i'll tell you later

(catchy title to come later)
2002-05-01 15:30:56 (UTC)

Peter Daniels art431 ..

Peter Daniels art431
Spring‘2
Picture them Found
John Chamberlain

When approaching this piece all you see at first is
a refrigerator placed next to the existing microwave. The
refrigerator blends into the area this piece is installed
so well that many people over look it while walking by.
Inside the refrigerator there are what appear to be
approximately 50 milk cartons. Each of these milk cartons
is painted white. On one of the sides of each carton the
image of a face has been placed. There are a total of three
different faces. Two of these faces are female and one is
male. There is text written on the opposite side of the
carton.
Above each of these faces is printed the word
missing in large capitalized letters. There is a phone
number written on the bottom of each face. The text on the
opposite side of the carton is a listing of their assets
and achievements as ingredients. The end of this listing
states that the product “contains a minimal amount of”
terms that would be generally used when describing
qualities people would like to see in others and
themselves.
The cartons in the freezer seem a bit out of
place. Putting milk cartons in the freezer is not
something that is generally done. There is no difference
between the cartons which were in the freezer and the
cartons which were in the refrigerator. Cartons were also
placed on the back of the door. Some cartons had a twist
off pouring spout. Others were plain half gallon milk
containers.
The use of faces on a milk carton as a strategy for
displaying art is interesting. On top of that the cartons
are displayed in a refrigerator. It is the type of
refrigerator that would be in use in a home in the early
1980s. The pictures displayed are that of elderly people.
All three of the people pictured are white.
It is clear to me from the proposal John gave in
class that the people pictured are not meant to be seen as
actually missing. However I wonder if a viewer who had no
knowledge beforehand would also have the same reaction. The
fact that the cartons are painted white and do not have any
other text on them one step away from being real milk
cartons.
From this piece I do not read the cartons to be
lost souls. However I do wonder if this piece is addressing
issues of class, race or gender. I think the choice of
placement for this piece works very well. It blends in very
well with the working microwave and tables to eat at.
It would be interesting to attempt different
display techniques with the milk cartons. Maybe placing the
cartons in people’s refrigerators and photographing them.
Perhaps constructing a refrigerator with food which you buy
would be one alternate choice for display. The food the
milk carton is displayed with has a lot of potential to
communicate different meanings.




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