MEMENTO MORI - 1993
Intrigued with the history and memory of places, I created a site-specific installation within the remains of a Buddhist temple in Kanazawa, Japan. The temple's hollow shell was filled with memories and abandoned purposes and gave rise to the creation of a series of hollow, translucent forms along with objects for seemingly metaphysical purposes. Twelve hundred meters of tarred and knotted rope hung suspended from the rafters of the Buddha's former gold-leafed hall. The knotted ropes bore reference to particular human activities and formed layers of calligraphic screens. Peering through these layers the viewer attempted to retrieve a clearly focused image of the objects suspended in their midst, an activity reminiscent of efforts to retrieve images and memories within the spaces of our own minds.
Mixed-Media: straw, hair, rope, tar, plaster, steel mesh, beeswax, salt.
Dimensions: 14 ft. H x 20 ft. x 26 ft.

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