I’ve been thinking about doing something in a plastic Norelco tape case for a while. My late friend Tim made me a mixed tape when we were in High School – it’s music we listened to while painting my Mom’s kitchen an absurd shade of yellow. We discovered punk together, mostly thanks to Tim’s older brother J, and the DIY-ness made a lasting impression on both of us.
This tape is one of the few physical objects I still have from Tim, and a reminder of how empowering that summer was. I lost all of Tim’s letters during a move years ago. I envy my buddy Neil’s ability to organize and archive letters and stuff from the past – I wish I had been more careful when I was younger. So, I used Tim’s tape case for this piece.
This piece (along with a few others) is going to be in an upcoming exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum, along with a page from one of my letters to Tim (courtesy of Tim’s parents).
I still miss Tim. Yet, I am convinced that the people we Love don’t really leave us when they die. This was the a primary theme in my Memento Mori show at School33 – it’s a comforting, hopeful thought, and something I know like I know like I know.
If you sit quietly and dream well, you can visit with your people on the other side in your own yellow kitchen.
