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Friday, November 20, 2009

Hummingbird in the Bronx

I am going to Las Vegas to visit a friend, plus I must go before any more museums close. Too bad I missed the Las Vegas Book Festival. These Cornell-like boxes were part of the festival. Note they are made from hollowed out books. You might still catch a hummingbird at the Reed-Whipple on Las Vegas Blvd., vulgarly known a "The Strip."

The metal sculptures are by Dennis Oppenheim. One is titled Exit Ramp to the Bronx. His sculpture of two paintbrushes will be installed at Charleston and Las Vegas Blvd., vulgarly known as "The Strip."

Now, what kind of book would it be appropriate to hollow out to make your own work of art? Books are not props, you know. Ah! There is the answer. The kind of book would be a prop book. Prop books from stage productions do not even need hollowing out and in fact are not separate books. Another kind to use would be the kind of real books people have in their library or their living room that they do not read, but are just props. A set of the Great Authors, etc. Also there are the books presidents have behind them to show everyone on television that they read. Remember Nixon was sitting in front of a set of bound transcripts? Another suggestion: an embossed leatherette collection of The Complete Works of Some Hack. I am tempted to hollow out my copy of Tobogganing on Parnassus. I will not though. The cover has the mask of Comedy.



















1 comment:

LadrĂ³n de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

Marvelous boxes. I think Joseph Cornell was the original junk thief.