Monday, August 11, 2008

Jeff Feld On Negation

In "the chance of a lifetime" I have taken the simple everyday cardboard box and have altered it with the addition of a candle. This enigmatic mix of the sacred and banal (high and low) creates a sense of tension via its own sense of negation. The box fails to contain it’s object, the candle, and use of the candle destroys the box (and potentially much more) Ultimately the viewer does not know what is in the box, yet the anticipation of receiving such a box can leave one initially surprised and hopeful (the chance of a lifetime) which upon further examination yields to a kind of mounting horror. By using negation this work plays upon desire, threat and/or fear, and ultimately our mortality.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of the Phoenix Legend--also the traditional Chinese one [Fenghuang], which has a strange bird, an amalgamation of other bird and animal parts that when endangered hides.
The box is well-footed. The candle rises up. And when the candle is lit the flame shoots beyond the physical. The column will slowly descend. The flame can flicker or rage through its life depending on the wind. Eventually the candle enflames the support. Or disguises it, if we take the Chinese version on.