Utilitarian Fiction

S t e p h a n i e
S y j
C O
Utilitarian Fiction
b y
S a r a h
M a r g o l i s - P i n e o
Designers are o fte n th o u g h t o f as p ro blem
solvers, a d e p t a t in te rro g a tin g w o rld ly ills to
d evelo p in n o vative solutions. B u t w h a t d o e s
t in g a r t - g o e r s — as a w a y t o s p a rk im a g in a t io n
t h e r o le o f th e d e s ig n e r b e c o m e w h e n t h e
o n e s u c h e n d e a v o r, o r g a n iz in g w o r k s h o p s a n d
p r o b le m a t h a n d is in s u r m o u n t a b le — b e y o n d
p r o m o t in g W e b -b a s e d re s o u rc e s s in c e 2 0 0 6 t o
o th e r s — t a r g e t e d c o lla b o r a to r s as w e ll as u n w it
a n d e n c o u r a g e d e b a te . C o u n te rfe it C ro che t is
q u a n t if ic a t io n a n d r e s o lu t io n — r e q u ir in g a s h if t
p r o v id e t h e t o o ls f o r p a r t ic ip a n t s t o c re a te t h e ir
in v a lu e s , a t t it u d e s , a n d b e h a v io r s as o p p o s e d t o
o w n c r o c h e t v e rs io n s o f d e s ig n e r h a n d b a g s .
a c le v e r q u ic k fix ? O r, w h a t i f t h e p r o b le m is n o t
E n d e a r in g ly d o w d y , t h e m is s h a p e n C h a n e l a n d
e v e n r e c o g n iz e d as a p r o b le m a t a ll, b u t r a th e r is
D o lc e & G a b b a n a c r o c h e t p ie c e s t h a t c o m p o s e
a n is s u e t h a t is so d e e p - s e a te d , so s t u b b o r n ly
t h e C o u n te rfe it C ro che t a rc h iv e a re m e r e ly t h e
e n tr e n c h e d , t h a t it is e n t ir e ly o v e r lo o k e d w it h in
s e c o n d a r y a im o f t h e p r o je c t's in t e n t . W h a t
t h e a c t iv it y o f e v e r y d a y life ?
S y ju c o v a lu e s as t h e p r im a r y o u t c o m e is t h e p r o
T h e w o r k o f S te p h a n ie S y ju c o d ra w s
ce ss— t h e m a k in g o f th e o b je c ts a n d t h e c o n v e r
f r o m t h e im a g in a t iv e p o t e n t ia l o f d e s ig n .
s a tio n t h a t e m e r g e s w h e n c r o c h e te r s g a t h e r
B r id g in g p o ig n a n t c o n c e p ts a n d p r a c tic e d c ra ft,
w it h in a c o lle c t iv e w o r k e n v ir o n m e n t.
s h e se e k s t o e x p a n d p o s s ib ilitie s a n d q u e s tio n
" T h e w o r k s h o p f o r m a t c a m e a b o u t as a
t h e w a y s w e t h in k a b o u t a n d liv e in t h e w o r ld .
w a y t o c re a te a s p a c e in w h ic h p e o p le a re
O fte n , h e r p r o je c ts r e ly o n t h e p a r t ic ip a t io n o f
t o g e t h e r a n d ta s k e d w it h a c h a lle n g e o r p r o m p t
t o c r e a te s o m e t h in g to g e t h e r .
W it h in t h a t s p a c e , a n in t e r e s t
in g d ia lo g d e v e lo p s as
ABOVE: St e p h a n ie Sy j u c o Counterfeit
Crochet (Brown Chanel) Hand-crocheted
version of a designer handbag, 2006.
LEFT: St e p h a n ie Sy j u c o The Counterfeit
Crochet Project (Critique o f a Political
Economy) Installation and workshop
at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts,
San Francisco, 2008.
All photos are by Stephanie Syjuco
(unless otherwise noted) and shown
courtesy of the artist.
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Surface Design Journal
St eph an ie Svj uc o Cargo Cults (2) Photograph, 2013.
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TOP: Artist Marnia Johnston participating in St e ph a n ie Syj uco ' s Afghanicraftistan workshop at Camp CARPAin Joshua Tree, CA), 2013.
INSET LEFT: An example of an Afghani War Rug (being examined by Rob Mertens and Marci Rae McDade at Camp CARPA.
INSET RIGHT: Yarn, crochet hook, grenade pattern, and sample from Syj uco ' s Afghanicraftistan workshop.
everyone is w o rk in g w ith th e ir hands, sharing skills,
and ta lkin g th ro u g h som e o f th e ideas related to
w h a t is being m ade," rem arked Syjuco in a recent
interview .
