Welcome

Ahoy Matey, and Welcome to REPTIRE, an intermittent ‘ship’s blog’, chronicling the slow rise in the South Easterly skies of Reptire Designs; a studio that designs and crafts always artful, and sometimes useful THINGAMABOBS from old Indian Cucachou, aka ReTired Rubber.

Down Below, Ye shall find a permanent 'flagship post' marking the Maiden Voyage of Reptire Designs.

And below that, in the ‘hull’, can be found more recent posts chronicling the daring new adventures of Reptire Designs, dashed with small bits of whimsy, spotted pickerel, local color, and lizard lore..

In fact, on the right, in pale purple, ye shall find the Captain's Log’s Table of Previous Posts, which ye can peruse by year, month, and title to ye hearts content.

If ye haven't gotchyer sea legs yet, My Pretty, Ye can take a gander at our website at www.reptiredesigns.com, to get a proper Landlubber's Introduction.

Thanks for stopping in, I do hope you enjoy your visit aboard this ship! HARHARHARHAR.......

Sincerely, Travius Von Cohnifus

Captain, Founder, Indentured Servant, Rubber Alligator Wrestlor Extraordinaire a' this here ship.

enter the treadknot

Welcome
On September 26th, 2006, I launched my tire art/design business, Reptire Designs, with a solo exhibition of my artwork in The Green Gallery at The Scrap Exchange Center for Creative Reuse, in Durham, NC. For many reasons, it was a night that I will always remember, and I am grateful to Laxmi (my girlfriend at the time) and Edie (my mother, still) for dutifully documenting while I shmoozed, so that I may now shmare a taste of the evening with anyone who was not able to attend...



On a cool but lively autumn night-before-Center Fest, a stream of friends and curious strangers trickled (like pebbles through a rain stick) through the forest of odds and ends (that roost at night in The Scrap Exchange), out into the warm light of the back savanna, a scene utterly glopped with bizarre rubbery hybrids. Tentative and curious, the visitors craned their necks, nibbled, pecked, stood back, moved in closer. From the walls, glassy mirror eyes gazed back through black unblinking eyelids, while beneath the visitor's feet, in a steamy drainage cistern, a mortal drama unfolded. Primordial forms, with no eyes at all, sat puckered on stoops. A cascade of glittering steal droplets formed a curtain, to which clung a colony of tiny tire knotlettes.

Vito D., a long-time collabator down from the Asheville area, caressed the warming air with his Strange Little Folk music. I bobbed and I flit, and at an increasing clip-someone must have opened the faucet a bit....for soon I was swooning, I just about lost it! As the evening progressed, to my delight and amazement, 'family' from Durham, Chapel Hill, Pittsboro, Hillsboro, Siler City, Asheville, and Fresno all made it! From the Cohn Clan to the Steudel Clan to the CFS Clan; from the WWC Clan to the Duke Ac Pub Clan to the SAF Clan; from the Bike Shop Clan to the Ninth St. Clan to the Scrap Clan... and every one in between, guys, they were all appearing before my stunned, blinking eyes. While I spun and I splayed, Vito now played-CHURNED- up a torrent of gritty ditties; while a staff volunteer (Brandon's a photographer, I swear) whipped up pitchers of Mango Lassies. And The 'Scrap Exchange girls' worked the door, the counter, and the floor, going "cha-CHING!", cha-CHING!","cha-CHING!".!.



By the end of the night, hundreds of friends, acquaintances and had-been-strangers had poured in, poured over the work, and partaken in, what was for me and my art, a monumental communal feast. And on top of it all, I got to place many of my preemies in hands that I love and trust, and in several instances, hands that fit them like gloves. What a privilage to be able to connect with people this way. Heading into the turbid seas of small business, I can confidently say that if I drown tomorrow, I am at least blessed today with the memory of (as Vito later put it) one authentically good Durham night.



Thanks to all of you who were there; in body and/or spirit.





Reclaimed-wood Builder and Reptire Collector Howard Staab enjoying magwi knot at the Scrap Exchange

Reclaimed-wood Builder and Reptire Collector Howard Staab enjoying magwi knot at the Scrap Exchange
I can't think of anything more rewarding for an artist than to see someone interacting with their artwork. Photo by Laxmi Haynes

Sammy and Dannette contemplate

Sammy and Dannette contemplate
Photograph by Laxmi Haynes

Cascade Colony of Knotlets

Cascade Colony of Knotlets
They would go with your jacket, would they not Claire?

