KRISTEN A. FOX

SUN HAT



This sun hat made from the parts of a single IKEA Vat Lampshade, explored ideas about adaptive reuse and purpose.  The hat's purpose is similar to that of the shade, but they work in different ways, one shields light from escape, and one shields light from entrance.  By extracting the wire from the paper lantern, I was able to use the material to create the skeleton for the hat.  I developed a weaving system that allowed me to create a form in three dimensions to create the shape of the hat.  The remaining paper left from the lantern was applied to the surface of the weave to create shade.  All leftover wire from the shade was formed into a decorative element that played with shadow on the surface of the brim. 



The documentation of the product was also an interesting process: in addition to photographing the hat in use, I used the photographs to experiment with a print making process that distressed the images.  This also dealt with the ideas of adaptive reuse and the patina of age.