That It Would Come to This
PRAXIS
2015
I was invited by Eric Larkin, the man behind the Last Bookstore blog Dwarf + Giant, to contribute art for The Last Spookstore: A Horror Story Art Show. Eric asked the participating artists to read a horror book and then create art inspired by that book. My overactive imagination has a terrifying field day with things that go bump in the night, making the boycott of the entire category of horror film and literature a necessity. Plus, I can’t remember the last time I was given an art assignment by someone other than myself. Taking that on along with a dip into the shallow end of the horror genre seemed like an interesting challenge.
From the comprehensive list of horror classics that was provided, I selected a nearly-forgotten novel from 1975 called The Auctioneer. The book was a bestseller at the time but the author died suddenly of brain cancer merely a year after the publication of her only novel and the book has since been mostly forgotten as a result. I’ve always thought of the 70s as tinged with a bit of creepiness. When I think of 70s horror in particular, what comes to mind is a general sense of the macabre, and Mia Farrow getting bug-eyed over some Scrabble tiles while another woman is anemically aah-aah-ing a haunting melody in an echoey hallway. I spent a penny (and $4 for shipping) on Amazon for the book. Thankfully, the book arrived with a cover that looked harmless enough to put on my nightstand.
I found none of the 70s creepiness I’d been anticipating but was drawn in by the relentless, pedantic rhythm of dread and claustrophobia. I realize that doesn’t sound like a good time but Samson builds the tension so masterfully that you feel the urgency to turn the page and see what happens next. The tale of the Moore family and their rural New Hampshire town isn’t horrific, exactly, but Samson does uncover the terror that resides in the crevices of everyday human nature. I was especially fascinated by the language of fatalistic stuck-ness around Mim Moore, the female protagonist. When I spotted a discarded TV during a walk one day, I decided that creating a peep show inside of it would be a unique way to reinterpret the sense of being trapped with no way out that’s found in the book.
I had initially hoped to salvage the TV screen but I didn’t know that it’s attached to the machine itself. With the help of my woodworker friend Gary, I was able to make a pretty convincing screen out of plexiglass without a sweat. Gluing it on to the shell of the TV, however, was no small feat. It required four kinds of adhesive from three different hardware stores, one roll of duct tape and a random assortment of bricks, stones and four hands. On top of the various modes of adhesion used for the screen, I used three types of glues for the interior of the TV. I came away with a nuanced understanding of epoxies and glues as well as a renewed love of duct tape. With duct tape, you can get through anything in life.
The text on the screen is a patchwork of quotes taken from the book. I took some liberties rearranging selected sentences to put the focus on the aforementioned female character and create the resulting effect, being sure to stay faithful to the book’s theme and narrative.
This is the only portrait of author Joan Samson available online.
Remember this guy? Put a mop of curly hair on his head and a beard on his face, and you’ve got Nolan Lemos from ArtSwap! Nolan’s work based on Stephen King’s Pet Semetery is also part of the show. Now you’ve got at least two reasons to swing by. The Last Spookstore: A Horror Story Art Show is on display until October 31, 2015.