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So I have this thing I bought in 1989 at a junk store in Portland. It is a lady's head made out of blue glass. You can store stuff in it.
Right now, for some reason, I'm storing a plastic silver Christmas tree ornament, and three empty tins of Altoids gum.
Did you know Altoids makes gum? Well they do, and I chew a lot of it. I like to have a tin in the car, in my purse, and in whatever bag I may be using for whatever job I may have. So, I tend to have lots of gum.
And I never want to throw away an empty Altoids gum tin after I've chewed the gum. I sort of collect them.
I started storing them in the door pockets of the car. Those filled up, so I used the pockets in the front of the seats. Then, I think my system includes eventually bringing the tins into the house and putting them somewhere, but I can't really remember where they all end up, except for these two in the blue head.
I probably have about 50 of these empty little gum tins, somewhere inside, and another 20 in the car. Sometimes I think of creative things to do with them like "I know, I could spray paint them all orange and put party favors in them!" But what would I put in them? Gum?
Then I get super creative and my Installation Art Girl persona starts thinking about how 200 Altoids Gum tins would look all lined up on a wall at MOMA. Hey, that'd be cool, in a Warhol way. Especially if they were they were open, the lids dangling and moving in the breeze, showing off the lovely, shiny silver inside.
If MOMA knew the kinds of things I think about, they'd be inviting me into their Installation Art Room all the time, I think. There is something rather deep and human about my gum tins, because I would only use tins I bought and chewed all the gum out of. It wouldn't be the same to just buy a bunch at once and give away the gum, or call the manufacturer to see if I could buy empty ones (which they won't do because of threat of tin-tainting, a real word, I'm sure.) That would be cheating, and would cheapen the art, don't you think?
So you can see why I can't bear to throw these neat little tins away, and how they sometimes end up in random places like inside a funky blue glass lady jar head. When she fills up, I'm not sure what I will do. I don't know if I can find more of these heads, but they must be out there on eBay, or in junk shops waiting for me.
Wow. Wouldn't it look cool to have 100 of these blue glass lady jar heads filled with empty Altoids tins hanging from the ceiling at MOMA?
These ladies would want to be filled with curiously strong gum tins, I think. Who wouldn't?
Right now, for some reason, I'm storing a plastic silver Christmas tree ornament, and three empty tins of Altoids gum.
Did you know Altoids makes gum? Well they do, and I chew a lot of it. I like to have a tin in the car, in my purse, and in whatever bag I may be using for whatever job I may have. So, I tend to have lots of gum.
And I never want to throw away an empty Altoids gum tin after I've chewed the gum. I sort of collect them.
I started storing them in the door pockets of the car. Those filled up, so I used the pockets in the front of the seats. Then, I think my system includes eventually bringing the tins into the house and putting them somewhere, but I can't really remember where they all end up, except for these two in the blue head.
I probably have about 50 of these empty little gum tins, somewhere inside, and another 20 in the car. Sometimes I think of creative things to do with them like "I know, I could spray paint them all orange and put party favors in them!" But what would I put in them? Gum?
Then I get super creative and my Installation Art Girl persona starts thinking about how 200 Altoids Gum tins would look all lined up on a wall at MOMA. Hey, that'd be cool, in a Warhol way. Especially if they were they were open, the lids dangling and moving in the breeze, showing off the lovely, shiny silver inside.
If MOMA knew the kinds of things I think about, they'd be inviting me into their Installation Art Room all the time, I think. There is something rather deep and human about my gum tins, because I would only use tins I bought and chewed all the gum out of. It wouldn't be the same to just buy a bunch at once and give away the gum, or call the manufacturer to see if I could buy empty ones (which they won't do because of threat of tin-tainting, a real word, I'm sure.) That would be cheating, and would cheapen the art, don't you think?
So you can see why I can't bear to throw these neat little tins away, and how they sometimes end up in random places like inside a funky blue glass lady jar head. When she fills up, I'm not sure what I will do. I don't know if I can find more of these heads, but they must be out there on eBay, or in junk shops waiting for me.
Wow. Wouldn't it look cool to have 100 of these blue glass lady jar heads filled with empty Altoids tins hanging from the ceiling at MOMA?
These ladies would want to be filled with curiously strong gum tins, I think. Who wouldn't?
8 comments:
I need one of those blue glass lady jar heads. Freaky and cool all at the same time.
I know it.
that's a lot of gum...i look forward to my next MOMA visit.
lexi
I'm chewing as fast as I can.
I really liked the Lady Jar Head. The deep blue color is superb. I would love to see the art from the Altoid gum tins. Art Glass
Thank you Barney, are you from MOMA? If so, please email me and tell me how to submit my installation.
Sincerely,
Miss Julie
I just want to be the blue glass lady. Empty of any items. Fresh as the day you brought her home from the store, perhaps rinsed of the dead spider and dust that had settled into the corners of my mind. Thanks for the image, I will spend the day pretending to be the blue glass lady jar head, you can use some old red wagons to hold your empty altoids gum tins and you can pour steely marbles around them to secure them while you pull the wagons over rough road.
pfmartin
Dear pfmartin: I think I love you. Are you an installation artist? Wanna go to MOMA with me?
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