The visib ly hand m a d e "designer" handbags
o f C ounterfeit Crochet can be conceived as agents.
Inspiring d ia lo g as th e y m ake th e ir entrance in to
th e w o rld, th e clu n ky th in g s c o n tin u e th e conversa
tio n as th e y in filtra te th e landscape o f sleek con
sum er products. D eveloping C ounterfeit Crochet, a
th e m e em erged th a t has pervaded m uch o f
Syjuco's subsequent creative practice: speculating
on th e re la tio n sh ip o f objects to e co n o m ic systems.
T hrou gh pa ro dy and pastiche, her w o rk exam ines
ways th a t o bjects becom e codes fo r specific sys
tem s o f labor, p ro d u c tio n , and cu ltu ra l value.
C onsum er cu ltu re is e veryw here— in th e things,
spaces, and messages th a t w e experience daily.The
heart o f Syjuco's e n d eavor is to scram ble existing
relationships, creating fric tio n s betw een objects
and everyday assum ptions.
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A fghanicraftistan (2013 -o n g o in g ) revived
th e w o rksh o p fo rm a t o f C ounterfeit Crochet. First
d e b u te d last fall a t Cam p CARPA1 in Joshua Tree,
California, th is p ro je c t d re w fro m th e tra d itio n o f
A fghan War Rugs— te xtile s decorated w ith Soviet
ico n o g ra p h y th a t em erged d u rin g th e o ccu p a tio n
o f Afghanistan in th e late-1970s. P articipants cro
cheted a small te x tile panel using th e A fghan stitch
(a te c h n iq u e w ith ties to 1970s handcraft) and
"in v a d e d "th e te x tile by cross-stitching Soviet-era
tanks, grenades, helicopters, and K alashnikov rifles
on th e surface. F ittin g ly enacted fro m a desert
e n c a m p m e n t located near E rtebat Shar, a sim ulated
A fghan village used fo r US m ilita ry tra in in g , Syjuco's
w o rksh o p becam e a w ay to in te rro g a te th e rela
tio n s h ip b e tw e e n co lo n ia l e m p ire and h yb rid tra n s
fo rm a tio n s w ith in regional craft.
Born in th e P hilippines, Syjuco im m ig ra te d
to th e Bay Area w ith her m o th e r at age three. She
was raised in San Francisco's Asian co m m u n ity,
a ttu n e d at an early age to issues o f la b o r and
Surface Design Journal
Each photograph entices viewers to examine their own
clothing choices— to question the origins of design
and use in order to better understand the cultural and political
implications of our everyday commercial decisions.
St eph an ie Syj uc o Cargo Cults (1) Photograph, 2013.
ABOVE: St eph an ie Syj uc o ' s Cascadian Pattern Collapse (Production Shack)
installation at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR (June, 2014).
INSET TOP: St eph an ie Syj uc o shows off a completed poncho constructed of
textile mill scraps. Photos: Sarah Meadows.
INSET BOTTOM: Photo shoot image of a ghillie suit garment made from textile
scraps. Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, Oregon.
p r o d u c t io n — p a r t ic u la r ly in t h e g a r m e n t in d u s tr y .
s p a c e o f th e g a lle r y as a n u n t e t h e r e d s ite t o p e r
A f t e r c o m p le t in g h e r f in e a r t e d u c a tio n , S y ju c o
f o r m s a tire a n d p r o m o t e d is c u s s io n .
f o u n d h e r s e lf w it h in a lik e c o m m u n it y o f c r a fte r s
a n d h a c k e rs w h o s o u g h t t o g iv e m a k in g p o lit ic a l
p u r p o s e b y d is a s s o c ia tin g it f r o m t h e c r e a tio n o f
b la c k a n d w h it e p a t t e r n in g . In s p ire d b y d a z z le
p r o d u c ts . N o w a n in t e r n a t io n a l a rtis a n a l h a n d
c a m o u fla g e , a m ilit a r y t a c t ic d e v e lo p e d d u r in g
c r a f t m o v e m e n t a n d E tsy e m p ir e o f o n lin e sales,
W o r ld W a r I t o d is g u is e b a ttle s h ip s in o p e n
D IY b e g a n as a b la c k m a r k e t o f s o r ts — a g r o u p o f
o c e a n , S y ju c o 's p r o je c t s o u g h t t o e x a m in e a s im i
s e lf- p r o c la im e d m a k e rs w it h n o c le a r a g e n d a o r
la r p a t t e r n in g p h e n o m e n o n in c o n t e m p o r a r y
t e m p la t e f o r o r g a n iz a t io n t h a t s o u g h t t o e v a d e
fa s h io n : t h e u s e o f b la c k a n d w h it e , a m b ig u o u s ly
s a n c tio n e d m o d e ls o f p r o d u c t io n a n d c a p ita lis m .
