The Problem with Duct Taping
Dear readers,
If you know anything about me by this point, you are probably confused by my title. How could I use the words “problem” and “duct tape” in the same phrase unless that phrase is “duct tape can fix any problem”? Well, faithful readers, I have found fault in this beautiful art form! I will not keep you in suspense any longer; the problem with duct taping is that it is hard. Some of my most frustrating experiences involve clutching a partially completed article of duct tape in one hand with a twisted strip of duct tape stuck to the other in several places. And while I hold this lost cause in my hands, I always come to the same resentful conclusion about duct taping; it would be easier if I had a little help and advice from another duct tape enthusiast.
I understand that duct taping may not seem an inherently difficult hobby. I have had many people ask me if my duct tape dresses were made by covering a pre-existing dress in duct tape or if I applied the duct tape directly to my skin. But it’s not that simple! First, applying duct tape directly to the skin is quite possibly the worst idea ever. Ow. And second, duct taping one’s self into a pre-existing dress would be very challenging. For example, covering the backside would be nearly impossible to do (just you try sticking duct tape to your back in a nice straight horizontal line without any wrinkles) and even if you managed to convince a friend to do it for you, once the dress had been made, it couldn’t be removed without the aid of scissors. And anyway, that would be cheating!
So clearly, duct taping is deceptively tricky. Here are some of the challenges I have encountered during my own projects:
Wrinkles: these occur in all of my projects, especially the three dimensional ones. A lot of technique is involved in avoiding them. Projects without wrinkles are a sign of great skill. The most impressive example is an article of clothing so wrinkle-free that nobody realizes it is made of duct tape.
Clean rips: every time I add a piece of tape to a project, I need to rip or cut that tape off the roll, leaving a certain amount of fray on the edges of that piece. I had to develop the way I rip duct tape in order to minimize phrasing.
Comfort and Breathability: I wore my first duct tape dress to robo-prom; a dance for participants of a national robotics championship. Robo-prom consists of about three hours of unremitting dancing, and by the end I was very aware that my dress was neither comfortable nor breathable. Duct taping is a practical art form; it needs to work in the real world. My first dress was not one I could wear comfortably, and creating better dresses since then has been a challenge.
Fit: Because duct tape does not have a lot of give, every project must be measured with its use in mind. When I make messenger bags, I have to measure the books that they will contain because if the bag is too small, the project was a waste of time. Similarly, when I made my first dress, it was not made to fit me very exactly. Duct tape dresses usually look best when they are fitted, so learning to work with a three dimensional model was very important.
Closures: Because duct taping is a practical form of art, and projects need to function in the real world, closures were often necessary. Duct tape clothing requires closures to keep the outfit on and fitted and whole. Some purses and messenger bags require closures to hold their contents safely. I usually use shoelaces, Velcro, or magnets for my closures. I have had to learn which closures to use in certain projects and how to integrate them most effectively and attractively.
Durability: Sometime during my freshman year of high school, I made a duct tape messenger bag to replace my backpack. I was very proud of it; it held all my books and had a water bottle holder and several pockets. By the end of my freshman year, it had been run ragged. Pockets were entirely missing, the water bottle had crumpled, and rips were appearing in certain parts of the bag. In order for a project to be practical, it must be durable. Since then, I have been learning how to spot potentially vulnerable parts of my projects and how to reinforce those parts.
These challenges are some of those that I encountered in the process of my first projects. I had to puzzle through their solutions on my own. I think it would have helped me to receive advice and support from other duct tape enthusiasts. Most of them have met these challenges at some point and have found their own way to solve them. Flickr user DuckTape_Rose has found a way to alleviate wrinkles from her flowers, and to manipulate her own wrinkles into the design for artistic effect. Ebay vendor Ozzysgma sells durable purses online. Duck Brand’s Stuck at Prom winners Lindsay and Jarrid discovered how to integrate duct tape lace into their project. This knowledge would be so valuable to other duct tape enthusiasts! What this community needs is some sort of online community in which they could ask questions and share expertise. If such a forum existed, this problem with duct tape might not be such a problem anymore.
This video is pretty goofy, but it does make a few good points, particularly in the last 12ish seconds.
This event hit very close to home for me since I spent a few years of high school living in Davis, California. Many of my classmates attend this University and have been participating in these protests. It was very hard for me to watch people from my town being treated this way, especially given that Davis is what we like to call “a total hippie town” where things like this don’t really happen.
I was incredibly angry when I first watched this video, and I really hoped it would go completely viral. I wanted everyone to know about this. It has not been the only university protest that has ended in undue violence, but the know-your-meme spokesperson in this video is right in saying that the pictures and videos that came out of this peaceful protest were highly exploitable.
I first came across the article on the front page of the huffington post website. news of this show of violence spread through all sorts of social media. People got really angry! And that is what I wanted. I wanted people as angry as I was when I first saw the video. But I was worried that the story would blow over too soon. People would forget about this story before some of these victims left the hospital. I was so hoping that people wouldn’t forget, but I don’t know how to feel about what it the story has become. The issue hasn’t disappeared from the media as I thought it might, but look at where it resides now; almost exclusively on meme databases.
