“I like to think of these boxes and the accompanying painting as “theaters of memory”. They are staged presentations of the small things we collect…things that require further inspection. So we bring them home, tuck them into drawers, place on shelves or discover in pockets. These pieces are my way of honoring the things I found irresistible at one time or another.”
Sampan for Ashes
This is one of several boats made for an invitational exhibition titled, Remains to be Seen. Each of the boats was built to house the ashes of the deceased. The smallest of the series was an ark to hold the ashes of a favorite pet. Another one was a large kayak for two and this one is the Sampan made of hold the ashes of only one.
The boats were made of museum board and covered in paper. The each have a pilot house with mica windows and a removable roof where the special mementos of the deceased can be housed. The ashes themselves are safely kept in the hull. I like knowing that a friend resides in the Sampan.
The Chinese Puzzle Box
This complex movable parts box was inspired by a postcard from a museum gift shop. There was just enough information in the photograph for me to figure out how it was assembled. So naturally I filled each compartment with small Asian artifacts collected and saved over the years and topped it off with the locking device that fits down the center and holds a harmony ball.
Cubric of Curiosity
This small puzzle cube continually opens to expose the sequence of a narrative on collecting and collections. And at the same time the viewer is presented with small identified artifacts behind mica windows.
It measure 4” x 4” x 4” when brought back to the starting point and is one of several forms I used to express what I had learned after a lengthy study on the history and presentation of collections.