KUNST KABINETT (PART 2)

I wish I had a gazillions in grant money, engineers and technicians to bring my ideas to life but I don't. I do however have access to kind, creative individuals who help me achieve my goals.

I really wanted to participate in the Gueulart sculpture park so I came up with the idea of building a Cabinet of Curiosities to display my little sculptures outdoors. Since Gueulart is an artist-run space, it's the perfect venue to experiment and try new things. 

I hired Jacques Grenier who had previously built the pole cover for my Éveil project to help me create the unit. The cabinet is basically a box with two shelves. I painted the inside of the box matte black so the contrasting, silken-like figures would stand out. 

It was important for me that viewers see the back of the figures. I thought a mirror might solve the problem. My friend Monica Brinkman, a wonderful mosaic artist, suggested a mirror mosaic for the rear wall of the cabinet to create a shattered effect. I am forever grateful for the beautiful patchwork of reflections she created for me.

I wanted the cabinet to appear somewhat circus-like, reminiscent of those fortune teller booths in carnival sideshows. I applied funky pink paint and a pale border trim in summer cottage green. A black stripe with gold polka dots separating the two colours created an interesting effect.

Hefty fence posts turned into legs. They were incredibly heavy but solid. I painted the legs black. After flipping them over, I poured pink paint from the top to create a dripping effect. 

I needed to make the back of the cabinet as interesting as the front since people were going to walk around it in the sculpture park. I outlined a big eye with wings to spark the interest of those who came up to the work from behind. It became a "viewer observer".

Jacques gave me a small decorative shelf that he was about to throw out that looked perfect screwed in upside down on top of the unit. I added umbrella handles that were left over from a previous project. Claudine Ascher, friend and sculptor, gave me some interesting decorative brass elements that I nailed onto the sides, top and back.

Time came to give the cabinet a title. I wanted something exotic and researched Cabinets of Curiosities. I thought the German equivalent sounded perfect for my project. The name Kunst Kabinett would most likely provoke questions (which can't hurt during an exhibition right?). I painted the letters black, glued and nailed them onto the inverted shelf.

 

I had all the parts. Now all I needed to do was put them together. Here is Jacques during the assembly phase at the sculpture park. He planted metal posts deep into the ground and attached them to the legs so the cabinet wouldn't move in windy weather.

I learned how to use silicone. I placed all my figures inside and applied a dab under each one so they wouldn't move. Jacques attached a plexiglas sheet with anti-theft screws to protect the artwork and I put silicone around the edges so rain wouldn't penetrate and damage the unit. Holes were made in the base and covered with little screens to prevent condensation and to hamper any invasions by sundry insects.

Front

Back

Note the fluorescent pink birds nest. It's a real one that I painted and added as an invitation to my favourite dinosaurs.

Happy me!

I love it when kids look interested! Photo: Gueulart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Gueulart

Where there's a will, there's a way. Thanks to Jacques Grenier, Monica Brinkman and Claudine Ascher for their help and expertise in the realization of my idea for the Kunst Kabinett. I was really happy with the final result. It was exhibited in a group exhibition until the end of October 2022 at the Parc de sculptures de la Mairie, 671 Saint-Régis, St-Isidore. See all the other beautiful works that were in this exhibition at the Gueulart website.