Unfurled reels of receipt paper are pinned to the wall, spilling onto a plinth below. The receipt paper has been burned. In some cases, the material has been entirely consumed and has been mended with transparent material.
On the plinth, a fine copper mesh rests atop the paper. The mesh is covered in strings and puddles of glass.
Cast by the afternoon light, shadows reveal large chunks of information that have burned away.
Detail of a burned-away section of the receipt paper.
The text is a first-person account of the Philadelphia Police Department's bombing of MOVE Headquarters.
Detail of the glass and copper mesh. The metal has become discolored in the areas where the glass is thickest.
Detail of the receipt paper.
This piece shows a timeline of the events referenced on the other receipt papers, spanning from 1921 to 1985. The paper is burned with strokes, lashes, and eventually terminates in a black mass.
“Sweat,” Zora Neale Hurston. Fire!! literary magazine. 1926.
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury and Joseph A. Mugnaini. 1953.
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin. 1963.
"25 Years Ago: Philadelphia Police Bombs MOVE Headquarters Killing 11, Destroying 65 Homes." Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez. Democracy Now! 2010.
"Centralia could be facing its final days as Pennsylvania officials try to complete burning town's demolition," PennLive.com. 2010.
"Survivors of infamous 1921 Tulsa race riot still hope for justice." Dexter Mullins. Al Jazeera America. 2014.
Cause and Origin Investigation
Glass, thermal paper, transparency film, copper wire mesh.
2017 | 12’ x 5’ x 5’
Glass, thermal paper, transparency film, copper wire mesh.
2017 | 12’ x 5’ x 5’