Vancouver’s annual Eastside Culture Crawl starts today. An installation has been created in the front area of the molo workshop at 1503 Venables St. to entice passers by to pause and look in on their way from studio to studio this weekend. softshelter rooms have been set up containing paintings by David Ullock, Hanahlie Beise’s Tierkunde polar bear, and a selection of molo products.
Designer and textile-artist, Hanahlie Beise chose the word “Tierkunde” to represent her line of 100% wool felted animals, for its playful and childlike sound, as a nod to her roots (the word means “zoology” in German), and because of her lifelong fascination with, and love for animals. Each Tierkunde piece is meticulously needle-felted from local, directly sourced wool that’s been washed and processed at artisan facilities. As part of her intensely personal, process-based design practice, Hanahlie works with Canadian wool-sheep farmers to help support and build awareness for an industry that’s been decimated by competition with imports. In addition to her work with textiles, Hanahlie is a partner in the design studio and boutique branding agency, Caste Projects. She lives in Victoria, BC.
hanahlie@casteprojects.com · casteprojects.com
David Ullock is a visual artist and designer, born in Victoria BC and raised on Vancouver Island. He is a graduate of the Vancouver Island School of Art and Vancouver Film School and enjoys exploring the possibilities of creating composition and narrative through his own uniquely developed process of “automatic marks”. His work extends into notions of psyche, transience, and the human mind within its physical surroundings. David is currently living in a softshelter at molo’s Vancouver workshop.
ullockd@gmail.com · http://davidigital.tk
David has been living in softshelter full time since August. Over the months he has continually adapted the space to suit his needs and the ever-changing needs of the functioning workshop he is living in. The true flexibility of softshelter has become apparent as his living area has been expanded, contracted, moved, put away, and re-deployed as his own needs and the requirements for space around him change.
David has utilized the materials at hand, creating furniture from leftover packing materials and cardboard. The occupancy has been an open-ended project but David is planning to move out at the end of the month. We want to thank him for his commitment to this study and for the insight we’ve gained from his occupation of softshelter.
The latest version of the door handle accessory was added to the workshop softshelter this afternoon. The material used in this version is sheet rubber. Felt was used in previous prototypes. This version is closer to the handle that will ship with softshelter.
David has begun to personalize his temporary home. His shirts hang from a dowel that has become his closet. By closing the magnetic shelter door his space is neatly closed off from the rest of the workshop. It truly does feel like a separate room.
David comments:
“Today marks the end of the first week of my softshelter life. I have developed daily routines and I am beginning to make the space feel more personal through the addition of a “closet” and, soon, a small work area where I can draw and paint.”
David began his stay in the softshelter on Tuesday. The flexible shelter will be set up in molo’s workshop space from now through September. We will share the experience through a series of journal entries as the project progresses.
David remarks on his first few nights in the softshelter:
“On Tuesday I moved a selection of belongings into the workshop. It is comforting to fall asleep completely enclosed by the undulating kraft paper walls. Despite being in the large, open workshop the shelter offers a feeling of safety and isolation.”
sketch showing the current door handle prototype with single profile
We are currently in the process of developing a door handle accessory for softshelter – these sketches and the film below show the current version.
softshelter current door handle prototype
sketch showing versions of door handle accessory
softshelter door handle prototype (click image to play film)
This short film illustrates the use of the softshelter door handle accessory with a working prototype. The accessory can be adhered to the end panel of any softwall to be used as an adjustable door.
The circular holes allow for easy handling from both inside and outside of the room. The magnetic end panels can be closed together to add stability when not connected to another softwall.
As seen at centre in the photo above, the first iteration of the softshelter door handle accessory consisted of two paper tubes with a kraft paper sheet wrapped around them. The second iteration, seen at left, is made from natural felt. Both prototypes are adhered to the softwall using a simple peel and stick backing.
David by the basin where a simple shower is being installed in the molo workshop
We are preparing the workshop in order to allow David, a member of the molo team to occupy softshelter, setup in molo’s workshop space.
From David’s journal:
“Digging, fitting, pouring, fastening then connecting; all that’s left is to tie into the existing water system, and the workshop will have a shower where a bamboo shoot once stood. Excitement is building in anticipation of this unique experience”
