Madlib Tombstone
2020
27 x 15 x 1 1/2 inches
Sandblasted granite slab, acrylic paint, sticky notes and sharpie
For my first sculpture project this year, I wanted to make what is best described as a madlib tombstone. The concept started when I got a scrapped slab of polished granite from Troy Granite. I wanted to make a tombstone full of blanks, so that those blanks could be filled with any details by any person, to eulogize themselves. In my own experiences with the mourning and funerary process, I think people have a tendency to be unrealistically positive, and as a result they sterilize the memory and identity of their loved one. Trite sayings like, "They brought joy to all who were lucky enough to meet them" inadvertently strips dignity from the person being memorialized. This piece is, in a way, a manifestation of my own fears of how I will be remembered. I do not want to be a scrubbed, sanitized obituary. I want myself, and my loved ones, to be remembered for flaws, for things that no one else has. To me, love is paying attention and understanding, not idolizing.
I chose bright colors to give a feeling of childishness, and a bit of ironic joy. I also wanted it to feel like a person injecting humanity into an otherwise sterile ordeal. I wanted to evoke the bright, sun-bleached stone of Salvation Mountain in California.
No comments:
Post a Comment