Elija Montgomery

I am a designer and maker, in Melbourne, Australia.

[madebyelija]

Heads up!  This is happening in 3 WEEKS! And! There will be a new monster!!! Yes, that’s right, Wat is getting a new sibling.  I’ll be sharing the making process of this new, yet-to-be-named monster on my instagram @elijatude  Artist statement/description:

I AM A MONSTER – and you can be, too.

Monsters have always been a way for us to categorize others.  In 2013, Elija Montgomery created I AM A MONSTER: a photo essay of a monster’s life, and his underlying humanity.  These six photos highlighted our similarities by exposing them as our assumption of difference. Building on this work, Montgomery now invites you to become the monster.  This interactive performance piece welcomes the public to don a ‘monster character’ and sit for a portrait.  While this guise may cover the face, participants will still find themselves recognizable.  This piece explores identity, individuality, and being different while belonging to a greater whole.  I AM A MONSTER – and you can be, too is the next chapter in Montgomery’s monstrous body of work.

[madebyelija]

Elija & Wat parallel Calvin & Hobbes. (a quick stop-motion of the photo shoot day) #monsterWAT

[madebyelija]

I AM A MONSTER is an exploration of misunderstood monsters, their use as narrative, and addresses the ways in which we feel different and other, by looking at our relationships with people, spaces, and ourselves.

Monsters have always been a way for us to categorize others. Through the use of photographs, the audience discovers who this monster really is, rather than just what. They are given a glimpse of his insecurities, his fears, his hopes, and his accomplishments. The true complexity of his nature is shared with the viewer, who is given permission to empathize with him, and to accept themselves and others as being a little monstrous.

I AM A MONSTER highlights our similarities by exposing them as our assumption of difference. It is an invitation to celebrate the complexities of our humanity.

The main photo series, as on display at the 2013 OCAD University Graduate Exhibition, can be found here.

My complete thesis documentation and process can be found here.

Process work for Wat can be found here. Process work for Ro (his pet) can be found here.

Follow Wat on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter.

[madebyelija]

I AM A MONSTER, 2013

Part of my body of work for my OCADU undergrad thesis.  Artist statement and more information can be found here. Photographed around Toronto, Canada.

Copies of these prints are available for purchase.

update: a response to responses can be found here.

[madebyelija]

Wat & Ro, 2012-2013.

Fun fur, plastic, leather, suede, electronics.

Wat and his pet, Ro, are monsters I designed and made as part of my OCADU undergrad thesis, titled I AM A MONSTER.

My artist statement and links to the process work can be found here.

[madebyelija]

RAWR, 2013.

Carved foam, felt, leather, fun fur, and hand made paper.  Letters are roughly 7" tall.

This was part of a larger body of work I was creating for my OCADU undergrad thesis, exploring monsters and narratives.  

Process work can be found here.

[madebyelija]

Water colour illustrations, 2011 - present.

More water colour drawings can be found here.

[madebyelija]

Cut and Paste Poetry Series, 2012

Combining found text and objects.  This collection was part of a group show at Oz Studios, Toronto.

Scans of the collection can be found here.

[madebyelija]

A Work of Whimsy, 2011

Hand made cotton paper, machine sewn, screen printed (text digitally manipulated typewritten sentences). Fifteen pieces, 11" x 14" each.

A Work of Whimsy is an exploration of the importance and value of words.  Crafting a visual piece of art in tandem with crafting sentences and sentiment, saying a lot with saying very little, and playing with the way text is commonly presented.

[madebyelija]

Explorations with visuals and text: ongoing.

[madebyelija]

The Perpetual Motion Machine, 2011

Hand cut and sewn letters, scanned, and digitally printed on canvas.

A hypothetical banner for the 1912 World's Fair, inspired by Paul Sheerbart's book of the same name.

Process work can be found here.

[madebyelija]

Keep On Keeping On, 2011

Hand embroidered, scanned, and digitally printed on canvas.

[madebyelija]

Tactile Tendencies, 2011

Mixed media and techniques, including: hand made paper, knitting, embroidery, sewing, zippers, velvet, leather, feathers, 35mm film, and hand embroidered Braille.  Original installation included a 30 second video introduction to the piece.

Tactile Tendencies invites the viewer to engage with a piece of visual art with multiple senses.  Touch, smell, and kinetic aspects are explored amid a range of textures.

Currently on loan to the OCAD University Inclusive Design Research Centre.

Process work can be found here.

[madebyelija]

eclectic, 2011

Silk ramie material, cotton and wool threads; hand made dyes from fern and ragweeds; hand embroidered.

Process can be found here.

[madebyelija]

The Other F-Word, 2011

Hand made cotton and abaca paper, silk screen printed, some machine and hand sewing applied, 18" x 24" (each). 

The Other F-word was part of an exploration of my relationship to this f-word, and how it has been used against me, for me, and by me. Exploring the idea of reclaimed words, the power of words, and devaluing words: making them meaningless through repetition.

The main set of eight are currently on loan to the OCAD University Inclusive Design Research Centre.

Process work can be found here.

Some pieces and additional prints are available for purchase.

[madebyelija]

Fuck You - a triptych, 2011

Silk ramie, with block and screen printing, Arduino and LED, and hand embroidery; framed in 9" diameter embroidery hoops.

Fuck You - a triptych explores how a message can change with how it is both being presented and received.  The image of the middle finger, the LED flashing in Morse code, and the delicate script all state "Fuck You" in very different ways, and viewers will respond to each in similarly different ways.

Process work can be found here.

[madebyelija]

Soft Spoken, 2010

14"x18" cotton & wool, woven with Braille embroidery.  The Braille is a quote from Louis L. Bucciarelli: "I will take my chances with words; they endure somewhat longer."

Textiles are highly tactile, yet fine art pieces are rarely engaged with beyond the maker. Soft Spoken engages the audience both visually and physically, as well as opening the visual art experience to the visually impaired. It creates a connection between maker and audience, through touch history of the piece.