Rewriting Bread, Portraits and Proprioceptive Writing

Charles Melcher

1. Rewriting the DI Bread making experience. I will begin initial concepts and design of the “portable kitchen, bread baking station” for inclusion into the upcoming DI exhibition at MECA’s ICA in 2019. This rewrite will be some sort of usable, moveable, wheelable, self-contained, counter, oven, bread proofing, kneading, cooling, and slicing area for DI’s signature home made bread in the gallery setting. I have been inspired particularly by Allan Wexler’s work in his book Absurd Thinking, Between Art and Design with his whimsical architectural solutions to practical or impractical ideas. I love to make/think about 3 dimensional solutions to just about any impromptu situation. I grew up in a family that “make do” was an unspoken family mantra. I hope to use the influence of the Poor farm + Sparrow farm kitchen’s and DI bread baking as the seed for this rewrite (and relocation) of this signature DI experience.
2. Rewriting my photographic portrait history of DesignInquiry. I would like to review all portraits I have taken at DesignInquiry since DI Marfa where the light provoked me to take this practice seriously again. I plan on spending the time to review all forms of photographs I have made at DesignInquiry; B+W analog 120 film, polaroid neg/positive, 35mm digital and iPhone photographs. I am excited to “look again” “rethink” and “reorganize” my relationship to this body of image work related to DI history. The outcome could be digital book, slideshow, printed RISO produced publication, TBD.
3. Proprioceptive Writing “Rewrite” workshop. Proprioceptive Writing is a meditative practice, it is a method of listening to thoughts and feelings. It is done through writing in short sessions. With this method of reflection I wish to introduce the practice of Proprioceptive Writing to give a space for participants to re-write, re-think their current relationship to the work they are creating while they are creating it.