Memory Shelves

2019
Wood, 77 chipboard shoeboxes, spray paint, custom electrical wiring, dioramas hidden inside shoeboxes made with wood, foam, cardstock, inkjet prints, LED lights, electrical wiring, polystyrene, acrylic paint, mirrors, aluminum and rubber grommets.
106 x 44.5 x 16 inches

Photo credit: Rik Sferra

Video documentation of installation at the Rochester Art Center, October 5, 2019 - February 8, 2020.

This work was made possible through an Art(ists) On the Verge Fellowship from NorthernLights.MN

A shelving unit is filled with shoeboxes. Four of the boxes have a small viewport allowing viewers to see inside. Hidden inside are four dioramas: 1. Exit Door (Robot Escape), 2. Endless Shelves, 3. Electrical Transformer (Warmth), and 4. Manager’s Desk (Kid’s Drawings). Each scene depicts stockroom spaces with evidence of child’s play. The shoebox viewports are small, forcing viewers to move around to see the entire vignette inside.