In the Studio A glimpse into a wigmaker's studio. A reflection on the craft and the pressures of time.
Inside the Studio
This artifact is an interpretation of the studio of a wig builder. It is loosely based on my childhood bedroom where I created several wigs as a freelance artist after moving back home following the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scene is simple. There is a desk, a chair, and six mannequin heads. There is one painting of a clock and another of an outdoor scene.
If you look inside the book nook you'll see the same icon repeated several times in the scene. It's best described as resembling a line drawing of a twinkling star. In this case, it is an abstraction of a clock. 12 lines to represent the twelve hours on a clock face. Within the scene there are twelve places the design shows up.
Time played a large role in my successes and failures as a wigbuilder. I was always racing the clock. Fighting to get a project mailed on time, trying to always maximize how much money I could make in an hour, or struggling to fit a 60-hr project into a four-day work week. Time felt like my enemy most days.
The Making Process
Drafting and Ideation
To identify what elements I wanted to include in my artifact I drafted a rough sketch of what I hoped to achieve. The sketch was drawn to the dimensions of the finished booknook so I could also establish the size of the elements and accurately determine how they would all relate in space.
Laser cutting and 3D Printing
After creating my sketch I started working on the elements I would need to complete with the resources found in the BeAM Makerspace at UNC Chapel Hill. My 3D-printed mannequin heads and my laser-cut furniture were created in the makerspace on campus.
The laser cut furniture was a relatively simple make. I drafted the shapes I wanted in Adobe Illustrator and cut the pieces in one afternoon. One issue I ran into was the fit of my finger joints in my desk. I anticipated this problem since I did not draft the desk with any acknowledgment of kerf, or the amount of material is lost/burned away when the laser cutter is making the cut. It was not a huge problem but did make gluing the desk together a bit tricky.
The mannequin heads were created in Tinkercad. I merged several different shapes until I created something that resembled a human head. This took me a few tries. I made several different versions but settled on two that I liked the most and thought would print successfully. I am very pleased with what I was able to create.
A timelapse of the mannequin heads printing.
The Fine Details
After successfully getting those elements together I focused on the esthetics of my artifact. Time is a major theme in this project. I wanted to play with the concept of creating my studio scene in what I'm thinking of as the top of a clock tower. The brick facade is a call out to the large brick clock towers that we're all familiar with.
I painted the outside of the nook with gouache paint. A water-activated paint that can be watered down for transparent washes or used as a thicker more buildable paint similar to acrylic.
After painting the outside of the book nook I painted the inside and my hanging pieces. I also glued felt to the bottommost panel to create the appearance of a carpeted floor. The interior walls of the nook are painted Vintage White, an acrylic paint color from Folkart. Following the painting of the walls I attached all the hanging elements: my two shelves for the mannequin heads, the flower clock, and the "window." I attempted to superglue my lights to my topmost nook panel and was unsuccessful. After that, I tried to staple them to it and finally decided to use crystal clear tape to secure the lights.
The white walls on the inside of the studio are bisected by brick, like the exterior "clock tower." This is to symbolize the creep of time and the weathering of things neglected.
To finish off the nook I painted the chair and desk with a light wash of brown gouache and added the appearance of wood grain. I also crocheted a simple rug and seat cover for the chair. The rug was too large for the area so I had to trim it to size. The texture of the yarn is such that it didn't unravel after being trimmed.
Assembly Required
Putting the nook together was my biggest concern from the start. I bought 4 different types of glue to make sure I'd be ready for anything. I ended up using JB Weld ClearWeld epoxy. Decorating the nook with water-based painted led to some warping of the panels. I was not confident that wood glue would have the tack necessary to hold the panels together during the 24hr curing time.
The epoxy worked out well. It was messy to use but had just enough tack to grip so I could wrap the box in rubber bands and weigh it down for curing.
Reflection on the Process and Semester
My experience creating using the materials and resources at BeAM makerspace was a good one. If I needed help someone was always willing to answer my questions. I was never given the impression I did not belong, despite being the only Black woman I observed in the space each time I went. One assistant did make a comment on my ability to be "self-sufficient" every time I used the makerspace tools. I'm choosing to take that as a compliment and not commentary on his expectations of my abilities.
Working in spaces where no one looks like me is not a new experience. It was the norm when working in a predominately white field in entertainment. The lack of diversity in makerspaces isn't a new concept and is one my classmates and I reflected on quite a bit throughout the semester. This project in many ways pushed me to use technologies I would not have tried otherwise. The class, Information Professionals in the Makerspace, has encouraged me to pursue work within academic makerspaces.
One of our readings, Making Maker Literacies: Integrating Academic Library Makerspaces into the Undergraduate Curriculum, identifies the competencies of "Maker-Literate" students. In doing that the authors highlight the opportunities academic makerspaces have to help students develop transferable skills and teach them to think and make critically.
Recently I listened to one of the leaders in NC State's makerspace talk about his job and the field. He claimed that access to the tools in their library makerspace can be transformational for students. I hope to have a hand in providing transformational access to those who seek it and find ways to lead those who are unknowing or uncertain to the makerspace.
My work as a maker, educator, and student informed the process of making this book nook and will continue to inform my choices as a professional in makerspaces.
I've learned so much in this course and have been continuously awed and inspired by the work of my classmates this semester. I'm grateful that I took this class when I did.
Final Product
All of the skill sets used in the creation of this artifact are 3D-Printing, Laser Cutting, Crochet, and Painting. My artifact is indicative of what I hope to bring to all my work in the future, a marriage of what I know and love and technologies that are new to me and exciting. This served as a further introduction to 3D printing and laser cutting. I feel more confident in my abilities after this project and plan on creating more using these technologies.
The scene within the artifact can be altered and only the shelves are locked in. The rug, chair, and desk can be taken out. The wall hanging can also be swapped out as they are attached with velcro, however, the bones of the piece will be the same. It would take a complete overhaul to get rid of the brick and a forceful hand to remove the shelves and the mannequins.
I am critical of the work I use to do and this piece represents a lot of the feelings I have towards an industry that took a lot and didn't return much. However, I learned a lot from my work, and doing it afforded me many opportunities and gifted me with things I didn't expect.
One of those gifts is this little nook. It stands for a time in my life that has passed and a reminder that quitting can be a good thing.