The box opens up to reveal a backdrop of Luna Park. An upper and lower stage, constructed from foam core and painted, slide into place, the striped inside covering of the box look like stage curtains, the box is of course, something I couldn't throw away as it "may come in useful someday", (it was once packaging for our Nespresso coffee machine, which by the way is the best coffee machine we have ever owned!) The original book "Three Model Theatres" which the artwork is based around, is part of the backdrop and can be removed to reveal the same image of Luna Park behind it. At various intervals inside the book, painted directly over the top of the text and diagrams, are masks from all corners of the world. I really liked the idea of building a 'model theatre', however the instructions in the book were not easy to follow, so I simplified them a little! As masks have been used in theatre throughout the ages by every culture it seemed appropriate to use the image of Luna Park in this work.
Blarney Book and Art is in Port Fairy in Victoria, the exhibition opens this weekend and continues for a couple of months.
I also got to write "and they all lived happily ever after."