Laxmi Resplendent

Laxmi Resplendent

Mavis In The Mist

Mavis In The Mist
Photograph by Laxmi Haynes

Tire Amazement

Tire Amazement
Photograph by Edie Cohn

Saturday, September 18, 2010

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED


Oh wow,
I am sitting downtown in the Courtyard in the cooling air of midnight, a waxy moon above me. All is silent here, save for the churning of a monsterous AC unit, and a tabernacal choir of crickets in the field beyond.

I am totally wooped. My fingers tips are so torn, I can hardly type, and my body in running on gas fumes...
But what a day, what a week, what an evening. What an evening.



Well my peeps done come through for me, in Flying Colors.




Kat brought the beans, home fried tortillas, and big silver bowl of flower juice!
She also brought some major motivation, and industry.

Perrin shown, like a pheonix.

He rose to the challenge. He established himself, as a force of support. He fell into place. Where there was a need, he found it, and he filled it. He put in alot of effort, and as a result, the workshop felt effortless to me. I owe this man considerably.

Stacye, brought Perrin!
(And she sewed some too)


Dorothy lassoed and wrestled down this tire steer...
Ride'm cowgirl!


Jill brought her beautiful beaming self, and our Beaudacious Bud Allen.



Sandra brought her ussual biting Brittish whit, always a welcome addition.

Ben, brought diesel power.A knack for it, a need for speed.


Eddie and Gwen brought calm. They lent themselves to the task, and seemed to truly be enjoying it, and for this I was thankful.

Actual Worm Farmer Maria brought her Expertise de Gusano!


Matt brought Kat, and his chill vibe, and jesus-like-disposition


(at least, that is what I would like to imagine that Jesus was like...!)

The Triplets of Greensboro brought Sweetness and Charm, and cute new stripy number, for our inspiration.


Roger is just the coolest motherfucker I know, and has been so great to work with, so generous, easygoing and layed back about Everything. I am blessed to have his friendship.

And Alexander, who helped me build Tyrius in the first place, back 2008, REally came through for me in this process this evening. He was helpful, gracious and on top of it all, he was Proactive. He really proved himself to me today.

Alex chillin with Stacye after a long evening of preperations

Thank you Alexander.

Steve and Roberta, brought themselves.

Cindy, Leslie, Julia, brought their enthusiasm.

A nice burly bear of a man brought his family up from Bear Creek, said he saw my article in the paper, had never been to the 3rd Friday event before. That felt good.


Katy brought retribution, for helping her load lumber for her house this summer. That was nice of her.
She was a great help at the Haw River Festival this Summer too.




Had a new idea today, while I was madly scrubbing tires.
The sculpture I am building, it is building itself now, as they are wont to do..
Have you ever seen them worms at the beach, that build up a crust around them selves, of odd bits of shell, and debris, from the ocean floor. These guys are scrappin kinfolk, no doubt about it.
 See the more I think about it, the more I think that this tire worm is cool and all. But if the piece is to be a tribute to the concept of Reuse, well I think its fallin alittle short of its mark. Its got the form down pat, no doubt in my little mind. But now, it still NEEDS to BRING THE MUSIC! You know what I'm sayin? All them tires, would be about as bald as can be. This monkey needs some hair! It needs some encrustation! It needs a shaggy rind!
So I am gonna FUNK IT UP!.
And to do this, I'll have to take it to Funk Central, where else but The Scrap Exchange?
FUNK MY SCULPTURE, PEOPLE.

ALSO
These friends of mine, they approached it with real industry. They counted how many, and estimated how many hours it would have taken me, they saved me :) And indeed, according to their calculations, it was about 8 hours of work. Having sewed the last 75 tires, I know that this would have wore my fingers the *&*^&^ out.

I should not be greedy, but I have to wonder if these guys are hungry any for more. Several people commented on how relaxing the sewing task was.
I agree, it is very therapuetic actually. It is begining to wonder, perhaps my artisans coopertaive, is not in Tanzania, or even a local team of Central American imagres. Maybe it is a team of folks that speak my own language, (culturaly, which maybe counts for alot...), and perhaps has a hunger, like I once did, for creatively stimulating work with their hands.

How a bout the Siler City/Durham Worm Works?


The Installation at 233, Roger Person's installation space,
 in the back of which we sewed more worm sections,

(to create the knot pictured above).