Driving With my Eyes Closed (Random)

Using a random weave process, this basket is built through intuitive layering and interlacing of materials. Repurposed Amazon packaging, paper cord, flat reed, and round reed are woven together, allowing the form to develop through accumulation rather than a set pattern. This approach reflects the use of post-consumer materials and parallels how we consume, especially when it comes to single-use plastics. The spontaneous process leans into a way of working that is responsive and open ended, mirroring how materials move through everyday life while pointing to cycles of excess, use, and discard.

Height: 10
Width: 18
Depth: 18
Photo credit: Artist

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H: 10" | W: 18" | D: 18"

Photo by Artist

Elise Marks Vazelakis

Malibu, CA

I work with materials that are often overlooked or discarded, including Amazon packaging, plastic mailers, water bottles, and emerging materials like bioplastic yarn. Collected from daily life, these materials carry traces of use and movement. Through basketry, I reconsider their value. Rooted in traditional techniques like twining, my work bridges past and present by using synthetic and future-oriented materials in structures historically tied to sustainability. Plastic, now as pervasive as natural fiber, becomes workable through slow, repetitive processes. By transforming these materials into woven forms, I extend their life and shift their meaning, asking how value can change when we slow down and pay attention.

NBO Members Exhibition

Elise Marks Vazelakis