December in Hamtramck

By Gabrielle Egnater

December will be my last month residing in Hamtramck Disneyland. This post acts as a reflection and publication of the works created during my three-month residency. Though many pieces have been explored and remain in progress, three pieces have come to a moment of possible completion.

I spent the majority of my first month in Hamtramck Disneyland taking in and processing the multiple structures, objects, and patterns that form the art environment. In conjunction with processing the current Hamtramck Disneyland, I was able to access the past forms of Hamtramck Disneyland through photographs and relics in Szylak’s apartment. When Szylak was actively living in and creating the art environment, no structure, object, or pattern remained the same for very long. This fact led me to the idea of “alternative archiving,” a non-traditional way of archiving the color patterns seen in the current form of Hamtramck Disneyland. The series features sheet metal tiles coated in oil-based enamel acting as a type of “color swatch” for the art environment.

During the month of November, I continued with motifs already present in my practice. I created the “adjustable monuments” as a starting point for a body of interactive installations that allow the audience to decide what a monument marks and how the monument marks it.

To contribute to the Hamtramck Disneyland Renovation, I fabricated structures for the north garage roof that mimic Szylak’s work and support objects previously placed in the art environment. Once the weather warms up, the structures will be painted, bolted together, and adorned with sculptures.