Adam Frelin

Domino, Motherfucker

mirror-polished stainless steel, wood
48" x 32" x 12"
2006

For an outdoor exhibition at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston I was commissioned to create a temporary sculpture. Set amongst 19th century tombstones I fabricated a contemporary momento mori out of mirror-polished stainless steel. Its title refers to a line of dialogue excluded from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, "2001: A Space Odyssey." In its size the freestanding block was similar to, but slightly larger and thicker than the surrounding grave markers. Like a modern skyscraper it lacked ornamentation, merely reflecting its surroundings. For each person who looked into it, it briefly became their tombstone. At the same time it stood as a poignant reminder,while surrounded by the dead, that you are still alive.