October "onion layers"

the color & smell
reminds me of
one of the many
thrift stores you
can find in the city
(purple paper, banana)


Fall
The feel of Chicago
Fall in Chicago
September, October, November
(orange paper, unknown scent)


This reminds me of
when I had
too much seasoning on my food
when I was 5...and threw up.
(vellum, paprika)


A large juicy Grafton
Burger with a nice big
Pickle. Mmm.
(beige paper with patterns, dill)


science beakers, Kool-Aid,
mercury, & Chicago dogs.
Go Rt. 66!
Chicago to L.A.
(pale blue paper, banana)


I took a paper
making course,
and I learned I have
a love of pulp...
(orange paper, unknown scent)





Yummy onions
in my tummy.
Can't eat anything
without them.
They make me cry,
but the taste of
them is always
a delight.
(blue-gray paper, onion salt)


Finding something you've
been looking for in a
place you never thought it
would be, and opening your mind
to a world of possibilities...
10/9/09
(lavendar paper, coconut)


I think Chicago is brilliant.
It is alive + vibrant.
The pulse of the city draws
you in -- a heartbeat of life.
-- Shan
(gray paper, banana chip)


The sun beats on me
every morning like
the bitter taste of
pineapple.
(turquoise paper, pineapple)




Note: the italicized words refer to the colors / types of paper used, as well as the the scents of the pieces of paper on which those lines were written.

The Onion Moves to the Columbia College Library

At the end of May, The Synesthetic Plan of Chicago was installed in the Chicago Cultural Center's Visitor Information Center. It was great that the City of Chicago commissioned SPC, and that we were able to partner with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Tourism Bureau for that. I really appreciate the help that the City gave us to enable SPC to happen.

SPC was de-installed on Oct. 9th, and parts of the installation moved to both Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center and the Columbia College Library. Annie Heckman, Alpha Bruton, Peter Clark, Beth Wiedner, Tom Nieman, and I worked on that transition. The Stockyard Institute's Musical Chairs, Carol Ng-He's C(l/r)aving, and my Putting Layers on the Onion are currently installed on the third floor of the Columbia College library.

I'm looking forward to seeing how SPC develops, and how the onion "grows legs" -- during this chapter of the installation.

aromas on the papers

Trying to give the papers aromas has been an interesting challenge. The papers were supposed to have different smells and colors. The idea was that when people took the papers out of the envelopes, they'd see and smell those stimuli, and those stimuli could be integrated into what they wrote before they affixed those papers to the onion.

Some aromas remain longer than others. The banana chips didn't really retain their aromas for that long, and the chips contain an oil which stain the papers from the back side. Some aromas -- such as vanilla and anise -- were put on the papers when I dripped drops of extracts on the pages; however, other aromas -- such as banana, dill, and tarragon -- were made when I glued objects (such as a banana chip or a raisin, dried oregano or tarragon flakes, and pieces of clove) onto the backs of the papers.

Here are some aromas I used: anise, banana, black pepper, clove, cocoa, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, peppermint, pineapple, raisin, spearmint, sunflower seed, tarragon, and vanilla.

September "onion layers"

Here are several recent contributions --

the lake
teal blue-green jewel
pearly grey
deep & dark
(beige paper, spearmint)


The city has
very tall buildings
We couldn't see
the sky, because
they were so high!
(gray paper, clove)


This reminds me of the subway
(beige paper with patterns, paprika)


homemade
Italian
cooking
(blue paper, oregano)


An apple a day
keeps you learnign another day
(yellow paper, pineapple)



Chicago is awesome!
I like Chicago.
I love Carmen.
Summer 2007
(orange paper, sunflower seeds)


Note: the italicized words refer to the colors / types of paper used, as well as the the scents of the pieces of paper on which those lines were written.