geist-hof (peace, love & understanding)

Paper sculpture, Geist-Hof (Peace, Love & Understanding)
“Rest in Paper” at Lundgren Monuments, September 2012

This is a paper urn, created in memory of my dear friend Heather, for the exhibition, “Rest in Paper” at Lundgren Monuments in Seattle. Greg Lundgren explores how we can rethink what we do with our mortal remains, and this show is one in a series of thoughtful exhibitions.

The genesis of the piece comes from the idea of the ubiquitous Berlin apartments with “hofs”–courtyards. There is a visible, more formal exterior, but inside, the apartments look out onto a private hof, a little world unto itself. I liked that as a metaphor for looking inside to see the hopes and dreams of the person. The ashes are stored in the “walls” of the building. Inside there is mirrored paper that reflects the other three walls. Opposite there is a cutout for your eye, so you can look in and see your eye surrounded by roses, and the hands on either side are reflected so it looks like they are touching each other. Materials are paper, ink, and glue.