PROJECT: FOAM (2023)
TOOLS USED: Insulation spray foam, Adobe Photoshop
PROJ. OVERVIEW: Use objects in your environment to create typography, use a word that represents the object(s) it's made from.
BACKGROUND: Back in 2019-20, during the COVID lockdown, the world was at peak boredom and as a result, peak creativity. Under these circumstances, the viral #foammirror TikTok trend was born. Everyone was framing their mirrors with insulation spray foam (yes, for houses). And while I, myself, didn’t participate because I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated the result, I applauded the innovation and found myself incredibly drawn to the unpredictable and smooth yet rough texture that the foam created. When presented with this project, this trend came to mind because I envisioned the spray foam texture creating some interesting, fluid letters.
PROCESS: Spray foam is an incredibly unpredictable medium that would be impossible to predict the exact outcome of. With this in mind, I decided against doing any preliminary sketches and instead, wanted to embrace the spontaneous natural forms that came from it. As we were tasked with creating a singular word associated with our chosen object or medium, I decided on "FOAM" as I figured it would be fitting but also ambiguous enough to still peak interest as to what kind of medium it was created with.
EXECUTION: I started by figuring out how to use the spray can and during the learning process, created a bunch of blob testers so I could get accustomed to it. Initially, the spray can creates thin lines of foam which then proceed to plump up as the foam dries. So, the outcome of my project evolved over the course over the hour long drying period which was exciting to see. Although challenging, the creative process was refreshing in the sense that it was entirely organic and forced me to break out of my perfectionist tendencies as so much of what the result could look like was out of my control.
