conceptual development. Tartan is an overtly political textile. The color and bandwidth pattern of a particular piece of fabric is culturally associated with a specific family or “clan.”

The potential for tartan to denote pedigree has given it symbolic meaning that, in some instances, is used to subvert convention of hierarchy. It was the fabric of choice for Vivienne Westwood in the early ‘70s when she was defining the image of punk. It’s the only fabric that, when constructed into a skirt, allows the garment to be worn by men without undermining their masculinity. In Flood's translation of tartan fabric into architectural form, an effort is made to transgress associations of pedigree. The material details recall iconic punk forms.

until August 3, 2014
Heather Flood
Punk’d
SCI-Arc Gallery
960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA

Heather Flood: Punk’d

Heather Flood's Punk’d installation at SCI-Arc Gallery explores the visual effects that can be produced when 2D graphic patterns are translated into 3D constructions.

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