WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
I would like to distinctly distinguish and separate this from "crafts" or "arts & crafts" and present this as a work of art. The reason this is ART is because it means something. It has meaning, symbolism, and metaphor. It has philosophical meaning to it symbolically.
This was one an old broken, dented pewter teapot. A busted water vessel. It was viewed as junk, trash, useless, and ugly.
There's an old Shaolin proverb "To hate is like a water vessel with a hole in it. It carries nothing but pain & suffering."
But, THIS vessel did't hold it's own hate, it wa sthe hate & loathing of those viewing it.
Yet, I saw it, and saw myself.
The vessel is me.
The pot is me.
But, I drilled lots of holes in it... because now it is no longer a busted vessel, but a lantern.
In the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) it makes mention of the emptiness of the home, the house, the door, the windows, that make it useful. Now, it doesn't hold fluid, but hold the lights, and lets the light out.
If the pot had NEVER been broken, and busted, it would NEVER have become a lantern. It would NEVER be a work of art appearing to pour light. It would never have become a work of art, and philosophical metaphor.
It was misunderstood. But, when I saw it, I understood myself, because I am not my misfotunes, or victimhood(s).
If the handle had NEVER been broken, It would never have become a project of gorgeously wrapped crystals & silver!
The crystals I wrapped with wire are called "healing crystals", and in its own way, the broken handle is now beyond healed. It's a metamorphosis into a piece of art.
Does the crack in THE LIBERTY BELL make it UGLY, or does it give it character?
I say it gives it character!
The hole need not be perfectly drilled, because it's still beautiful in it's uniqueness. It's misfortune didn't degrade it, but made it something something it would never have become.
But, I did not just make it for myself, I made it for you. Art is NOTHING unless it is shared, and SEEN. Now, all can see it, and enjoy it!
It's beauty can now become another tool for my photography art, and video.
But, also, now that I have made this, other can see how I have done it, why I have done it, and could opt to create their own, or something similar.
There's more SLR Photography found on my Flickr.
Since I OFTEN get this question:
HOW DID YOU GET THE SPARKLE EFFECT?
It's a really old school analogue technique. you get an old school star or cross filter and screw it onto the lens. The one I used is just a simple 4-point cross star filter, but there's many other ones, like 8 point, 16 point, etc. You can buy them on Amazon. It's better to shop on 3 day Holiday weekends, national Holidays, and Cyber Monday because the cost is even cheaper, but they're not expensive anyway.
I almost never pay full price for analogue filters because I shop when they have sales. I have a lot, and I always want more.
Actually, you'll NEVER be able to get EXACTLY this type of effect in Photoshop, similar, but NOT THE SAME. It's shot on the fly, and is based on the angles of how the light waves pass through the filter. Photoshop can't do that, and each frame will differ. Also, for all the tie you spend trying to copy this effect in Photoshop, I could shot hundreds of frames, and all unique.
Sometimes post editing is a waste of time if you can do it better LIVE and in the moment with practiced technique, or sometimes spontaneous accidents. As much as I love Photoshop, I would NEVER use Photoshop to make a sparkle like these. The limitations of the analogue are what make it better.
I have not edited these at all, except to shrink the size (because I shoot on RAW) and to add the text. That's it. I also used a tripod.
