Death & Taxes: Installation part 1 Garments, ink, canvas, standing desk, clothing rack
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" - Benjamin Franklin.
Assuming this statement is the truth, the work explores the uncertainty in between these two actions. The work, still in process, uses a formulaic method of exploration; if this then what?
If death and taxes are the only certainty then how does material culture position itself? With this analysis, all material culture must then be commodities for death, and/or expressions of death.
Let the clothes we wear embellish patterns of death
Let furniture reflect our biological degradation
And let’s embrace images of darkness and the after life.
The installation visually responds to this statement by resembling a living space that is saturated with death, frailty, and insecurity.
The project also scrutinizes the certainty of human consciousness under the truth of this statement.
Alzheimer's T-shirt Lycra, chiffon
Alzheimer’s disease causes brain cells and brain connectivity to progressively deteriorate leading to a vegetative state. The disease shows the vulnerability of human consciousness
Death & Taxes: Artist's book
The artist's book presents two numbers on each page; an individuals date of death and the taxes paid on their funerary merchandize. The concept reduces humans to two numbers based on the certainty of death and taxes, completely negating human consciousness.
The dates and amounts are accurate and were sourced through working with funeral homes and select individuals.
To be continued...