Shadow Boxes

Plywood, plaster, 2002

Photos: Derek McLeod

Seven cubic boxes derive their proportions from a set of plans for a shadow box. A shadow box being a wall-mounted shelf which displays small, precious objects. In this case the shadows are inverted as the voids within the cubes. Precious objects reside in the dark interior and can only be accessed with a special tool. Objects are capable of absorbing and emitting meaning, though to most people that meaning is lost. Rather than display, these objects are encased in shadows and protected from unwanted attention.