5 melted cameras, mounted on glass : plastic, metal, glass ; mounts 30 x 39 cm to 31 x 67 cm
Collection:
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Gift of Joy of Giving Something, Inc.
Copyright Status:
Copyright Not Evaluated
Classification:
Three-Dimensional Artifacts
Notes:
The pieces are accompanied by a reproduction of "Camera cook-out: how to make strange and attractive wall pieces by melting cameras on a barbecue grill. [By] Bill Jay" (typescript, [5] pages), copied from an original in the Bill Jay History of Photography Collection, at the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona (item AG184:36/13). The typescript provides detailed instructions on the process, which includes: the selecting of "cheap cameras" ("An unlimited supply will be found in local thrift stores. Average prices 49c, to $1.99 each"); dismantling of cameras; rearranging of parts ("Be creative. There is no need to duplicate the original configuration of parts"); and grilling, on a cookie sheet, over a bed of charcoal briquettes. Jay notes: "Cameras, as a rule, are not very colorful. Black and silver predominate. You can add colorful backgrounds to the camera parts by using plastic trays, lids and cut up bottles." Jay also encourages the addition of "flash guns, old (even used) flash bulbs, and other accessaries [sic]." Jay insists on the use of quality gas mask, as protection from noxious plastic fumes. In much of the description, Jay refers to the compositions as "splats."
Subject Terms:
Polaroid Land camera. | Plastics. | Barbecuing.
Form/Genre:
Cameras (photographic equipment) | Instant cameras. | Camera accessories. | Camera components. | Flash attachments.