Contact - Unus Mundus Project

Synchronizing Art, Travel and Exchange.

Synchronizing Art, Travel and Exchange.

Who am I?
ART
TRAVEL
EXCHANGE
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Have a project idea?

Installation? Exhibition?

Random Question?

Adventure?!

Reach out! Email me at:

chelsea.southard@gmail.com

The outpouring of responses to my podcast have rea

The outpouring of responses to my podcast have really moved me!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen and share their feelings with me. It was a wonderful experience to tell my story in that way and an even greater one hearing how it is inspiring other people.

At the end of it all, that is what keeps me pushing forward. You. Me. And our connection.

If I know you or if I don't, it doesn't matter. We wake up to the same sun and fall asleep under the same moon together each day so regardless of time or distance we are here together and we are here to help each other in whatever form life allows that to take.

The road is long my friends, the path is difficult.
Take each day to do one thing that matters and you will find yourself with a lifetime of joy.

#unusmundusproject
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#joy #storytelling #podcast #travelingartist #nomad #mystory #linework #fullbodytattoo #oneworld #oneplanet #psychonaut #psychedelics #togetherforever #oneconsciousness #tao #intention #lineworktattoo #womenartists #writersofinstagram #womenwriters #globalcitizen #allone #podcastinterview

This week I did a podcast interview with Michael o

This week I did a podcast interview with Michael of @never_again_studio ! Micheal, a fellow dream chaser, multifaceted artist and creator, passion driven and with a plan, has run Never Again Studio for over 12 years now! My podcast is episode 190, amazing!

The podcast focuses on telling “who you are” the story of where you are now and how you got there. Including the trials and tribulations, joys and lessons along the way, which I get into myself in the session. I pretty much go back to when I was born and give an overview of my life story through my art and adventure travel so if you're interested in hearing it straight from my mouth, here you go! LINK IN BIO!

Micheal asked really good questions and provoked some important thoughts within me, it was quite therapeutic. I have felt distant from much of the life I was living before Covid so it was nice to spend time talking with Michael to remind myself of the journey I am on and all the beauty and mess that goes along with the real story of what has made me who I am today.

Thanks Michael for taking the time to talk with me and inspiring me with your own story.
Looking forward to watching your dreams evolve!

Big shoutout to @matthewhamm for connecting us!

#unusmundusproject
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#bethlehempa #podcast #whoyouare #neveragainstudio #neveragainradio #mystory #storytelling #perseverance #radioshow #mylife #travelingartist #mototraveler #crf250l #dr650 #rtw #womenwhoride #bewhoyouare #unapologeticallyme #womenartists #womenwhowander #nomad #dreambig #dreamer #thehumanexperience #motolife #mototravel #motorcycle #adventure #advmoto

Did my first ever iron pour this past weekend with $Did my first ever iron pour this past weekend with the @nmihorg at Bethlehem Steel. It was incredible. The team I worked with on the pour was super inspiring! Lots of energy, spirit and knowledge. A warm feeling of mutual enthusiasm about metal and fire...maybe I should say hot feeling! Hot as hell actually! The cupola furnace was appropriately named Hellga. So much love and thanks to all those I worked with @katiehovencamp @lace.anvil_lgkart @marissabaezart @emilyallisbaker and for the @nmihorg for having the event! This experience really put some gears into motion as I think more about complex organic forms of steel and glass. I was even able to speak with an expert on the subject about some ideas I have regarding the fusion of the two materials and how that is done with casting and kilns. It was enlightening and inspiring. Holding the crucible of boiling steel was exhilarating. It was intense and demanding, time sensitive and heavy. Very much like when I work with glass. Watching the surface crackle into multitudes of fractals made me feel like I was carrying a little volcano. And any of you who have been following me over the years know how much I am in love with them! I will be doing more of it for sure and putting the information I learned regarding melting mixed materials into play with my artwork. I’ll show you the casting I made tomorrow! #unusmundusproject . . . #bethlehempa #ironcast #ironcasting #casting #iron #furnace #moltenmetal #teamwork #fire #blastfurnace #melting #metalart #glassart #experiment #femaleartist #metalworker #metalworking #womenartists #lehighvalley #bethlehemsteel #collaboration #volcanos #hotstuff #inspiration #newwork #makeart #newtechniques #burnit$

Capturing 24 in a photo is difficult since it is s

Capturing 24 in a photo is difficult since it is so massive.
It is best to be experienced.
And seen at night which is how I intended for it to be viewed.
Night shots coming soon!

There are many moments in this work that make me emotional when I see them.
This corner angle. A lattice made with crossing lines. A sweeping curve of steel.
The beauty of its symmetry and the complexity of the geometry.
And then I touch it... strum it… the vibrations ripple throughout the entirety of the form.
I put your ear to the I-beam feeling it humming, rumbling... speaking.

It is a living thing to me.
Something that I have made that is capable of more than I intended.
I think all of my work gives me that feeling. Some more than others.
Generally the scale is proportional to the profundity of that sensation, which is why I am drawn to large scale artwork.

This piece teases me with snapshots of what my artistic core was born to express.
It holds in it parts of me that I plan to extrapolate on a multitude of scales and planes throughout my life.

24 is a sculpture, an instrument, an experiment, a creature.
And each of these facets excite parts of me that nothing else in the world can.

#unusmundusproject
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#largescaleart #artinstallation #metalworking #metalart #femaleartist #womenwhoweld #linework #bigart #immersiveexperience #spacetime #geometricart #lineworkart #buildyourempire #alwaysbuilding #artistsoninstagram #travelingartist #womenartists #fabrication #urbexart #artisticprocess #bethlehempa #decay #entropy #time #largescale #dowhatyoulove #soundsculpture #soundart #vibrations

Making an @isaacsouthard original in the shop this

Making an @isaacsouthard original in the shop this month!

I had to get creative with my jigs and clamps considering I don't have a large enough welding table or a sufficient number of metalworking clamps to assemble it. It's quite comical if you ask me but hey! It's totally square and all the edges are flush and tight. You do what you can with what you have. And one day when I have the studio of my dreams, I'll look back at things like this and it will make life all the more sweet.

It's a very slick steel firewood storage box with a side compartment for other things. The top is a seating area with a small table area above the storage compartment. There will be a matching box for ash disposal and also a special set of angular coat hooks that will hang over the boxes to complete the artistic arrangement.

Lots of clean lines and crisp edges.
Nice shadows and a rich patina.
So many of my favorite things.
I spy a similar aesthetic approach!

This is the first real project we have collaborated on. I can only hope that there will be many more to come because I believe we could be a real powerhouse together if we put our minds to it!

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#womenwhoweld #bethelhempa #weldlife #weldred #brothersisterlove #welding #migwelding #femalefabricators #shoplife #fablife #fabrication #metalfabrication #metalworking #steel #collaboration #powerhouse #womenwithlocs #jig #creativesolutions #challangeaccepted #metalworker #womenwhowork #artandarchitecture @lincolnelectric @black.stallion.bsx

You have to learn a new form of sight when you sta

You have to learn a new form of sight when you start welding.
Behind this mask the world is dark and limited, before you melts a material that your mind believed was rigid and unyielding.

And yet, with a click of your finger, a tap of your foot, a flick of your wrist… it softens into a puddle that you use to connect, combine and create something new.

The first time I saw metal melt into a liquid from behind that lens I was mesmerized. And still to this day when I flip down my hood and that brilliant blue light splashes into view, the awe remains.

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#womenwhoweld #welding #metalworker #femalefabricators #womenwhowork #welders #weldlife #metalworking #migwelding #weldred #light #arc #femaleartist #womenartists #artistsoninstagram #travelingartist #largescaleart #artfabrication #artinstallation #fabrication #fablife #welder #wonder #fire #heat #bethlehempa #metal #womenwithlocs @lincolnelectric @black.stallion.bsx

Welded up the final spine of 24 yesterday. It was

Welded up the final spine of 24 yesterday.
It was the most extreme angle of the artwork and I love it!
One more section to go and then we will be done with the metalwork for it.

The crew and I have learned so much from building this piece, the most important part about the piece's execution is consistency. The position of the jig, where the tension lies, how the tensioners are attached to the rods, the location of the clamps, the pull from the ratchet straps, how hot it is welded, the location of the weld, how well its brazed, keeping the metal straight.
Have I made my point?

The order of operations is critical and if even one thing is out of line, the symmetry suffers.
We have dealt with line sagging, too much tension and too little, the wrong pull angles. We have had to cut down entire sections just because the jig was a little off or the angle of the rod was incorrect.

There is some variation in the lines which was unavoidable. Gravity plays a major role in that. Also money and time forced me to use a thinner rod size than I wanted which affected the “achievable straightness”. This is not simply an arrangement of strings that can be strung up by just anyone. These are steel rods that have memory when they are bent, handled and welded. An error is not simply corrected so precision of execution determines the accuracy of the work.

Perhaps some people would have started off with a smaller piece so they could dial in their methods before attempting the work. Maybe others wouldn't have attempted it at all due to the demanding and intimidating nature of the piece.

But play is a major part of why I am an artist and for me, this is my favorite playground.

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#bethlehempa #femaleartist #travelingartist #migwelding #womenwhoweld #largescaleart #bigart #artinstallation #artfabrication #femalefabricators #weldlife #weldred #psychonaut #linwork #geometry #metalwork #steel #geometricart #sitespecific #buildbig #dreambig #womenartists #artistsoninstagram #nofear #urbexart @lincolnelectric @black.stallion.bsx

For my Dad's 65th birthday today, we decided to co

For my Dad's 65th birthday today, we decided to co-parent this badass truck together!

I've been looking for a pickup truck all year, it's been such a pain shuffling vehicles with friends and family to get what I need done considering I’m not suppose to ride my motorcycle because of my foot and my moto has its limits when carrying steel.

I had sort of given up on the idea since I will be leaving the country soon but when I found this on my weekly perusing, then charmed the dude into cutting a third off the already ridiculous price...and then my Dad showed joint interest.. AND most importantly it's his birthday!!…. seemed meant to be so I bought it.

“It’ll be my boss truck when you're out galavanting around the world,” he says. I've been telling him he could use a more impressive rig than his dinky (but yes... reliable!) transit van for his important @artisanalstructures @habitatlehighvalley work meetings. Rollup in style ya know?!

And it's a dream work truck for me that I will use when I’m in the United States for art projects I have in the pipeline. Also it’s a sick toy that I will use to learn more about the ins and outs of a 4-wheeled mechanics life! And yes it can easily fit a few motorcycles in the back.

It's a 1982 Ford F-150.
4x4.
Lifted.
Red plush interior.
Manual Transmission.
The engine is a Ford 300 straight-six, known to be one of the toughest and most reliable engines ever built. And it somehow only has 72,000 miles on it!
Runs like a champ!
Rides like a beast!
Regal AF!

Fitting for your 65th year Pops!
There's no one I’d rather share my truck with.
Happy Birthday!

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#fordf150 #trucklife #lifted #liftedtrucks #birthday #fatherdaughter #straightsix #badasstrucks #badbitchonly #bethlehempa #coparenting #fablife #stepup #fordtrucks #pickuptruck #womenwhoride #metalworker #womenwhoweld #womenwhowork #badassdad #dadsofinstagram #bestdadever #timberframing #artistsoninstagram #4x4

Juggling is something I’ve been thinking about a

Juggling is something I’ve been thinking about alot this year.
This is an important decade for me, there is a list of things I want to accomplish in this time but three goals take the top spot far above the others.
If I am to accomplish them, I must be a better juggler.

In the new year I plan to be back with my motorcycle in Guatemala making my way south again. This does not mean I will be cutting off the opportunities and projects I have grown while I've been back in the United States. Covid returned me to this country for a reason. The time away from my nomadic life has given me some very valuable perspectives and has impressed upon me the need to develop the opportunities that are available to me here while also being the traveling artist that I am.

It is a balance I must find between these parts of my life.
How well I find that equilibrium will determine the success of my three top goals of this decade.

Getting what you want in life is hard… achieving your dreams, even harder.
But I never was one for the easy path.

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@moskomoto @procycle.us #moskomoto #reckless80 #travelingartist #dr650 #mototraveler #guatemala #volcandefuego #antigua #motolife #womenwhoride #rtw #nomad #buildingmyempire #dreambig #traveltheworld #juggling #opportunity

This past Sunday the lines of 24 made it to the ot

This past Sunday the lines of 24 made it to the other side of the building.
That’s 2,880ft of steel rods stretching 120ft.

The section we did was the most extreme angle of the piece. The lines were tensioned, cut and brazed from both sides which was very different from the rest of the work. Turned out to be much easier than we thought. Guess maybe that's because we have had all that length… all that time… all that space…. to learn techniques, make mistakes and find solutions.

This weekend I was supposed to be installing the rest of the works for the exhibition that was to open on October 1st but I won't be doing that. I have come to peace with this change. I do not know what will happen with the exhibition, I do not know if I will be able to overcome the obstacles holding it back so it can happen next year but for now I am just happy to be able to learn and build 24.

This artwork is about time, how to work with it, bend it, warp it, change it, build from it within a framework… find ways to stretch the hours…. as we all strive to do in our days.

The fabrication of 24 is about exactly what I have been challenged to do this year in my life. The making of it has made me that much more capable of not only sculpting the work but also myself.

Looking forward to finishing it this month.

#unusmundusproject
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#sculpture #installation #installationart #sitespecific #time #timeandspace #spacetime #alteredstates #psychonaut #travelingartist #meralworking #metalartist #femaleartist #exhibition #maketime #makespace #buildyourdreams #fabrication #artistsoninstagram #largescaleart #urbexart #urbex #linework #geometricart

Making Rosie the Riveter proud. Too many fun thin

Making Rosie the Riveter proud.

Too many fun things going on, it’s hard to keep up in life, let alone on social media!

Finished another section of 24.
Was asked to do a sculptural mural for Kutztown @kcp_kutztown
Looked at Bethlehem steel artifacts for a public sculpture opportunity.
Working with @nmihorg on their metal forging events.
Having meetings with politicians about the exhibition drama.
Modeling for a famous painter @juliebellartist
Killing it in the studio making my own work.
Fabricating some rad custom metalwork for @isaacsouthard
Casting steel in the shadow of the Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces this weekend!

Today is the Fall equinox so I guess the universe really is turning a leaf for me! #badpuns

#unusmundusproject
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#bethlehemsteel #bethlehempa #femalefabricators #womenwhoweld #metalworkers #metalworking #fallequinox #steelworker #rosietheriveter #riveting #powertools #opportunity #travelingartist #seasonschange

Each of the 24 lines that make up the largest piec

Each of the 24 lines that make up the largest piece of the exhibition are made up of 10 lengths of 20 ft steel rods, not cable; an important distinction. This makes each line 200 ft long and the entire piece 4,800 ft in cumulative length.

How to connect each of the rods was an important decision. I wanted it clean and secure. Welding them together wouldn't have accomplished that since I am using 1/4“ steel rods and that weld joint wouldn’t have been very elegant.

I love mixing materials, especially metals. I have a relationship with each type of metal and so how I bring them together holds a unique significance for me. When posed with the question of how to connect these rods I thought of copper. Then silver. And I had my answer.

Brazing is a metal joining process that uses a type of metal with a lower melting point than the metal
you are trying to join to bring them together. In the case of 24, I am using copper couplers with silver filler to join the steel rods.

Instead of the connections between lines being a hassle, they became a feature. They are these very beautiful moments in the lines where copper and silver shine, where the symmetry of the design is further highlighted.

Not only did I like this for its aesthetic but I also liked it for its meaning. The silver lining that holds together each hour of our days and the movement of these intersecting points changing alignment as the lines travel down their 200 feet lengths.

@nolan_madaus is seen here brazing one section of prebrazed 40ft length to another 40ft section. It's tricky having to handle such long lengths of steel so high in the air and braze them together. But he really has it down and not one has broken under tension. They look as beautiful as I imagined they would when it was all in my head months ago and hold a significance even greater.

#unusmundusproject
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#artinstallation #artfabrication #metalwork #brazing #womenwhoweld #femaleartist #bethlehempa #lehighvalley #fablife #fabrication #largescaleart #buildbig #silverlining #copper #silver #steel #mixedmetals #storytelling

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Who am I?
ART
TRAVEL
EXCHANGE
Support the Project!
Connect

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