Avery L. Fazio
my body, my sky
october 2024
exploring play, process, and surrender through kite-making
I had been thinking about textile fine art in terms of sculpture, process, performance, and installation. I felt like making a kite could challenge me to combine my love for fine art with this interesting craft that is so dependent on process as well as its function in the outside world. Additionally, my longtime consideration for the natural world, its changing weather, seasons, and landscape, has an impact on this project in a way I was excited for. This kite will, in real time, interact with our world’s wind and light before our eyes.
research/development
I looked into the multi-disciplinary work of Jorge Pardo, drew inspiration from the project book Pictures for the Sky: Art Kites, pondered the riveting image of the human form, and found wonderment in the kites of Anna Rubin.
first prototype: arch-top kite
raw silk, bamboo, paint on silk organza, grass, thread
flown for the first time on Tybee Island, Georgia
in-flight photo by Katon Stephenson
second prototype: rokkaku kite
paint on silk organza, bamboo, thread
my chance to fly
color development
acid dye and paint on raw and organza silk
throughout this project, I considered both the significance of the human hand and nature's unpredictability. this led to the decision to depict the body on the kite's surface.
preparatory sketches in watercolor
poses designed and modeled by the artist
acid dye on raw and organza silk, bamboo, mica powder
flown for the first time on Tybee Island, Georgia
photos by Katon Stephenson
