Lantern Installation

So for May Term, as some of you know, I've been making paper and using it to make paper lanterns. The project ultimately culminated in an installation last night in a little courtyard in one of the buildings on campus. I began this project focusing on the sustainability aspect of handmade paper, using only recycled paper and recycled/found objects as the base for the paper. I then experimented with making different types of paper, the addition of different objects and things to the paper pulp, etc.

While I was originally planning on using wire to build the frames of many of the lanterns, I found myself frustrated with the inorganic shapes I was producing. The structures didn't feel as though they went with the paper itself, so I began trying to conceptualize a different sort of frame. I eventually decided to just work with sticks and branches and allow their natural shapes and forms to provide the structure for the lanterns. This decision shaped the entire foundation of the project, adding an earthy element that continued through much of the paper in the form of leaves, grasses, etc.


I ended up with about twelve lanterns altogether, 2 larger and the rest small (about a foot or so in height). The installation involved the lanterns, some hanging from trees but most situated on the ground, as well as just little tea candles placed around the courtyard. It created a wonderful space in which people could come and take a moment away from the hectic paper we are all so frantically trying to finish. We all just sat for a while and had a chance to talk and be with each other before we head out.