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Pachikadi and his Flying Friends

Collection: Houston Public Library (HPL)

2011

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and acrylic yarn

Location:
Vinson Neighborhood Branch Library, Elaine Bradford, Pachikadi and his Flying Friends, 2011
3810 W Fuqua Street
Houston, TX 77045

About the Artwork:
Pachikadi and his Flying Friends (2011) 
by Elaine Bradford 

Within the atrium of the Vinson Neighborhood Library in southwest Houston is a multi-part installation made of crocheted acrylic yarn covering sculptures of expanded polystyrene foam. Crochet refers to a process of creating an artwork by using a crochet hook to interlock strands of yarn, thread, or other fiber-based materials. The centerpiece of the installation is a seven-foot-tall and six-and-a-half foot long, crochet-covered Asian elephant, weighing 250 pounds, that shoots a stream of yarn sweaters from its trunk onto a Canadian goose. The elephant’s body and trunk are covered in layers of alternating, bright colors. Suspended from the ceiling with cables are nine Canadian geese as though they are flying around the elephant. Each goose measures three-and-a-half feet high and five feet long and weighs 19 pounds. The installation tells a story about geese wanting a little more color in their lives, and a fantastical elephant that lends them yarn from its vibrant sweater. The installation was made in connection to a children’s book. Elaine Bradford is a Houston-based artist who is one of the founding members of BOX 13 ArtSpace and was a resident artist at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. 

Pachikadi y sus Amigos Volantes (2011) 
por Elaine Bradford 

En el atrio de la Biblioteca del barrio de Vinson, en el suroeste de Houston, se encuentra una instalación compuesta por varias piezas, elaborada con hilo acrílico tejido a crochet que recubre esculturas de espuma de poliestireno expandido. El crochet es una técnica artística que consiste en entrelazar hebras de hilo u otras fibras con una aguja de ganchillo. La pieza central de la instalación es un elefante asiático de dos metros de alto y dos metros de largo, cubierto de crochet y con un peso de 113 kilogramos, que lanza una cascada de suéteres de hilo desde su trompa hacia un ganso canadiense. El cuerpo y la trompa del elefante están cubiertos con capas de colores brillantes alternados. Nueve gansos canadienses cuelgan del techo mediante cables, como si estuvieran volando alrededor del elefante. Cada ganso mide un metro de alto y un metro y medio de largo, y pesa 8,6 kilogramos. La instalación narra la historia de unos gansos que querían un poco más de color en sus vidas, y de un elefante fantástico que les presta lana de su colorido suéter. La instalación se creó en relación con un libro infantil. Elaine Bradford es una artista residente en Houston, miembro fundador de BOX 13 ArtSpace, y artista residente en el Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.