CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
SALVAGE AND SYNTHESIS
An abstract submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in
Art
by
Dona J: Geib
January, 1983
The Abstract of Dona J. Geib is approved:
Kenan BreazeJle
Vida Hackman
Tom Fricano, Chair
California State University, Northridge
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My compulsion to complete this graduate exhibition
has been with the encouragement, stimulation and provoking
advice of Tom Fricano, Kenan Breazeale and Vida Hackman.
My family, sons Kurt and Kent, and especially my husband,
Lorne, have worked extensively as collaborators, partners,
jack-of-all trades and unpaid laborers.
Without their
help and consideration at a time when my attention was
entirely single minded in purpose, I would indeed have
felt the loss.
To my artist/friends, neighbors and long-time family
friends, thank you for your muscle, technical assistance
and question answering and asking in time of need.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
iii
Introduction
1
Development
3
Technique
I.
Urban Discard Series - Intercalations
5
II.
Urban Discard Series - Corrugated Sections
8
III.
Urban Discard Series - House of Cardboard
11
Conclusion
12
Bibliography
13
Figure 1
- Intercalations I
14
Figure la
- Intercalations I
Figure 2
- Intercalation/Doubled
16
Figure 2a
- Intercalation/Doubled {detail)
17
Figure 3
- Intercalation III
18
Figure 4
- Corrugated Sections IX
19
Figure 5
- Corrugated Sections XI
20
Figure 6
- Corrugated Sections XII
21
Figure 7
- Corrugated Sections XIV
22
Figure 8
- Corrugated Sections
23
Figure 9
- Sections XVa
24
Figure 10
- Sections I, II, III and IV
25
(detail)
~1
15
Figure lOa - Sections I, II, III and IV (detail)
26
Figure 11
- Corrugated Sections X
27
Figure 12
- House of Cardboard
28
Figure 12a ·· House of Cardboard (detail)
iv
29
ABSTRACT
SALVAGE AND SYNTHESIS
by
Dona J. Geib
Master of Arts in Art
INTRODUCTION
The 'unique' prints, assemblages and three dimensional printed paper sculpture in this exhibition are based
on the concept of recycling •urban trash 1
;
those discarded
cardboard dividers, containers, boxes and padding that are
salvaged from the trash barrels and dumpsters of the local
drugstores, supermarkets and neighborhood fast food chains.
For the past several years I have been documenting the
'throw-away' mentality of our urban culture acting in an
almost archeo-historian approach in that .recycling of
these waste
obje~t.s
is a way o£ depicting the landscape/
cityscape that is so familiar to us here in Southern California.
Architecture here is so quickly put up and torn
1
2
down and reflects the ready acceptance of discarding our
wrappings, be it indeed cardboard, corrugated cartons, or
our tract homes, apartments, jobs, companions and often
marriages.
The reissuance or metamorphosis of these tacky cardboard discards through the media of printmaking, painting,
drawing and assemblage allows the use of common materials
to combine, reform, overlay and reshape.
A new image is
then synthesized and extracted, ready once again for future
discard, salvage and synthesis.
My intent is to take these discards and record,
through illusion, their reanimation and redefinition in
context with their new environmenta
This is one way of
stating that nothing is ever dest:royed, just reused in
another form.
3
DEVELOPMENT
Several years ago, I began incorporating found flat,
unfolded product packaging and used product dividers into
my prints; that is, die cut boxes or dividers that could
be flattened and then reformed when needed.
These original 'flat' pieces dealt only with the
simple concept of package form, albeit salvaged.
An
original print called "Flat Wrapped" was printed a·s a
collograph directly from the 'found' box and could be
printed either flat or be cut out and then reformed into
a new version of the original three dimensional 'found'
box.
This area of concentration was the precur99r of the
'i;)v
fusing of conventional print techniques with the discard
form.
Salvaged material and the synthesis of that mater-
ial then became a predominate thrust.
A further evolutionary stage continued with the reuse of the package form and container innards by transformation of the actual cardboard into a flat neatly arranged duplicate of the divider with a distinct archeological nuance that suggested ancient tablets. Signifi'c'olD
cant to these prints was the continued discovery and unearthing of the cardboard section from its urban site and
its redefinition in a new artis·tic environment.
Overlapping images of dividers with collaged printed
cardboard discards was the main theme in the Interface
series of prints.
Over printing and cutting up previous
4
creations, reusing and recycling to make the new, were consistent with my theory of rebirth.
The newest developmental stage has resulted in the
utilization of the 'pure• discard form as the basis of
this thesis exhibition.
5
TECHNIQUES
I.
URBAN DISCARD SERIES - Intercalations
Those 'throw-away' dividers of beer, catsup, vinegar,
gatorade bottles and other glass containers were the beginnings of my search and obsession as an archeo-historian
through and into our local dumpsters located behind almost
every supermarket, fast food chain and department store
in our urban surroundings.
