Lost Wax

 

I view Crayola as “The Great Teacher of Color,” because we trust them, as we do so many corporations in our capitalist-enamored America, to teach our children colors based upon Crayola’s interpretation and marketing motives. Across many states and two countries (so far) a single crayon has been surreptitiously replaced by a crayon made out of actual bronze in random crayon packs in stores. No indication is given as to the source of this bronze crayon. Presumably these bronze crayons will fall into the hands of children, who have no understanding or influence of value systems created by the economy of fine art. This crayon is left in place for the recipient’s unfiltered reaction between the object and their imagination, leaving the object’s value to be determined solely by the relationship of the object.

These bronze crayons are not for sale, though many have expressed interest in buying them. The ego, both mine and others, have begun to create a separate value for these crayons, that the recipients do not know about. As I place them in the world, I leave clues via instagram photos hinting of their locations to fuel both mine and others selfish desires.

This also serves as a mapping system of sorts that tracks my travels, much like geotagged photos in social media. The action of searching for unsuspecting distributors for these crayons as I travel harkens back to the roadside attraction culture of American history, and it draws a connection between current and dying modes of exploration.

As these crayons get dispersed all over the country and world they assemble to create a constellation type sculpture. Perhaps this is the largest bronze sculpture in history.

Follow the placements on Instagram #lostwaxproject

Instagram

Also there is a Bronze Constellation app for Android devices. Click the link for more information.