e t h n ic te x tile s , w h ic h h a s b e c o m e a n o rm c o re (o r
In J u n e o f t h is ye a r, S y ju c o c o m p le t e d an
a r t is t r e s id e n c y a t t h e M u s e u m o f C o n te m p o r a r y
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V is ito r s d is c o v e re d a s e m i- p e r m e a b le
p ly w o o d c a b in w a llp a p e r e d w it h a n a rra y o f
u ltr a - c o n fo r m is t) m e c h a n is m t o h id e in p la in s ig h t.
S y ju c o n o t ic e d a n u n s e tt lin g m e r g e r o f
C r a ft in P o r tla n d , O r e g o n . H e r p r o je c t C ascadian
v is u a l m o t if s a n d s o c io - c u ltu r a l c o n n o t a t io n s
P attern C ollapse (P ro d u ctio n Shack) w a s h o u s e d
w it h in t h e Fashion Safehouse, a c o n c e p t d e v e l
t o C o n s tr u c tiv is t- e r a g r a p h ic a r t as w e ll as g lo b a l
o p e d b y S w e d is h d e s ig n e r a n d w r it e r O t t o v o n
" in d ig e n o u s " p a t t e r n in g r e in t e r p r e t e d t h r o u g h
w it h in th is fa s h io n tr e n d , c it in g v is u a l re fe re n c e s
B u s c h f o r t h e e x h ib it io n F a sh io n in g C ascadia: The
W e s te rn e ye s. H e r in t e r e s t in d a z z le c a m o u fla g e
S ocial Life o f th e G a rm e n t.2 T h e in t e n t o f th e
Safehouse w a s t o o p e r a te as a n e x p e r im e n t a l
f ir s t a p p e a r e d in Cargo Cults (2 0 1 3 ), a s e rie s o f
s e lf - p o r t r a it s f o r w h ic h t h e a r t is t a d o r n e d h e rs e lf
s p a c e ,"a h y p o th e t ic a l p la t f o r m f o r a lte r n a tiv e
in la y e rs o f b la c k a n d w h it e p a t t e r n e d g a r m e n ts
fa s h io n p r o d u c t io n t h a t e s c a p e s t h e d o m in a n t
t h a t s h e p u rc h a s e d (a n d la te r r e t u r n e d f o r f u ll
lo g ic o f b ig - F - F a s h io n ," a c c o r d in g t o v o n B u sch .
r e fu n d ) f r o m f a s t- fa s h io n o u t le ts lik e H & M .T h e
S y ju c o 's r e s id e n c y t o o k t h e f o r m o f a c r e a tiv e s e t
t it le e v o k e s t h e c o n c e p t o f ca rg o cu lt, a m id - 2 0 t h
t le m e n t t h a t le v e ra g e d t h e in h e r e n t ly w h it e
c e n t u r y t e r m d e v e lo p e d t o d e s c r ib e in it ia l
Surface Design Journal
.. ."W hat I'm trying to show is the marginal quality
of the final products
and reflect the conditions of production."
co n ta ct b e tw e en in d ig e n o u s trib e s and m odern
goods. Syjuco's p ro je c t brings fresh eyes to capi
talism 's c o n fla tio n o f native cu ltu re and c o m m o d
ity, serving as a cheeky in q u iry in to th e fetishizatio n o f b o th . Each p h o to g ra p h entices view ers to
exam ine th e ir o w n c lo th in g choices— to question
th e origins o f design and use in o rd e r to b e tte r
un derstand th e cultural and po litica l im p lica tio n s
o f o u r everyday com m ercial decisions.
Cascadian Pattern Collapse (Production
Shack) c o n tin u e d along this co n ce p tu a l thread
th ro u g h a m ore handm ade approach. Syjuco
co m b e d th ro u g h bags o f industrial rem nants
sourced fro m Pendleton W oolen Mills. She
w o rke d w ith lo o m ends and w o o ly w orm s cast
o ff d u rin g th e process o f m aking blankets and
apparel, k n o ttin g and sew ing th e m to g e th e r to
reconfigure th e fra g m e n ts in to versions o f th e
bedspreads and g arm ents th e y w ere never
m eant to be. A m o n g her m any creations was a
black and w h ite c u ttin g room scrap poncho, a
series o f ta rta n plaid n e tte d g h illie suits (a cam o u
flage g a rm e n t designed to resem ble foliage), and
an array o f ta n g le d accessories.
