Volume Gallery is pleased to announce Aranda\Lasch and Terrol Dew Johnson, Bundling, opening April 29th, 2022, from 5-8PM at 1709 W Chicago Ave, Chicago IL 60622.

New objects by Aranda\Lasch and Terrol Dew Johnson transform materials of the Sonoran Desert into sculptural forms. The result of ongoing material experiments, their latest work includes paper baskets, agave fiber baskets, and brass coils.

Design studio Aranda\Lasch have collaborated with renowned artist and basket weaver Terrol Dew Johnson of the Tohono O’odham Nation for over a decade. Their collaboration stems from the commonalities of algorithmic techniques, repetition and ciphering used in both computer-generated design and Tohono O’odham basket weaving. They approach basket construction as a framework for experimentation and expression, sharing knowledge and tradition; and as a medium of exchange that bundles various materials and voices together. 

Their process begins by collecting materials around Tucson and Sells, Arizona. In these recent pieces they use bear grass, yucca, dirt, mica, mallow, creosote, copper, volcanic dust, and agave fiber. Materials are processed into a paper pulp-like slurry to be formed into vessels, agave fiber is bundled into open coils of adjoining circles, and brass is bent and woven with sinew into knots. By inventing a new material language from the desert and respecting time-honored techniques, these constructions offer a uniquely Sonoran interpretation of the art of baskets.

Image Credit: Aranda\Lasch and Terrol Dew Johnson, 2022