UNREAL CITY
About The Artist
Diane Bronstein • Fletcher, NC
Mixed Media • CUSTOM COMMISSIONS
My work recognizes a world where nature radically overtakes and changes our everyday life without our acknowledgement. Lava breaks through roads, wild vines crawl over buildings, trees grow in the middle of rooms. People walk through these landscapes, unaware of the constancy of nature around them. Using both vintage and original black and white photos, I collage, various parts of photos to “match” others. I want to create a scene that, on first glance, may appear “normal”, but after viewing, will reveal absurdity. My pieces use vintage photos and original photos of buildings and street scenes when I’ve traveled. Sometimes I incorporate figures from old “snapshots” into the scenes. These images become a mix of time and place. Life is going on, and most people are ignoring their surroundings. The people in these pieces are not looking at the actual scene they’re inhabiting, in the same way that humans are willfully ignoring our changing climate.
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Q&A with the ArtistTell us how your work is made.Using both original and vintage photographs, my work consists of heavily embroidering natural elements into urban environments. My decisions often include cutting parts of the photos to add to whole, either through actual photographs or printed on paper. I create off-kilter worlds with hundreds of thousands of knots and stitches often simulating painting techniques. My pieces consist of three-dimensional tree limbs, leaves, clouds, rocks, dirt and waves, some over an inch thick. Some of my pieces take months to complete. My technique is less traditional than embroidery, as I build the thick layers of floss. I primarily use knots, but will use other types of stitches if it enhances or mimics the subjects within the photos, Following the same theme and techniques, I work in both small and large pieces. I have created a series of ""little building"" using only one vintage photo and have embroidered onto the actual photographs. |