I don’t know how to feel about this meme because although it keeps people remembering the injustice of the event that occurred, it also diminishes the impact of the issue. The benefit of social media is that everything is faster. Stories can spread like wildfire given the opportunity, but they can disappear just as quickly.
Duct Tape Storify!
My senior year we were required to do a demonstration speech and someone in my class did one about making duct tape wallets! That’s what I immediately thought of when you started your presentation. I have never seen the other various forms of duct tape art however! It’s really impressive and I’m sure it takes a lot of patience to execute each project well. What’s the most complicated thing you’ve made?
Well, my immediate response was my most recent backpack. That was tough because it involved working in three dimensions, which is challenging. But the backpack could be deconstructed into on big flat piece. The hard part was assembling it at the end. But come to think, clothes have always been the hardest. They involve working in three dimensions as well, but also with a living, changing person. They have to be comfortable, breathable, attractive, and often very curvy. and duct tape doesn’t like curves that much.
My most complicated project was a duct tape pirate Halloween costume. It involved many small complicated pieces that were layered. It was a challenge to keep it from being too bulky and to make it breathable and comfortable to dance in. The costume included a strapless top, a corset, a skirt, a sash, a sword, and a pirate hat.
One idea that stuck out for me in your presentation was when you said that “anything that can be made, can be made out of duct tape.” Clearly people have been trying out many different ideas, with things ranging from purses and flowers all the way to prom dresses! It’s…
I do think that a social media community could develop in the future. The hobby is new. Just because there isn’t one now doesn’t mean there won’t be one. But I think there will by attempts and failures before one actually develops. These things seem to happen pretty organically.
Duct Tape Storify!
I absolutely loved looking at all of the prom dress duct tape photos! Do you think the online communities help fuel and foster the duct tape art hobby?
Well, yes and no. I don’t think I would have ever made a dress if I hadn’t known about the prom scholarship. That online community definitely inspired me. But it hasn’t helped me learn what I’m doing. My first dress was a bit of a flop because there was no online community to help me get started. So I would say online communities help to inspire new artists. But they don’t necessarily “fuel and foster” the artform. Not yet at least!
Duct Tape Storify!
I realize you’d started duct tape construction before! What are some things you have made, and how far have you come since you started (how long has it been)?
I think I started in middle school by covering my books in duct tape. I hated the texture of grocery bags on my books and many of my teachers required me to duct tape the corners anyway. So I covered most of my books! Sometime in my freshman year of high school was my first duct tape backpack. I wanted a purple messenger bag that was sturdy and big enough for my books, but I had no cash for a new one, so I made one from duct tape. I made my first dress in my sophomore year. That was when I learned about all the challenges of duct taping clothes. Since then, my dresses have become more fitted, more comfortable, more breathable, and more attractive. My new backpack is much sturdier than my first, and I feel comfortable manipulating duct tape into most anything!
First off, I found it really interesting that they have duct tape scholarships! I’ve never heard of them before. I also thought it was cool to learn that the Duct Tape brand actually provides videos on how to make some things out of duct tape. I really liked how you showed…
The only reason I can think of that there isn’t a social media community for duct tape is that one has just not developed yet. I really think that there are enough enthusiasts to have a strong community, but these things develop very organically. and slowly.
Duct Tape Storify!
How does the company interact with the nerd culture involved in duct tape design? Does it also do different social media outreach for more, er, manly and mainstream uses of duct tape?
Here’s the bizarre thing: Duck brand is the primary vendor of duct tape and they must have figured out that duct tape is pretty awful for fixing ducts. Their entire marketing campaign seems to revolve around the more novel uses of duct tape. If you look at their website, there are a few pages dedicated to the traditional uses of their products and the rest is all nerd culture. Their targeted demographic is no longer manly men. It’s totally nerds!
Proof: duckbrand’s latest youtube video is potentially dorkier than the last.
Fantasy Football
I am not exactly what you’d call a football fan, but this presentation was still very fun and engaging for me. Two parts of your presentation struck me as very interesting. First was the physical therapist that had fantasy followers looking for advice. This is something I never would have considered, but it’s a brilliant idea. Second were the personal ads from the players. I definitely will be looking up a few more of those!
Storify Final Presentation
<script src=”http://storify.com/arscano/twitter-in-china.js?template=slideshow”></script><noscript><a href=”http://storify.com/arscano/twitter-in-china” target=”_blank”>View the story “Twitter in China” on Storify</a>]</noscript>
I am ending with a question mark, so you don’t have to reblog like crazy, you just have to answer my question?
This is a subject I did not know a lot about. Your presentation was very effective in not only explaining the situation, but giving a lot of background involving people involved in the issue. I think this was a great use of pathos. Very well done.
