Sunday, July 20, 2008
Witnessing DIY
One thing I noticed when in art school was that when, over the summers, I would go outside to do landscape painting, there was an inclination for people to watch. Sometimes they would make a brief remark, cautiously testing the possibility of some conversation. It was a very natural and convivial way for people to make contact. When you do something people feel more comfortable approaching you — if you are giving out vibes that contact is okay and they hold up their end, which they almost always do, of being respectful.
I think that is part of the fascination with DIY shows, beyond the proximate learning opportunity. The compelling instinct to watch people do things. An extension of our interest in observing, laughing at, admiring, being intrigued by, behavior. The clever use of tool and materials is engrossing. The making of things — it is fascinating; witnessing positive change.
…Amy Matthews, a shapely blond contractor who handles a nail gun like Annie Oakley … before my unbelieving eyes, solved the “two-flush toilet” problem with nothing more than a piece of wire clipped from an ordinary coat hanger. Poking and probing under a toilet-bowl rim, she cleared out mineral deposits, thereby speeding up the water flow.