Elise Vazelakis
Thirst (detail image), 2022
Reclaimed Yarn from Thrift Store Sweater, Plastic Bottles, Wire Mesh 120 x 60 x 72 in
This body of work, “Thirst,” was inspired by witnessing construction crews consuming and disposing of thousands of plastic water bottles. By incorporating this plastic, which would otherwise be abandoned, I became interested in data mapping my consumption. The single-use plastic in my art represents nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time, creating complex multilayered woven pieces. I encase the water bottles in reclaimed fiber to create these pieces, transforming what would otherwise be thrown out or recycled. By unraveling thrift store sweaters to make reclaimed yarn, I knit circular enclosures to house the water bottles. The unraveling of the sweaters is analogous to my life after the fire, as I make something new while destroying it at the same time, recreating my life in a different form.
Elise Vazelakis
Thirst, 2022
Reclaimed Yarn from Thrift Store Sweater, Plastic Bottles, Wire Mesh 120 x 60 x 72 in
This body of work, “Thirst,” was inspired by witnessing construction crews consuming and disposing of thousands of plastic water bottles. By incorporating this plastic, which would otherwise be abandoned, I became interested in data mapping my consumption. The single-use plastic in my art represents nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time, creating complex multilayered woven pieces. I encase the water bottles in reclaimed fiber to create these pieces, transforming what would otherwise be thrown out or recycled. By unraveling thrift store sweaters to make reclaimed yarn, I knit circular enclosures to house the water bottles. The unraveling of the sweaters is analogous to my life after the fire, as I make something new while destroying it at the same time, recreating my life in a different form.
Elise Vazelakis
A Practical Dreamer, 2023
Plastic Packaging, thread, Rope 120 x 60 x 72 in
A Practical Dreamer centers on the creation of a plastic cloth made by piecing together packaging materials, and through this process, I examined my own consumption habits. The triangular pattern of the cloth is a tribute to Buckminster Fuller's ideas about efficiency and the value of doing more with less. His philosophy has profoundly impacted my creative work, particularly evident in my primary exhibition piece titled A Practical Dreamer. This piece draws inspiration from Fuller's geodesic dome and his emphasis on sustainability and maximizing resources. To create this work, I repurposed discarded plastic packaging to construct a large dome structure, which I inverted and suspended from the ceiling to evoke a womb form. This inversion subverts the traditional dome shape and centers the focus on feminist ideals.
