~PAT McCARTHY . . ‘BORN TO KILL, ISSUE 90 – BUILDING A FIRE – IN EDEN, N.C.’
DRAMA, FIRE, ROMANCE . . REALISM.
CLAY, FIRE, MAN: SACRED.
PAT McCARTHY . . ‘BORN TO KILL’ – ISSUE 90 – ‘BUILDING A FIRE – IN EDEN’
PRINTED IN NEW YORK CITY – OPEN EDITIONS ONLY – FALL 2016
8 x 10 in. copy paper sheets / folded in half & bound with 2 staples at the ‘spine’.
to accompany:
‘SYLVAIN COUZINET-JACQUES: EDEN’ / which included a PAT McCARTHY ceramic clay miniature replica of the historical school house, & made on-site in North Carolina, & fired using a DIY kiln – also built by PAT.
that’s a really nice quality, hi-contrast color photograph, 4 x 5 in. on shiny photo paper, scotch-taped to the cover – really nice touch. nice contrast to the low-fi quality of the black & white ‘zine’ and totally . . pumps up the DIY vibe.
like how it slightly lifts off the page, from where the corners are taped down. very sculptural.
very interesting, dramatic . . heat seeking to the imagination.
romantic.
that must be a view, looking down – of the DIY kiln, Pat built on site to fire the ‘school house’.
fire burns bright, but so does that cold steel blue – metal.
flips easiest / brand new – to the center page / double page – spread.
gorgeous, silent, profound.
the height of the sky – is awesome. is it day ? is it night ? is it special ?
yes.
let’s go back . . towards the beginning.
The Little Red School House – BUILT 1887.
these must be the 4 views Pat took – to help model the mini replica school house, a 3-D building in the – round, in this case almost: square.
close-op of that page / so architectural.
so historical. I bet Pat’s finished clay piece mimicked a lot of this detail, esp the brickwork, though you couldn’t see it, in the exhibit.
the hand lettering / casual notes . . made the project – come alive !!
so intimate / so sharing . .
so, PIRATE !!
the DIY propane – kiln.
“300 degrees F, 30 min. in . . . ”
“2000 degrees F, 3 hours in . . .”
this must be the ‘fired’ school house – as it first emerged from the fire & heat . . of the kiln.
detail PAT McCARTHY – the little red school house, in . . SYLAIN COUZINET-JACQUES’ – ‘EDEN’ project.
so raw, so evocative. tiny architectural details.
doors swing – open.
PAT concludes with a few ‘travelog’ – North Carolina . . notes !!
“are you kidding me ? Are You Kidding Me ??
2-stroke 100 cc trail bike by COLEMAN.”
THE VIEW FROM MY DESK.
THEY SHOULDA . . BLOWN UP THESE 4 x 5 in. pgs & PLASTERED – THEM ALL OVER THAT APERTURE – GALLERY.
AS A BACK-DROP.
or, at least in that gloomy – entry.
it’s like the true beauty, mystery, stark history + potential of the show, got cut off at the knees, by a lack of inspiration – in the exhibit design.
ironically, it’s amazing how it comes so alive – within the flimsy pages of a low-fi . . zine.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH