Artist Statement

We use filters everyday to adjust or purify water, air, sound and light. Trees filter the sunlight, noise and even pollution. The coffee filter's role is to trap out the nasty coffee grinds. As a metaphor, it is my hope to create art that will filter out some of the negative energies we are all burdened with and allow us to view things in a different light.

It all began when I was brainstorming for some low-cost and fun art kite activities for an after-school program I was teaching. I had been doing shibori dyeing (tie dyeing) kite workshops using Japanese washi paper, but needed a cheaper alternative. Paper towels worked for a short time but would tear and fall apart easily. I never gave coffee filters much attention as I tossed them into the compost bin, but began to notice that they almost never seemed to fall apart even after a few days soaked with used coffee grinds. The coffee filter art kite was a huge hit with my students. They inspired me to incorporate the filters into my own artwork. Why should my students have all the fun? After doing a little research I discovered that coffee filters come in mega-sizes up to 10 gallons or nearly two feet in diameter.

The room installation is my current results from using coffee filters and a beginning step towards my ultimate goal to fill the sky with floating filters. The earliest filter kites started off round, but would distort in the air. I began experimenting with ellipse shapes, different framing and adding slits and holes to allow the air and light to react differently. The possibilities are endless.

Greg Kono
July 29, 2008