The Broken Internet Project - IPCA Synergy Conference

Dan Cormier – “The Broken Internet Project will explore the ideas of virtual influence on our work, the impact of instantaneity and accessibility on artistic process, the nature of community and nationality in art in the internet age, authenticity, individuality, and personal interpretation, all through the work of established and emerging artists in the European polymer clay community. “

What a fantastic project. This project has stemmed from a previous Synergy Conference where Dan organised an experiment called The Broken Telephone Project after the game similar to Chinese Whispers . Dan sent a brooch he made to an artist who created another brooch inspired by his. That artist sent  their pin onto another artist who then did the same thing until there were eight brooches  based on another artist’s work.

At this year’s Euro Synergy conference Dan decided to expand on the project . He made it a European project, enlisting artists from the UK to Russia this time he sent them all a pin he had made and each of them created a  different piece from Dan’s inspiration. 

The brooch that started the project.

After Dan’s presentation the brooches were on display for everyone to look at.

 

All the brooches are on display at https://www.flickr.com/photos/dancormier/sets/72157645263673414/

Here are some of the photos I took in Malta:

   

   

   

   

IPCA Synergy Conference

  

PRESENTATIONS

Natalia García de Leániz and Daniel Torres  -  P-Art-Nership: ever thought of embarking on an art collaboration?

Art-nerships’, a concept that can take us and our art beyond any previous boundaries. Different, complementary or even opposite ways of working, seeing and understanding art and design can be combined to enrich the experience of artistic creation and, indeed, the ultimate results.

 

   

                                      Collaboration  Debbie Crothers & Rachel Weaver 

     

                                              Collaboration Donna Greenburg and Melanie West

 

Maggie Maggio Millefiore Magic: Color Tricks for Caners

Learn how to see color in a whole new light  focus on value, one of the master tricks to making your designs work at a small scale.  Move colors around and use outlining to make cane designs come alive.

   

 

Georg Dinkel  -   Polymer clay meets hightech

Valuable things require a valuable framework. But what to do with your iPad? Your smart phone? What about making a tone shrine! Like a medieval craftsman, I am building appropriate housings for the adored by all high tech relics of our time.

Georg shrine won best of show honors in the IPCA Awards challenge.

Cynthtia Tinapple  said,”Georg’s presentation at Malta was stunning, amusing and inspirational. He makes his own tools from what must be an amazing basement full of odds and sods. His extruder was fashioned from an outdoor spigot handle, a length of pipe, a long screw, and a metal washer. His iphone shrine was built over the skeleton of a lamp salvaged from the trash.”

   

Klavdija Kurent Workshop - Lets Twist Again

 

This was a good fun workshop extruding strings of clay and making textured beads.

        

Klavdija’s pink necklace                   Klavdija demonstrating                                                       Textured beads

 

The Makin’s Extruder is a really good tool to use. I’ve have done a lot with the extruder before this workshop, but it is always good to pick up additional information and ideas.

Melanie West Workshop - Make it Big and Organic

  

 

I looked in on Melanie’s  workshop and helped her out with baking for a while. Melanie was working with large organic forms in Ultralight clay.

Her work is fantastic, I have admired her pieces for ages and had purchased one of her brooches in December.

 

My brooch by Melanie West

   

Melanie’s work

     

Melanie and students                                      Wendy Moore and Kopila Basnet

Kathleen Dustin Workshop - Translucent Layering Techniques

  

Kathleen’s workshop was fully booked, so I couldn’t participate. However, Kathleen asked me to help out with the students in the class with the monitoring of the ovens and baking the clay pendants.

This was  really good as I could see what the students were doing, see Kathleen’s beautiful pieces up close and handle them.  Kathleen kindly asked me to come to see her demonstrations so I had a good incite to the workshop

   

                                                                                   Kathleen’s work

   

                                                  Kathleen demonstrating                                                                 Student’s pendants