Connecting Threads

Lisa Volta with AlBustan Seeds of Culture

Connecting Threads is a collection of artworks made with students from John Moffet School, Juniata Park Academy, Samuel Powel School, and Julia R. Masterman School in an exhibition with the artist, Janell Wysock. 

Last semester, I introduced our after-school students to Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi, whose work investigates relationships between modern technology and sustainability. Fatmi utilizes a wide range of mediums, including old VHS tapes, cables, and ready-made materials, to raise questions concerning the narratives of things we leave behind and the ecological impact of our technological waste. 

We study ancient civilizations through artifacts that describe ways of life, community, and belief systems. Suppose our society was to end today or in an entirely digitized version of the future. What stories would the heaps of wire and dead computer command centers tell without access to the invisible information that once zipped across the globe in seconds? 

 We drew comparisons between Fatmi’s installation work of obsolete technology and his drawings. We spent considerable time looking at a drawing series titled, Connections, where he used mark-making to create energetic pathways between various personal themes. Inspired by Fatmi’s vision, the students worked on two different but related projects. First, they made their own connection drawings using discarded architectural printer mylar sourced from The Resource Exchange. Each student drew an image that told a story about something they felt was necessary at the time. The students then worked in two phases simultaneously. They could choose to add something to each drawing in the room or take a new mylar sheet and trace a part of each drawing. A network of pictures kept changing each week as students added and traced and added again.

 Students took from a surplus of CDs in AlBustan’s storage closet for the second project. They used the reflective surface of the CD to trace their reflection and tell a story about themselves through drawing and collage. 

 We are thrilled to be exhibiting with Janell Wysock, whose weavings include materials like unraveled cassette tapes, textile remnants, and single-use plastics. Her commitment to environmentally conscious art-making tells a story about time and communal interactions that speaks our language. As the work came together, it made sense to install the student work as if it was in conversation with Janell’s weavings to emphasize that the human connective thread enables us to see, care for, and appreciate each other and our world.

Reception: April 1, 2022, 4-7pm at 3645 Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia PA 19104

Lisa Volta is a Philadelphia artist whose primary mediums are painting and photography. For the past nine years, she has worked to develop and implement visual arts programming with AlBustan. Her curriculum centers around introducing contemporary artists, where students can connect artist experiences around the globe with their art-making, providing space for them to become a relevant part of more critical conversations about creativity and current world issues.