qajariaq: But is it art?

I've started work on what is likely the final iteration of the green kayak. Originally built for Alison (it didn't really fit and wasn't suitable for rolling because of the high back), later deskinned by me, critiqued by Kamp, the kayak has been stored on the fence or in the garage because I never was sure what to do next. One problem was its construction and design: the deck beams are through morticed; removing any one meant cutting it out and probably gluing the tenons in place, and I didn't know the extent of the modifications needed to make it fit me (my plan at one time).

So.

Alison is doing an installation for Artomatic (check out http://artomatic.org/). This year the area for the artists is open, so she'll have a 12-foot-long by 8-foot-high wall and about 9 feet of floor space in front of it with which to work. Part of her design is to hang art from the wall, which will be lit from above; fabricate a platform with two-by-fours on edge, drywall on top, holes cut in the drywall, and lit from below; and run a kayak frame from one corner of the wall to the opposite corner of the floor platform.

When she first told me about the idea, I said that I was fine with her using the frame (I'd made it for her and now she'd finally be getting some use out of it). It didn't have a masik, and I asked her if she wanted me to add one, but I wasn't keen on the idea because, well, it was strictly for show. She said that she'd like to have a complete kayak, but…and we sort of left it open ended.

Which meant that on Saturday, I took the old, clunky masik, put it in place and sketched a few curves on it, and with a jigsaw cut out something that actually resembles a masik. Funny, I couldn't have done that 3 years ago. Kamp didn't like the long stringers, so out those went. He also wasn't keen on the shape of the bow and stern, so I softened the edges of both.

To actually get the kayak frame into the building, it has to fit in an 8-foot elevator, so it will be cut in thirds and assembled on site. I've marked the scarfs and drilled holes for the dowels that will hold the frame together. What remains is to cut the gunwales, chines, and keelson. Before I do that, I want Alison to see the frame complete. Or maybe I'm just not ready to cut it up yet. I want it to exist, for the moment, as something right, not as the compromise (from ignorance, from inexperience) it was initially, nor as the incomplete frame on a shelf in the garage it had been for the least several years.

I feel bad that it never had a proper life on the water, but it's serving another purpose now, and I'm happy to see it in Alison's hands again.

Full kayak, side view: