The Making of Chris Ryniak & Amanda Louise Spayd's 'Migration' Part 5: The Sack Rabbits of Amanda Spayd

The opening of Chris Ryniak and Amanda Louise Spayd's Migration is only two sleeps away and for the last installment of our Making Of series, we peep into Amanda's studio at a handful of the little nomads she has shuffling their way to Stranger Factory this Friday!

One thing that has me particularly excited about Migration is the autobiographical nature of the exhibit. Each of the critters possesses traits of its creator, making the show more intimate, relatable and, in this case, triumphant. As we saw on Monday, despite the myriad of personal challenges that have surfaced in the last year, Ryniak and his monsters rose to the occasion. His critters are navigating the paths with little backpacks and helpful tools, bearing their teeth at nature and all its dangers.

But then there's the cuddly, naive sack rabbits of Amanda Spayd. They're home bodies, clumsy, easily panicked and ... armless. Well, some of her woodland species have evolved, but many still get by with only their oversized ears and spaghetti legs. And just look at what they're packing in their baskets and satchels: sugar cubes? Correspondence? A milk can? Just what sort of adventure is this (besides adorable)? One critter in particular reminds me of Mandi: you can't tell from the photo, but the white fella on the very top right has cutlery tied around his neck, like he left home in a rush and grabbed the first thing he saw. Sort of reminds me of when she locked herself out of her apartment minutes before she was due to fly out for DesignerCon last year ... and she hadn't yet packed a thing. Let's hope she has better luck when she heads out for New Mexico this evening. ;)

For those who are unfamiliar with Amanda's work, her genius is the details. This gal scavenges the world for the tiniest clasps, oldest fabric and most stunning glass eyes for each of her creations, making each a unique assemblage of olden treasure. She's also a perfumer, so each of her dolls have a custom scent -- a sheer fluke born from when she used to pour lemon juice on her wood chips to keep the moths away. And just like the scallops we joked about earlier, Amanda's hand made clay faces are all adourned with forehead embellishments unique to that character. Yes indeed, she's a glutton for torture but we love her for it. 

A small tribe of twelve critters has just arrived in the southwest, so watch your step if you're attending the opening this weekend! We'll be on site to provide live coverage, so be sure to follow me (@vinylgoddess) on Twitter and Instagram for all the action! 

Migration is a two-person collaborative exhibition featuring new works from Chris Ryniak and Amanda Louise Spayd. The show opens March 1st through the 31st at Stranger Factory (109 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106). Opening reception will be held March 1st from 6pm to 9pm; both artists will be in attendance! To sign up for the preview, enter your email address in the Updates box on Stranger Factory's home page!

(with photos from the CP blog)