Sylvie Rosenthal

Media: Sculpture, Wood, Furniture

What expectations or hopes do you have for your time at Emma Unplugged 2014?

I expect it to be F-U-N!!! I am looking forward to chance encounter and collaboration with artists that have never connected with, and some wonderful folks I know. I am looking forward to taking some risks, trying things I have never done before in my own work, riffing off others, making new jokes and stories, and making making making for a non-stop week!

How have collaborative events influenced you, your art and your creative process?

At best, collaborations get you of your box and can turn your thinking inside out. It is amazing to see the dynamo that hums when all the minds and bodies come together, producing work that it fresh and new to the world. I love to see the connections between people, even if it is not myself, deep in work together, tracking down the part, pieces, and processes they need. The energy is infectious.

Who have you met through collaboration? Why do you value that connection and relationship?

I have met some lovely people. People who think and work differently than myself. People who say, let’s go for a walk and then work… that it is a refreshing and sustaining way to start the day. I have created some meaningful relationships with people I met, keeping a conversation going over email. Just remembering that EMMA is going on is nourishing. I haven’t been able to attend the past two collaborations, but I thought about everyone when it was going on. About all the ideas and work being made and the energy of the site. One of my favorite memories was the morning of clean up. When everyone was tired and pitched in to leave the site as beautiful as we found it. Jumping in trash bins to stomp them down, riding with Gordon to the dumpster and being so excited about the history of the site. He took me on a ride around the property. Everyone was working hard and getting dirty, so happy and exhausted. The connection is part about hard work, part about the time shared, and all about the relationships and conversations.

What have you learned through collaboration?

I have learned to let go… that while work is precious, risk is more important. Both letting go of a piece I started to let someone else work on it and also taking my turn on something that someone else has started. Not to be intimidated by this, to work directly, to remember that we are all problem solvers. I have learned to just ask questions… about a technique that is unfamiliar to me, about what someone is up to, and to set aside my critical mind on some problems and start it up on others.

More about Sylvie

Sylvie Rosenthal is a woodworker and sculptor. Over the last 10 years she has gained recognition for her intricate and detail-oriented furniture and sculpture, contraptions and art objects, that are infused with humor and steeped in the impossible.