An aluminum superstructure contains a 1-meter cube of Nomex suspended by elastic cords. The cube is embedded with dozens of small pyrotechnics sequenced by fuse material that is embroidered along the inside surfaces of the fabric. Seven of the cube’s edges are zippers, allowing it to unfold to a planar form that can be mounted on a wall.
The pyrotechnics are triggered and the cube contains the resulting energetic burn. Afterwards, the wall-hanging displays the residue of the passionate, chaotic process.
A three-level quote: in Bill Viola’s Reasons For Knocking At An Empty House he writes “Van Gogh, writing in his journal, quoted Saint Beuve: ‘One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul, yet no one ever comes to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke rising from the chimney and continue on their way.’”
The piece is intended to be restaged any number of times - the cube accumulates the residue of each action and will eventually be destroyed. An audience is not required for the pyrotechnical performance. The sculpture may be left in its ready-to-burn state for days or months. The video of a performance is timeshifted to prolong the action beyond reasonable limits.
The Nomex cube was designed and made by Jill Haefele.