In America we celebrate a tradition called Thanksgiving. Although there are many different versions of this tradition associated with different religions around the world, Americans gather on the fourth Thursday in November to give thanks.  This tradition was originally brought to us by the harvest festival from New England, when the pilgrims that landed in 1621 on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, migrated here and brought their religious traditions to the new land as a way to celebrate a good harvest.  As you know this tradition left a footprint on America forever as a holiday that is celebrated by most of us!

In modern America, we are living with  concerns which generate a greater cause for what we should be thankful for.  We tend to take our natural resources  for granted and expect our  water, food, and shelter to be plentiful.  Recently I had the pleasure to visit the Cohn Drennan Contemporary Gallery in Dallas, for their exhibition Le Temps de L’eau, Take Me to the River which was curated by Cohn Drennan.  This exhibition was about a group of artists and institutions which collaborated together to bring awareness to the precious resource of water.

Le temps de l’eau

While attending the exhibition I was privileged to have a conversation with one of the artists in the show, David Carlson.   He explained to me about his personal religion and its influence on his perception of water.   During our conversation, as we were looking at his video installation called Water Quilt,  he explained the hidden explanations of each section and why it moves in the order that it does.   After our conversation was over, I sat for a few moments in front of the installation and realized that this particular piece could be a great contemporary way to involve installation art in holiday soirees.

David Carlson and Betsy Stewart
Water Quilt
2012
video installation

If you choose to use this particular piece for a Thanksgiving event, it should encourage your guests  to realize what is really most important in their lives.  This piece comes across as creating a very tranquil ambiance,  almost hypnotizing the individual into understanding that we do take water for granted and possibly reigniting pleasant memories that are associated with a particular time where we had water around us that we took for granted.  If you are open to the enlightenment of the piece, then you will certainly be encouraged to give thanks to this precious resource as well as those surrounding you during the holiday season.

So the questions becomes: What type of interior would help complement a video installation like “Water Quilt”?

Orange Thanksgiving Decor

Since Thanksgiving falls during the season where the leaves are falling from the trees and turning various shades of the colors orange, red, and yellow, we  associate these colors with the Fall and spread them though out our decor.  If you are an individual who likes to the mark the holidays with theme colored decor, then this video installation could be the perfect contrast to your Thanksgiving decor.  Since orange is the complementary color to blue, the hue from the water will complement the orange decor which is present throughout the home as well as  spark wonderful conversations with your guests.

Chic Modern Thanksgiving

If your interior tends to be more chic and modern, then your Thanksgiving may look something like the picture above.  By using a installation piece like Water Quilts, you may be so lucky to find out that reflections of water may bounce from the projector onto the acrylic furniture that you may be using to decorate your home.  This will give you a Thanksgiving which becomes interactive with movement.  If this is going to be a setting in which you will be sitting for a number of hours then I would  suggest to have removable white seat cushions made for padding and support.

Transitional Thanksgiving

For most individuals,  Thanksgiving just means getting together with loved ones and friends.  Although incorporating art may be adding a new element to your tradition, this will certainly encourage many different conversations throughout  your home during the holidays.  If you are intrigued by this type of  a conversation piece projecting on a empty wall, then I would suggest trying this new innovative projection of art.  An alternative way to use this type of installation would be to create a piece which represents your family’s memories through out the year.  You will be surprised at how interactive this idea can be when incorporated in a group setting!

Here at Fabrics and Frames we are always trying to figure out new ways to create an atmosphere in your home in which you enjoy spending time in and the holidays are the perfect time to spruce it up.  By staying current with the times and being creative with our ideas we pride ourselves on creating wonderful interiors. Whether we are helping you space plan  your interior with new furniture, repairing a sofa which the family dog chewed, or reupholstering an old heirloom to give it new life, we are here to help!

For more information about designing or where to get custom looks like these please visit our website:

www.fabricsandframes.com

We are currently located at 5322 Alpha Rd, Dallas, Texas 75240. 972-385-4097.  Please contact us if you have any questions about this blog atandy@fabricsandframes.com, and or follow us on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fabrics-and-Frames-Furniture/156825517684205

Written by: Erica Guajardo

Edited by: Linda Decuir

For More Information about the artist or gallery, please refer to this link:

http://cohndrennancontemporary.com/