During this unit, I have been focusing very much on how I can manipulate objects to create something completely new and alter how they can be used. This object came to mind when I saw a video of someone making a Christmas garland out of dried orange slices. I wondered how someone might come up with an idea like this and who determines what makes it “decorative”. It is down to interpretation really. So I started to think about the lighting within the room / instillation. What do I want the atmosphere of the room to be like? What do I want to communicate?
I know that the aesthetic of the room is very important to me. I want it to be inviting, I want there to be a warmth within the room. I could just by a warm light a put it in the corner of the room but, I could also make the light a piece of art work itself. I could make a lampshade that emits the warm colour throughout the room – a lampshade… made from oranges…
So I started looking at methods for drying out oranges. The obvious method was to put them in an oven at a low temperature. The only downside to this was the fact that it takes 6-8 hours for them to completely dry out. After a little research I found out that almost the exact same result can be achieved with a microwave and 15 minutes. So after slicing the oranges evenly, I placed them flat on 5 layers of paper towel and then placed another 5 over the top. The paper towel was crucial for this process as it collected the moisture of the oranges through this process. 7 minutes on the defrost setting, take the out, turn them around, another 5 minutes on defrost, and after that checking on them every 2 minutes. As well as being quick, this method was perfect for the end result – I read that cooking them in the oven results to them being hard once dried, doing them in the microwave allows the to be a little more flexible and less rigid upon drying. Only a few hours is needed for the sliced to dry out completely, so after leaving them overnight, it was time to construct them into the shape of a lampshade.
I started off by greasing a bowl with the desired shape of the lampshade with Vaseline. Once the bowl was covered, I started by placing an orange slice in the centre of the bowl and added another one . With clear glue, I put a drop where the two slices touched. I then repeated this process and worked my way out, giving the effect as shown in the images above.
Once the glue had dried, the Vaseline I had applied to the bowl made it extremely easy to slide the connected oranges out of the bowl. I then places the structure onto another bowl to stick on any remaining oranges to complete the shape of the lampshade.
I then added a wired piece to the top of the structure. This made it possible to tie it to the light and give the illusion of it hanging. Overall, I really like the effect it gives and makes the lighting warm and comforting – exactly how I needed it to be for the instillation.
My surreal world 