Boxes of Death

16" L x10" H x 3.5" W
"Adaptoplast"
Acrylic on wood
$100

Electric Coffin's Boxes of Death 2 opening last Thursday, like the coffins on display, incited laughter, chills, thrills, inspiration, nostalgia, and downright badass-itude. Thanks Duffy for inviting me to participate. I was blown away by the craftsmanship and diversity of interpretation by the 50 or so artists that each used a blank pine coffin to suggest their own ideas on this symbol of death.

My coffin "Adaptoplast" was recognizable in two obvious ways. First, it was the only horizontal coffin. The shelf in the middle is diagonal and creates an optical illusion of one side of the actual coffin being longer than the other, but the shape is intact. Secondly, though it has a wall hanger, it is meant to sit solidly on a shelf, bookshelf or table.

I approached this project metaphorically with the intention of creating a coffin that was an homage to the memories and celebration of life instead of physical death. I created partitions in my coffin to act like 4 spaces or dioramas in which to build scenes with toy characters. I then used the toys in those scenarios as still lives to paint the background so the present is etched into the physical moment, like a person getting their picture taken. The objects become reliquaries in the coffin and are meant to be replaced with other treasures, new memories. The point being that when the original objects move on their memories will remain.

This show will be on display at Electric Coffin Studio at 1022 1st Ave. S. for another week or so.