Letter to Grandma
Posing (Unpacking Potential Threat)
frozen black yarn and gray thread, documented by Benjamin Lee Hernstrom, Sarah Mccormick, and Scott Smith, 4’x 3’ x 2’
Posing’s pedestal’s construction is inspired by the dimensions and design of the counter and scale in the airport luggage check-in area. This suitcase is composed of black yarn and grey thread soaked in water, then packed and frozen into a suitcase form. Originally, the ice forms a thin layer over the yarn, so that the surface looks smooth and continuous like the hard-plastic shell of a suitcase. When it starts to melt the individual strands of yarn start to concede their presence in a dense mass of compressed lines until the suitcase completely collapses into a heap of yarn. The collapsed yarn heap retains certain features of the suitcase like the corrugated exterior shell or the extension into which the wheels are inserted. “Please do not leave bags unattended. Report unattended baggage or suspicious activity immediately.” Public transportation signage and announcements instruct travelers to be suspicious while implicating them as objects of suspicion.