Installation

This is way cool, installing the show, I try and stay in the background, whatever my place here. What I try and do is remain calm. I knew we had a show. Attachment was not the problem I painted it to be. Kim arrived last Sunday, I had finished unloading wrack, home for dinner and catch-up conversation, then into work on Monday at the closed museum. Excellent start, the pieces fall together, and Kim, as it turns out, remembers lashing from Boy Scouts. Three of us working, then after lunch B over from the college and we fairly fly. Most of the posts were precut at the shed and the rails I had counted and grouped by length. Things fit together in unexpected and elegant ways, wrapping around each other. Tuesday, we were working so fast, had to send D back to the ridge for that final load of wrack. We made trips below the floodwall, for specific pieces, B and D cut two more pedestals, brought all the sculptural pieces in. Wanted the illusion of opacity on one wall, so you wouldn't see inside the house too soon, Kim solved the problem with two rows of small hanging pieces, monofilament suspension, looks like rows of implements on a barn wall but you can't identify any of the tools. Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday is set dressing, Thursday I mated sculptural pieces to pedestals, Friday, a cursory cleaning and site the peds. The show is essentially done, in a week. A lovely thing. Still much work to be done, installing Lane's pieces, Nick's stuff, the furniture. I think I can safely say it's over the top. At some point we extended some sticks upward off the top rails of the main wall (the outside wall of the inside space) as a form of temporary bracing and they quickly became a roof-line, which we extended, added purlins, and had suddenly broken the plane. Magic. The pergola is a thing of complex beauty, and will feature B's Greek Torso on a special 36 inch high, massive, walnut stump. The balls found two homes and seem comfortable, though I am certainly going to move the bowling ball to a more prominent place. The total effect is rather stunning, a bit monochromatic (but in a nice way, we all like the color) as everything has a washed out look. The woven fire-hose as roof for the porch, is an amazing touch. After we finished that filthy chore, Kim said he felt like he had just fought an Anaconda. The banter was good. Didn't need to work today, walked Kim and his bags down the driveway, walked back up, sauntering, fixed a nice breakfast, split a little wood. Kim's spoons were a big hit, sold a few, gave us 6 for the fund-raiser opening, next Saturday. I'm conflicted (a word much used this past week) when it comes to Opening Events. I like celebrating, I enjoy the disjointed conversation, the smell of perfume, the bumping, the flirting, but I don't drink and drive and really will want to drink and celebrate in my own way, which usually means going home, so I can drink and not drive. The Stage Manager is, at best, invisible, not unlike the janitor, there was a class at Janitor College: "Procedural Steps Toward Invisibility", taught by that ass-hole Tibetan guy. I've forgotten his name. Fuck me nine ways from Sunday. I wish I could be more specific but I evidently can't. Three crows go into a bar.