The Bomb, 1999

Mixed media, 8 x 10 x 20 inches. Private collection.

The Bomb was created as a comment on artist-made interactive exhibits and their spotty reliability. The title underscores the concept. When originally exhibited I asked the gallery staff to include a handwritten note on gallery letterhead to accompany the piece indicating that the interactive component was temporarily out of order i.e. the detonation can’t be consummated without repair of the
malfunctioning element. The viewer is thus “invited” to press the detonation button and trust that he or she could do so without peril. This piece was exhibited at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage and required shipment via airfreight from Juneau. I
remember feeling a little uneasy about the shipment at the time. I have since wondered how that might go today.