[BONUS] 408. Recycle or Die

I was recently asked to visit the University of Wyoming in Laramie, to give a talk about my work and as part of my visit I agreed to create a new skull installation with the students of the graphic design department...

I was given access to the large lobby of the new Department of Art building and it was decided that I would work with a material that was plentiful in the building: paper. Specifically paper that had been collected for recycling purposes (including the posters announcing my talk previous in the week).

The piece was created anamorphically (in the spirit of Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors) so that it only looks correct from one spot in the room (in this case on the landing of the staircase between the lobby and 2nd floor). It measures 19'-3" x 7'-4" (5.8 x 2.2 meters).

The piece is a temporary installation that will of course be recycled after it is dismantled. Thanks to all of the students who skipped class to help me out and especially to my host Jenny Venn for suggesting it!

[BONUS] 407. Skeleton Damask

I was recently offered a chance to create a temporary mural installation in the Loo Gallery at the wonderful Lamplighter Roasting Company here in Richmond, Virginia.

The Loo Gallery is actually their bathroom and each installation is painted over when the next artist creates their piece!

I decided to create a new wallpaper damask style pattern using only the bones of the human skeleton. I had previously created a smaller wallpaper pattern as part of my original Skull-A-Day project, but I had never done something so complex.

Since the end result was so large and complicated it required two 18" x 24" stencils to create one complete section of the pattern.

I had my friends at BIG SECRET laser cut two sets of the stencils out of thick, flexible mylar and I worked with them in rotation, since they would quickly start dripping from the layers and layers of metallic spray paint I was putting on them.

The installation took three days – or rather nights, since I was coming in after hours to give the toxic fumes a chance to air our before customers would arrive in the morning – to complete. Of course I wore a Bane-style ventilation mask the entire time so that I wasn't breathing in the fumes either...

The piece will be up for the next month or so, so if you're in the Richmond, Virginia area please stop by Lamplighter and check it out in person!

And who knows, maybe this will get turned into actual wallpaper one day, like my Ornamental Skull wallpaper at Designer Wall Coverings & Fabrics.

[BONUS] Dead Media: Time-Lapse

The folks at the TCC Visual Arts Center created this fun time-lapse video of my recent Dead Media piece being installed in their gallery!


Here's what the finished project looked like:

See additional pictures and find out more about the project HERE.

403. Dead Media

I was commissioned by TCC Visual Arts Center to create this new installation called "Dead Media"...

It's made from 497 VHS videotapes, which were kindly donated by several friends (thanks again Mimi, Robin, Quillan, and Stephanie), the staff/students of Tidewater Community College, and also culled from my personal collection.

The overall size is 20'-8" x 8'-11" (6.29 x 2.71 meters)

In the spirit of the famous painting The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger, the skull was created to only look correct from one point and is actually quite distorted in real life.

Hidden amidst the whole and broken tapes are several Easter eggs, including this tape from my personal collection...

The piece will be on display from September 14 through November 1st at the TCC Visual Arts Center in Portsmouth, VA, and if you're in the area, you're invited to come to the opening reception this Friday starting at 7pm. Details can be found HERE.

Students at the school have been encouraged to take the tapes when the piece is dismantled and create their own skull art.