People Making Thingss
A weekly series that captures honest portraits of people who make things. Host Mariah Krey tracks down makers of all forms, from state fair butter sculptors to traditional bulrush weavers to self-taught furniture designers, for an intimate glimpse into their process and the moments that shaped who they are today.
So give us a listen for in-depth (and a bit cheeky) conversations that explore process, meaning and most importantly the lives of the human(s) behind the things.
People Making Thingss
The Passing of Time as a Medium for Making with Architect and Artist Rachel Shillander
LA-based Architect and Artist, Rachel Shillander’s viral ‘Disco Ball Chair’ took the internet by storm in peak lockdown days when Shillander posted a photo of the piece in her home studio. Covered in 30,000 mirrored tiles, the piece lit up her living room and inspired a wave of disco tiling objects.
Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Shillander’s experimental practice explores different states of being through the lens of time. Despite some of her pieces taking months to make by hand, she’s not necessarily interested in the time it takes to create an object, but more so the passing of it.
With 70’s nostalgia as her muse, Shillander draws on traditional architectural concepts of scale, materiality and place to try to make sense of both the present moment and where we’re headed as society.
At her home studio in Canoga Park, we discuss the ways in which growing up in The Valley has shaped her life and work, what she’s learned working in construction as the only woman on her team, and diving into the nitty gritty details of her sculptural practice.
Visit https://lland-studio.com/ to view her latest pieces and learn more about her practice.