A few months ago I started noticing bright shiny new traffic markers—the long yellow and white lines on the road were FRESH. Shortly after, I starting noticing them peeling up or flaking off, and then I started finding whole displaced sections. I have been collecting these fly-aways without really knowing why, except that I am drawn to transportation infrastructure and the materials of our livees. Besides, it’s uncommon to be able to take a shiny piece of the road home with you and be productively picking up trash at the same time. I think I also like how these are road “markings” in the same way we make marks on a page, canvas, or other substrate. The collective accumulation of these lines is one big drawing across the city, done by people and machines. The workers who do these lines and the utility spray paint markers are my heroes—the ones really mapping the city. A map so large, it is the territory.
The lines are a thermoplastic material adhered via heat in ribbons with a mesh and texture component to make it more durable and reflective. The reason this specific type road line is flaking off has something to do with the application process and/or weather patterns. There are several variables, but at least one of them went wrong on Henley St and W. Jackson Ave.
For this map I cut collected thermoplastic road lines into strips and taped and glued them together over a drawn map guide, creating an independent lattice road map. I selected certain pockets to render all the smaller roads with thin strips, while other areas are empty between the main roads. The icons are made from a red piece of road litter I collected from the bike lane (pictured in gallery). I made the banners from the same red strip spray painted white. Here it is, photographed in the middle of my street, in the dark and least-traveled-hour of 3 AM. A road map, if you will:)
THE LIST
The Emporium (5-9)
“Photography & Mixed Media” by Brian Miller and Iliyana Skrobanska
“Whispers from The Roots and the River” by Laura McRae Hitchcock
“The Goddesses Collection” by Sheryl Sallie
“30 Years of Self-Portraits – A Retrospective” by Bill Timm
Gallery 1010 (5-9) “Fidelitas Amor et Artes” by (?) exploring the intersection of passion, craft, and creation (I am very sorry I accidentally left this one off the map. I misplaced the label and then forgot until after I documented :( )
Arrowmont Gallery (5-9) “Requiem” by Tina Rath
UTK Downton Gallery (5-9) “Art Source,” Group show by Knox County Art Educators. Awards at 6:30 (See my big sign map and pop-up show zine from October on view!)
Dogwood Arts (5-8) “Epiphone Student Guitar Design Exhibition”
Red Gallery (5-9) “Quixotic Medium Line” by Lynne Ghenov
Able Trade (5:30-8:30) “Tintype Portrait Pop-Up and Exhibition” by Kelsey Dillow
Rala (6-9) “FOLK” by Kendra Barth
McNutt Burks Building (5-8) “At Home in the City: Exhibitions of Models and Drawings” UTK School of Architecture students test new “single stair” legislation designed to increase urban housing options in Tennessee cities
Mighty Mud (6-9) “Familiarity” by Kaitlyn Anderson
Relay Ridge (6-9) “Seeds,” by Andrew Godwin + Open studios (incl. new resident artist Chachi Mathis!)
Other:
The Birdhouse (5:30-7:30) is featuring work by Tianna Bush as well!
Not an opening, but Valerie Sigmon’s work is up starting Friday at Good Golly Tamale
There will be live glass work demonstrations outside Pour Taproom
The Old City Market is back again— so expect those crowds on W. Jackson!
I hope you all can make it out to the art educator show at the Downtown Gallery, and also everything else :) Happy arting! Happy mapping!
Thank you so much for being along for this ride.
With gratitude,
Farkas
i love your mind.
Brilliant! 🌟