Doug Johnston Decorative Objects

"Kogetsudai (beige)", 2015 coiled nylon cord, sewing thread "Kogetsudai (beige)" is one of four works made in the approximate shape of the Kogetsudai gravel mound in the garden of Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. Upon my first visit to this garden, I was fascinated with the Kogetsudai, and the more I learned about it the more my interest was piqued. The feature is one of two special gravel mounds there, which are made from fine grey gravel or sand and re-shaped nearly every day by the gardeners. The name translates to something like "moon-viewing platform" but the reason for the name, the shape, and its significance has been lost to history. Some speculate that the name derives from how the top of the cone appears as a silvery moon-like reflection against a sea of gravel at night when viewed from the upper floor of the adjacent Silver Pavilion - and that the shape may be a reference to Mount Fuji. The Kogetsudai at Ginkaku-ji is a "frustum" shape about 2 meters tall and records show it being in its current shape and approximate dimension since the late 1700's. The shape is very powerful but it is made only of moistened sand. I made this series as a way to study the shape and understand its geometry and presence. I wanted to be able to sit with that shape in a room. I made the shape as a vessel to reinforce the idea of the shape itself, rather than as a solid mass. Furthermore, the dedication to the continual rebuilding of the form and object over and over through time, without a need for any "function" other than beauty and cultural continuity, was similar to how I have come to think of the act of vessel-making by humans. We likely inherited vessel-making skills from our pre-sapiens human ancestors, and have continued this activity over hundreds of thousands of years, and in a proliferation of materials from fibers, wood, clay, metal, glass, plastic, and more. Especially since the beginning of the Holocene, a certain amount of vessel making has had no function or purpose other than for cultural continuity and the cultural, formal, craft, and visual aesthetics within the multitude of human cultures. In this series of works, the continuous length of rope coiled into a conical helix also serves as an expression of this continuity through time, perhaps working towards a yet-unknown endpoint or goal, while creating a space that is simultaneously empty and loaded. This work was first exhibited in 2015 at Patrick Parrish Gallery as part of my solo exhibition "what it is". It was later shown at the Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, Maine, as well as several other group exhibitions. It has also appeared in several design and art publications in print and online. Since 2010 Doug Johnston has produced a wide range of functional and sculptural objects using a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing...

-Made in 2015 -Nylon and cotton cord, sewing thread. "Pitchdrop" was made in 2015 as part of a body of work for my exhibition "what it is." It is a sculptural vessel-form object made by coiling and sewing nylon and cotton rope with an industrial zig-zag sewing machine. The piece is not made with a specific form in mind when started, so its shape emerges somewhat organically during its making. Multiple smaller, individual vessels are made, then joined together. More rope is coiled and sewn onto the new form, and new parts are incorporated and built upon from there. This piece features a main body sewn with black nylon cord, which acts as a visual and physical anchor for the object. From this, a series of smaller arm-like appendages grow ni coiled cotton cord. Since 2010 Doug Johnston has produced a wide range of functional and sculptural objects using a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing machines...

"Kogetsudai (black)", 2015 coiled nylon cord, sewing thread "Kogetsudai (black)" is one of four works made in the approximate shape of the Kogetsudai gravel mound in the garden o...

"Kogetsudai (navy)", 2015 coiled nylon cord, sewing thread "Kogetsudai (navy)" is one of four works made in the approximate shape of the Kogetsudai gravel mound in the garden of ...

"Untitled (Navy Shroud)", 2015 coiled nylon cord, sewing thread, urethane resin "Untitled (Navy Shroud)" was made as part of a group of works exploring objects as shroud spaces. The pieces create a space, the contents unknown, upon which the viewer's understanding becomes one reality, while another reality of the object itself is in continuous withdrawal from the viewers' perception. The exploration was based on contemplations of "Schrödinger's cat" and Object-Oriented Ontology. The work was made by coiling nylon cordage and sewing it together on an industrial zig-zag sewing machine. In the process of coiling, irregularities are introduced that alter the overall form as it is being made. These irregularities are placed and responded to improvisationally, working towards a composition that appears as if a thick cloth is loosely draped over an object of indeterminate form. The interior of the nylon vessel was then coated by hand with a black epoxy resin, which solidified the textile into a rigid shell. The result is a free-standing shroud-like object, which is to be placed into a space as a sculptural object, to conceal other objects, unsightly architectural features, etc. This work was first exhibited in 2015 at Patrick Parrish Gallery as part of my solo exhibition "what it is". It was later shown in 2017-2018 at the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, as well as several other group exhibitions. It has also appeared in several design and art publications in print and online. Since 2010 Doug Johnston has produced a wide range of functional and sculptural objects using a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing machines...

-Made in 2015 -cotton cord, and sewing thread. "Untitled (Vessel 6)" was made in 2015 as part of a body of work for my exhibition "what it is." It is a sculptural vessel-form object made by coiling and sewing cotton rope with an industrial zig-zag sewing machine. The piece is not made with a specific form in mind when started, so its shape emerges somewhat organically during its making. Multiple smaller, individual vessels are made, then joined together. More rope is coiled and sewn onto the new form, and new parts are incorporated and built upon from there. This piece features a large base sewn with black-dyed cotton rope, which acts as a visual and physical anchor for the object. The form is simultaneously architectural and creature-like while retaining a conceptual and actual openness. Since 2010 Doug Johnston has produced a wide range of functional and sculptural objects using a process of coiling and stitching rope using industrial sewing machines...