A Manifestation of Collaboration: 2CREATE’s Upcoming Installation Give Way to the Wind
The Chattanooga Convention Center is welcoming the work of 2CREATE through a large-scale art installation in August.
2CREATE, consisting of Anna Carll and Claire Vassort, is a local art team working to fulfill the Convention Center’s request to bring nature indoors, enriching the space for future guests. While doing so, though, 2CREATE has found even further meaning in their upcoming project, which they have titled Give Way to the Wind.
The project itself, according to Claire, is the “story of two unlikely mediums coming together in an unlikely way.” Indeed, Give Way to the Wind is a 3D, 17-square-foot mobile crafted to resemble the mulberry tree. In many ways, this resemblance perfectly captures the intended meanings, and the meanings found within the project; mulberry trees, after all, are a primary food source for silkworms (silk being Claire’s medium), and the tree’s bark is heavily utilized in paper (Anna’s medium). This symbolism not only “creates a whole new experience and brings nature into the convention center,” as Anna says, but invokes a sense of unity and balance as well.
Anna and Claire have found further medium convergence in this project through its construction. The mobile consists of twelve large, metal ovals forming the leaves of the mulberry, which are held aloft by sprawling metal arcs forming the branches and foundation for the tree. These metal pieces provide support to Claire and Anna’s artwork, allowing for the silk and paper within the ovals to capture light and thread it throughout the piece. The metal work so crucial to the mobile was made possible through further collaboration by the 2CREATE team with Michael Brandt of Garage Bound, LLC., a fabrication shop local to Chattanooga. With so many moving pieces, both within the installation itself and in the work that has been put into it, it is only fitting that one of the main themes identified within Give Way to the Wind is balance in motion.
Working collaboratively has been an experience both Anna and Claire have enjoyed, especially on such a large-scale endeavor. For Anna the experience is “being able to step into something new. It’s like travelling and reflecting on yourself.” The project has been illuminating for Claire as well, “putting ego aside as you partner to learn new things is exciting and leads to fantastic teamwork.” In partnership with ArtsBuild, Public Art Chattanooga, and Southeast Tennessee Development and funding through the Artists Work Grant, Give Way to the Wind is a manifestation of the collaboration involved in its construction. Give Way to the Wind will be installed at the Chattanooga Convention Center in August, where it will continue to reside.
2CREATE is excited to see how the piece will affect the community. Anna says, “there’s a point where you want to pay it forward to the community through new and enriching ways. You can multiply that impact through public art and focusing on teamwork.”
You can learn more about Give Way to the Wind or contribute feedback on the project here or on the Facebook page. Check out more information about Garage Bound, LLC here. You can also follow Anna Carll or Claire Vassort on Instagram @clairemvassort and @annacarllart.