Paper Bombs, 2004 - 2006

Nov 7

The work is a street performance where specific locations are metaphorically “bombed,” and subsequently the audience either can choose to ignore what they see, or engage with it and the artist. In each location, paper origami boxes (called bombs) are made and blown by the performer and placed in various positions related to the landscape and then photographed. In some situations text is written on the boxes, money is placed in them, and often moved by transient people. Each performance usually ends with altercations with security or police in the nearby area because the locations used are public spaces. The performance is meant to represent implicit ideas of national security in public/private spaces, American imperialism, and the absurdity of notions of security in a culture of fear. The process of making and displaying these bombs is a meditation on my identity as an American, the parodies of defense, and metaphors for time better spent.