Skeleton in a Suitcase
I’m exhausted. Just back from a day in the city at Kickarts helping to put together an installation exhibition. Opening night is Friday, and there’s yet more to be done. Up and down and up and down a step ladder, wiring and postioning mountains of suitcases. The backdrop is a video installation, with the eeriest soundtrack you can imagine. It’s only been this year that I’ve been receptive to contemporary art, particularly installations. I was quite honoured to be asked to particpate in this project by a well known and highly respected artist.
My brief from the artist was to cover this steel frame so that it was not visible, and to create an interior space (that is to be lit and filled tomorrow).
Starting to wire suticases to the back leg of the frame.
Slow going. The suitcases didn’t want to play the game.
Suitcase Mountain finished and video walls active.
Interior space lit by 2 halogen lamps.
A real skull sits atop the mountain.
Another suitcase mountain with museum drawer at the back of the exhibition space.
More pieces of the installation puzzle. Yes, that is a real skeleton.
When an old antique suitcase was opened, this fellow lay inside. I did not think to take a photograph, but it was a surrealistic experience. When he was lifted out, a tooth fell out, which I retrieved from under the suitcase. The artist said “Oh that happens all the time”. This skeleton was saved from being thrown in a skip bin by the artist. It used to be an Art Room’s model, but never had any hands or feet.
There are many beautiful museum display cases as part of this exhibition. This case contains Avian objects - peacock skulls, a pelican skull and various eggs. There are more to be installed and lit tomorrow, so I’ll be sure to take more photos.
Not to finish on a too macarbe a note, on my way home I passed my first cane fire. The harvesting of the canefields began about a month ago. This particular field was harvested recently, with dozens of eagles and hawks having a “field” day with mousey inhabitants bereft of camouflague. I pulled over for a closer look.
The neighbouring cane doesn’t have much time left I reckon.
After years of living in suburbia, in crowded capital cities with neighbours atop each other, driving home with scenery like this is a real sensory delight.
Catch you all tomorrow!
Similar Posts:
- Bones in Boxes
- Late again, but it wasn’t my fault! (for a change)
- The Lady in Red
- Fog and rocks
- Up close with the Rude Jellybabies
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Good evening Cindy…Love the blog title…..I was going to ask if it was a real skeleton but you answered my question….
You are very lucky indeed with such beautiful countryside…..Here in suburbia often just after peak hour traffic the smog in the air is quite suffocating…But then it`s nothing compared to Beijing…..I`ll wait with anticipation to see how they go actually clearing the pollution there for the olympics…..
Love your blog…..
Hey Mandy,
I love doing my blog for others to share, and thank you for the lovely compliment - you’ve made my day.
Yep, that smog is something else in Beijing. A friend of ours went there recently and said it was like sucking on an exhaust pipe!
My head is spinning from having that heartbeat like droning soundtrack running all day… another dose tomorrow, but the experience is amazing.
Cheers,
Cindy
That looks a very interesting art structures????? or whatever they are called. It must be fun making them. It is great to have your photos of the exhibition, its nearly as good as visiting.
I feel left out with you girls and horses and cats, I have niether. But I have a horse story .When I was about 8 years old I was having a sleep over at a friends house. Some other friend arrived on horseback and was giving us all a ride. I had never been on a horse before and had no idea what to do. Anyway the horse didn’t want to move so my friend whacked it in the flanks and it took off…the last thing I remembered was hanging around its neck. When I regained consciousness I was in my friends bed, throwing up with concussion. Every time I threw up my friend was given a hiding from her mother because she had hit the horse and should have had more sense than to put a green limey onto a horse in the first place. I recovered without damage but was very reluctant to ride again. My friend convinced me I had to get back on, which I did on and off for a few years until one day I realised I didn’t really enjoy it. I always felt nervous and the horses could tell. So I haven’t ridden since late teens, except once when I promised my kids to take them riding along the beach at Byron Bay if they would play golf with me the next day. I actually enjoyed it.
Diane, that was a lovely story! Yep, they sure know when you’re uncertain, and take full advantage of it! Just like kids.
Will get better photos of the finished installation tomorrow I hope. After the gallery, I may be taking two 14 yr olds for a game of golf. And I hate golf. Still, must show an interest. I take my camera with me as its like a veritable tropical zoo at that place. Wait till you see the goanna (humungous) that lives there. Had a go at me too, he did.
Cheers,
Cindy
Sorry…havent got time for a story…in the middle of lots (and lots) of washing and bad weather…
Always enjoy your pictures, that is why we come here, and your wit….
James wants to make a movie…..he has been trying to get me to do so for days now…..bought some Lego this morning in an effort to divert his attention……didnt work…..
Always fancied myself as a movie maker!!!!!
chow for now……
Evening,
up :). Or shut up through clenched teeth meaning Shut UP! So, it is easy to mistake people’s meanings. David makes me belly laugh. Lonz is fun for me and so I think that it is hard situation for me because you are all lovely to me. I also think that people are human and we have emotions. These are easy to let run wild without restraint. Keyboards are slower than speech as well. I have seen comments jumping over each other as one says something and before the person reads it, their comment is there and so on.
10/10
I do not know if I can think of enough praise to make it sound sincere. Your eye for detail is what they wanted for sure. The way that you see things is better than mere mortals and I am sure that they know that.
The Lonz saga is actually sad. I found when blogging that text does not give the inflection of the voice. I can type ’shut up’ and mean shut
Cyber space is weird.
I have started and deleted blogs. They have to be started to be tried. I could not just try one and so then I had to delete the ones I did not like.
I think that I will be secretive with the new blog and not get involved with people because that is why in real life, I avoid people, except Hubby.
One of the blogs had three invites on it and so I looked at them and blow me, three people wanted to be ‘friends’. I find that outragous because they only saw one Post. I was thinking, are they desperate, or what?
This cyber world has all of the faults and joys of real life. I did not expect that at all.
Your cyber world brings joy to many. Keep going.
I have to go, BB is on TV.
Byeee
I can hear the skull yelling where is my body give me back my body I know it is hidden in a suitcase but which one I have looked and looked and now I am stuck all the way up here without my body…..lol
Hi girls, thanks for stopping by.
Kim, Jez has always wanted to make movies too. Easiest way is to buy an el cheapo digital camera and let them go for it. Jez has just learnt to upload to Youtube, so there is always a fight for the computer now.
Grotty, you say the sweetest things girl! I’m not even going doen the “L’ path…. too much real sadness in the world without adding to people’s pain.
If you have your own .com, you have complete control over your blog. That’s why I had this one built. If I didn’t, I would’ve chosen .Wordpress as the blog platform of choice. Some bloggers I know don’t even allow comments on their posts, it saves all sorts of trouble. I can control who comments here, right up to what IP addresses I allow. I am so glad that I have this space, and do not have to reply on the other one, it’s really leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
Jo-Anne,
It was so weird to open the suitcase and see the remains of someone’s life in there. It was once a living, breathing, thinking being. It sort of makes you confront your own mortality. We will all be just bones one day.
Thanks for visiting everyone!
Hmmm, I could just leave my piles of laundry and say it’s art!
Hey Miss Lyss,
There have been worse things than piles of laundry called art! AND it’s sold for mega bucks.
All in the eye of the beholder (or cheque book holder!) as they say.