"I've been try in g to play w ith aesthetics
th a t are a little q u e stio n a b le ," rem arked Syjuco.
"Since e v e ryth in g is m ade o u t o f scraps, th e ra tio
nal th in g to do w o u ld be to tu rn th o se th in g s
in to b e a u tifu l objects, b u t I'm n o t necessarily
a tte m p tin g to do th a t. W hat I'm try in g to show is
th e m arginal q u a lity o f th e final pro d u cts and
reflect th e co n d itio n s o f p ro d u c tio n ."
Each o b je c t p ro d u ce d in th e Production
Shack was a m ash-up o f design and surface.The
ka fta n-like poncho, m ilita ris tic g h illie suits, and
cru d e ly beaded to u ris t m arket accessories each
spoke to a d is tin c tiv e cultural o rig in .T h e m aterial
choice o f Pacific N o rth w e st w o o l fu rth e r served
to m ix signals, p ro b in g th e tra n sla tio n o f cu ltu re
th ro u g h c o m m o d ity.T h e frayed selvage ends and
conspicuous b la n ke t stitches retained in these
ga rm ents n e ith e r disguise nor celebrate th e ir
h u m b le origins. As w ith C ounterfeit Crochet,
Cascadian Pattern Collapse em phasizes process
over p ro d u ct. In a sense, Syjuco's p ro je c t was to
enact an a nti-facto ry, tra n s fo rm in g m aterials
deem ed unvia ble by th e g a rm e n t in d u s try in to
obje cts th a t qu estion th e very nature o f fashion
itself.
H ow can the politics o f production and
commerce be m ade m ore transparent? H ow can
Fall2014
large-scale systems be changed to benefit a ll o f
hum anity, an d n o t ju s t those in power?
Syjuco e m ploys objects, installations,
and p u b lic dialogs to invoke spaces fo r such
speculation. Her fictio n s, o r"fric tio n s "a s she calls
th e m , begin w ith p e cu lia ritie s— th e m ig ra tio n o f
p a tte rn across cultures, fo r e xam ple— th a t are
tra n sfo rm e d in to m aterial expressions, g ivin g
fo rm to her a lte rn a tive w o rld vie w .
Her ne xt endeavor, Empire/Other, was
recently aw arded a 2014 G u g g e n h e im F ellow ship
grant.T his p ro je c t w ill e m p lo y d ig ita l te c h n o lo g y
to create h yb rid ize d colonial-era ceram ics based
on scanned renderings taken fro m m useum col
lections. The am algam ated vessels w ill serve as
m anifestations o f co lo n ia l p o w e r— ta c tile repre
sentations o f th e h o s tility p ro d u ce d w h e n cul
tures are forced to g e th e r. Here, Syjuco plays co lo
nizer, n o t o n ly in filtra tin g th e creation o f m aterial
culture, b u t also re w ritin g h isto ry by hacking in to
th e narratives e n to m b e d by m useum display.
"W hen it com es to politics, colonial his
tory, and culture, th e re is an a ssum ption th a t
th e re m u st be a p ro p e r w ay to speak a b o u t and
represent these things. I'm interested in playing
w ith these markers by creating fic tio n a l images
and objects th a t are b o th playful and critical."
Syjuco's projects b rin g a tte n tio n to systems o f
p o w e r in h e re n t w ith in o u r m aterial landscape,
serving as catalysts to im a g in e o th e rw ise and to
redefine a possible fu tu re .
'Camp CARPA in Joshua Tree, CA (October 16-19,
2013) was profiled on SDA NewBlog in "Camp CARPA:
Craftivism in the Desert" by Marci Rae McDade;
surfacedesign.org/newsblog.
2Fashioning Cascadia: The Social Life o f the Garment, was
on display at the Museum of Contemporary Craft,
Portland, OR (May 9-October 11,2014);
mocc.pnca.edu.Curated by Sarah Margolis-Pineo.
Stephanie Syjuco will be featured in the traveling
group exhibition Alien She at Yerba Buena Center for
the Arts in San Francisco (October 24,2014-January
25,2015), www.ybca.org; and the Mellon Creative
Residencies Program American Rubble (Phase V at
Haverford College in Pennsylvania (December 1-7,
2014) ; www.stephaniesyjuco.com.
— Sarah Margolis-Pineo is a writer and Associate
Curator a t the Museum o f Contemporary Craft in
Portland, Oregon.
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