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'Strength in Numbers' a tile project.

Writer's picture: Kelsie Kelsie

Read along to follow updates and understand the process on my installation art project!


You know those great chain link fences that inhabit Philadelphia? The ones that developers haphazardly put up at construction sites, or are used to protect vacant lots from trash dumping?


Okay okay, I totally admit that not all chain link fences are used in negative ways. BUT what certainly makes them better to look at is when they are used for a surface to create ART on.


For the past few months, I have been working on developing a beautification installation project geared to spread positivity with simple symbols in the literal negative spaces of chain link fences.


First, I needed a fence to legally use as my art surface. I am very grateful for my buddy over at the NKCDC who gave me the okay to use the fence outside of the Garden Center on Frankford Ave! So very excited for this.


As you can see, there are ALOT of negative holes on a section of a chain linked fence. I needed to make ALOT of something in response. My first idea was to use 2x2 inch cut squares of stained glass with the help of fellow community members. As Covid 19 grew, I needed to problem solve how to make ALOT of something by myself. In the end, I went with casted resin in which I call my 'tiles'.


My tiles are casted from a silicon mold (shout out to Artist and Craftsman for having the hookup with Smooth On products https://artistcraftsman.com/). The mold was created using the original stained glass squares that were prototyped for this project.


As you can see, there are little holes inside of the tiles. This is the hole that will be used for hanging each individual tile into the negative space of the fence (not all holes casted fully, so I am drilling holes into the dried resin with a carbide drill bit).



Currently, I am casting 20 tiles at a time. When my game is on, I can get 40 done a day. I do not cast every day! Though I need to if I am going to reach my goal of 500 tiles by mid September.



Here's the kicker! The resin tiles are being casted with mica powder, most of which glow in the dark!! Thats the secret to the symbols. They will be embedded by the non-glow in the dark colors that surround them and be most visible at night time.



SO thats were my process is at! I am 200 tiles away from goal. I will continue to update this page when I move onto the next step, attaching wire in the holes of the tires for hanging. I am very excited for the installation process!


Thanks for reading :)



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