Not an alleyway nor street
corner can be excluded in the search and salvage of these
discards, ready and waiting for reanimation, recycling and
reuse
•
.
~'
Intercalations I
{figure 1) is a series of three-
dimensional printed reuse of found cardboard bottle dividers.
They have been acid etched, using a softground
technique, redrawing into the original etch, rebiting and
then flat biting again for texture and depth.
The result~
ing plate has been printed through the
in~~g_lj~g
\
method,
with painting, dusting of metal powders and then the final
print was cut out individually for actual assemblage into
the varied, but essentially original shape of the first
'throw-away' trashed divider found in our local Dales
Junior Supermarket at Parthenia and Lindley in Northridge.
Use of 100% rag four-ply museum board to print on instead of the regular handmade print paper was further developed to enable the actual restructuring of the print
from archival rag rather than the 'found' cardboard itself.
6
The museum board, slightly dampened prior to the first
printing, was then hand cut into about 45 individual dividers which were then reprinted on the reverse side so
that as a
three-dimens~onal
sculptured print it coul,d be
viewed from any angle allowing the newly printed surfaces
to be observed.
One of the significant reasons I chose
these box-like dividers for reuse, was the cast shadow
~\·
and deep
·,\)
~hi:Cl_J:'OI39_~~9
within their recesses which contrasts
with the outside flat, but printed and painted surface.
Intercalation/Doubled (figure 2), is the result of
deciding to further ela.borate on the flat and three dimensional juxtaposition of these 'dividers' that can, in fact,
either be assembled free standing, as in Intercalations I
(figure 1), partially folded, or collapsed entirely.
This
print was intaglio printed with relief printing and painting directly on the paper and tt1e museum board.
The layer-
ing aspects of collaging the cut-out dividers printed on
100% rag four-ply museum board, onto the flat· intaglio
print on tan Rives BFK indicate the permutations that this
intercalation can obtain; that is, to insert between or
among existing elements or layers.
Intercalation III (figure 3), is a five layered print,
the bottom layer being an intaglio print on tan Rives BFK,
with the upper four layers the remains of the 'cut-outs'
from the three dimensional piece Intercalations I.
Again,
the layering, reuse and recycling of even these newly
7
printed pieces all become part and parcel of the original
reuse theme of salvage and synthesis.
8
II.
URBAN DISCARD SERIES - Corrugated Sections
This series of 'unique' prints was initiated with an
etched key plate using a softground technique for the primary image directly from a 'found' corrugated cardboard
divider discovered and salvaged from the parking lot behind Family Fabrics at Sherman Way and Lindley in Reseda.
The softground was then re-etched into a redefined deep
flat bite to enhance the grooves of the corrugated cardboard.
The actual printing of this plate.required several
steps since this particular series incorporated the use
of intaglio printing, relief printing, painting directly
on the plate, reprinting, painting on the actual finished
print and then assemblage.
Material selection for printing was critical to the
final use of the particular print created.
For instance,
the print Corrugated Sections IX (figure 4), a three dimensional print measuring about 40" x 30" x 20", came into
being through an actual 'find' in a dumpster and the use
of the actual corrugated cardboard was essential for the
print's design to be structurally sound as well as being
compatible with my desire for recycling and redefinition.
It was necessary to print on both sides of this print, requiring at least 18 original print runs through the press,
with an additional 20 to 30 print runs to do the relief
printing.
After the initial runs, the print was dried
9
and reprinted on the other side using a similar number of
runs through the press.
Each one of these prints, used as
a part of the nine piece three dimensional print, was also
painted, torn by hand or through accident of the •find'.
It was essential that the corrugated cardboard be treated
for archival stability and each piece of corrugated cardboard was sprayed on each side with a solution of bicarbonate of soda, magnesium hydroxide and water in equal parts.
This solution will alter the PH balance of the cardboard
to archival specifications.
Corrugated Sections XI, XII, and XIV (figures 5, 6,
and 7) were all printed on 100% rag four-ply museum board,
soaked for about 30 seconds in water, blotted, and then
printed.
These prints on museum board have also been in-
taglio printed, relief printed, painted and then collaged
onto other prints using the same original etched key plate
that was used for Corrugated Sections IX.
Corrugated Sec-
tions XV, Sections XVa, Sections I, II, III and IV (figures
8, 9, and 10) were all printed on Rives tan or gray BFK
as an 'offset' or 'ghost' from the original intaglio etching first printed on the museum board, or the corrugated
cardboard.
These ghost prints have been further prepared
by painting, relief printing or actual ink roll-up on the
print itself.
Corrugat•:d Sections X (figure 11) was printed on the
back and front of used cardboard shipping containers that
10
were originally used for newsprint.
