Video Work
You don't know what you've got til its gone
polychromed mahogany, lead, fur, video
2004
The demise of the Tasmanian Tiger has always troubled me since I was a little kid, after seeing a nature film in 3rd grade - the video clips have always haunted me even to this day. This particular work was created especially for a joint exhibition of Australian and American furniture makers - I had also just visited Hobart, Tasmania prior to making this work. The cabinet form becomes a sort of "Butsudan", or a shrine in homage to this animal - and the video is a montage of clips and imagery.
photo: Michael Slattery
collection: Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston, AUS
www.naturalworlds.org/thylacine/additio…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butsudan