University Open Air: Seasonal Flower Pounding
In this 2.5-hour workshop, we will explore natural printmaking as a way of documenting time and place. Using fresh flowers and leaves gathered from Prospect Park, we will learn techniques for transferring botanical pigments onto fabric through the process of flower pounding (hapazome).
Participants will create organic patterns that reflect the textures of fall in Brooklyn, treating their printed cloth as a living document—a sensory record of time, place, and environment.
We will learn to use repetition, layering, and intuitive composition to create textile patterns that serve as sensory records of place. Our printed fabrics become ephemeral documents tracing the textures and colors of Prospect Park in the Fall and holding traces of how we were in that moment.
Hilla Shapira is a Fiber artist, costume designer and educator. Originally from Tel-Aviv, Israel, and is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work deals with the relationships between common design and body regimen. By making functional mundane objects she questions design norms and the political aspects of things. She has presented her work in Israel, Europe, and the USA including: Art Basel (Miami, FL), Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (Philadelphia, PA), NY Textile Month (NYC, NY), Jerusalem Design Week (Jerusalem, Israel), NY Jewelry week (NYC, NY), Little Berlin Gallery, (Philadelphia, PA), Depo2015 (Pilsen, Czech Republic), Neve Schechter Gallery (Tel-Aviv, Israel), Hansen House (Jerusalem, Israel), Textile Arts Center (Brooklyn, NY) and Wasserman Projects (Detroit, MI). She was AIR in Carrizozo residency (Carrizozo, NM), Popps Packing (Hamtramck, MI), Makerspace (Brooklyn, NY) and Neve Schechter center (Tel-Aviv, Israel). She received her BFA in Fashion from Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem, Israel and her MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy, Bloomfield-Hills MI, USA. Shapira's work had been featured in different publications including: Hyperallergic Magazine, NY Jewish Week, Metalsmith Magazine, Portfolio Magazine, Haaretz, and the Jerusalem Post.
Check out all of this semester's UOA programs here.
*In cases of rain, classes will be either moved to the Prospect Park Boathouse or canceled. Registered patrons will be notified by email on the morning of each course day and are also encouraged to check the UOA webpage for updates.
University Open Air is generously supported by The Morris & Alma Schapiro Fund.
101 East Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11225