These corrugated card-
board 'finds' were also treated for proper PH balance to
archival specifications.
11
III. URBAN DISCARD SERIES - House of Cardboard
Again, actual cardboard discards found in the "Reseda"
parking area off Sherman Way and Lindley were used for a
softground and drawn etching on the key plate and then
etched and re-etched with a deep flat bite to accentuate
the torn, distressed areas of the actual found object.
The
printing method was intaglio~ la poupe:, dusted with metal
powders onto the wet ink, and relief printed onto torn corrugated cardboard that was treated with the proper liquid
solution of bicarbonate of soda and magnesium hydroxide for
archival stability.
These pieces were printed on both sides
taking at least 96 runs through the press and then assembled
in another variation of the three dimensional form through
cutting and folding and mounted directly on the gallery
wall with wooden dowels (figure 12).
When mounted in a three dimensional mode on the flat
wall, these cardboard houses further accentuate the cast
shadows of the boxes with their darkened recesses.
These
recessed shadowed areas have been randomly filled with
repulped kraft paper strings that also have been printed
with ink and dusted with metal powders.
12
CONCLUSION
Cardboard has fascinated me since I played house,
storekeeper or guardian of the fort in corrugated cartons
found in the empty back lots of markets and through visits
to the local dump rescuing them just prior to demolition
by fire.
This outlook of mine, salvaging these cardboard
discards minutes or days before they are destroyed, was
recently reinforced in a statement by Frank 0. Gehry, a
well·-known California architect.
He stated that he likes
to talk about the "inevitability of such materials, stuff
that nobody likes or pays much attention to, but that
pours out of factories in quantities sufficient to box the
earth or fence the moon."
1
My selection of these common waste materials is a conscious and often unconscious desire to transform these discards into another reincarnation, another image, by reuse.
My thesis exhibition,
"Salvage and Synthesis" is a demon-
stration of my obsession to reanimate these expendable
'throw-aways' to be reused once again in a new environment; that is, to start the circle of birth, discard, and
.reclamation over again and again, ad infinitum.
1
Joseph Morgenstern, "The Architect as Individual"~ Trojan
Family, Vol. 15, No. 3. Dece~~er, 1982, pages 4-15.
13
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Cope.
An Interview with Cage.
1980, pages 10-11.
Composer
u.
S., February,
Foot, N. Recycling of Waste Disposal/Refuse Situation
Ethics - Impermanent Art. Artforum, January, 1980,
Vol. 18, pages 22-29.
Link, Henry. Paper in Transition - Rauchenberg. Print
Council's Newsletter, July, 1979, Vol. 10, pages 8386.
Morgenstern, Joseph. The Architect as Individual.
Family, December, 1982, Vol. 3, pages 4-15.
Trojan
No Author. Art is Everything That is Something Else.
Art & Artists, June, 1974, Vol~ 9, pages 6-9.
No Author. Art of Japanese Packaging.
September, 1980, pages 32-82.
Art Direction,
No Author. Manufacturing Packages for Reuse: Design
Proposal. Industrial Design, May, 1976, Vol. 23,
page 61.
Oka, H. Tsutsumu. Conaissance Arts, January, 1977,
Vol. 299, pages 70-77.
Robins, Corinne. Paper Surfaces - Stuart - Traces of
Matter. Art International, December, 1979, Vol. 2.3,
pages 62-66.
Van Den Berg, R. About Re-use.
Vol. 562, pages 18-26.
Domus, September, 1977,
14
Figure 1 - Intercalations I
(96" X 16" X 14")
15
Figure la - Intercalations I
{detail)
16
Figure 2 - Intercalation/Doubled
(79"
X
29")
17
Figure 2a - Intercalation/Doubled (detail)
18
Figure 3 - Intercalation III
( 52 1/2 X 3 6
11
11
)
19
Figure 4 - Corrugated Sections IX
( 40 II
X
3 0 II
X
2 0 II )
-----~
---------------
20
Figure 5 - Corrugated Sections XI
( 40"
X
32 ")
21
Figure 6 - Corrugated Sections XII
(40"
X
32")
22
Figure 7 - Corrugated Sections XIV
{ 40 11
X
32 ")
23
Figure 8 - Corrugated Sections XV
( 42 11 X 29")
24
Figure 9 - Sections XVa
(42
11
X
29")
25
Figure 10 - Sections I, II, III and IV
(165"
X
25")
~~\.~:=.~.-~- ~-~-·...~
·~
.
: ~
·..
...
-
.~··:~~-
;_
......
26
Figure lOa - Sections I, II, III and IV (detail)
2'7
Fiaure 11 - Corrugated Sections X
(50 11
X
32 ")
28
Figure 12 - House of Cardboard
(108"
X
72"
X
5")
\
\
29
Figure 12a - House of Cardboard (detail)