Barley Sculpture at CounterPulse
Engaging with the art process and play with the possibilities of making a new and personalized creation, using natural materials such as wheat barley and other natural fibers.

Barley Sculpture is one of the The Block Fest Art Activities for the Tenderloin Residents
"Dismantling each barley stem, I have found a firework display of natural color and beauty. Time and patient are essential in creating these sculptures, but it is worth it to bring the country into the city. After the sculpture is complete, I feel at home. I feel at peace". Tan Sirinumas

Tenderloin Residents participate the Block Fest: Making Barley Sculpture at CounterPulse
"Back in Thailand, I enjoy the scenery of tall grass and rice fields.
Though I spent much of my time in Bangkok, whenever I returned home to the countryside to see my family I would drive through the fields and feel the calmness of nature and a reprieve from the city", Tan Sirinumas

A participant is making a barley sculpture
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)
The Artist have found that the use of nature’s materials such as barley and other natural fibers brings a return to this sense of calmness and home. Deconstructing each plant stem and reworking them into a new geometric forms. Each sculpture features the organic nature of its original form, but with an explosive energy that summons something new and dynamic.

Deconstructing each barley wheat stem and reworking them into a new geometric
I would like to demonstrate my process for creating barley sculptures. Each sculpture that I create embodies the patience and focus that is required to detach each of the many fibers from the plant stem and reapply the them into a new framework. My hope is that participants would be exposed to using natural materials to bring calmness and introspection and connect them with using nature’s forms to create healing and self-expression.

Making barley sculpture
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)

A participant is creating a barley sculpture while being focused and calmed
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)

Participants create their own versions of barley sculpture
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)

A participant is creating a barley sculpture while being focused and calmed
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)
The Artist Activator public art opportunity is for artists working in and with the communities of the Tenderloin. Artist Activators will partner with CounterPulse, Central City S.R.O. Collaborative (CCSROC) and Tenderloin residents to design projects to feature at a monthly Block Fest on Turk Street between Mason Street and Taylor Street. Every first Friday of the month from 3PM-4:30PM CounterPulse, CCSROC, and Artist Activators will animate the block with art, culture, and community with Block Fest. We hope to celebrate what makes the Tenderloin special, elevate underheard community concerns, and engage our neighbors in art-making and sharing.

Participant is creating her own version of barley sculpture
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)

Participants are creating her own version of barley sculpture
(Image credit: Allen Ellison)

CounterPulse, San Francisco
(Image credit: CounterPulse)
INFORMATION