The Nature of Things

Commissioned by
King County Arts Commission
Seattle, Washington
Location: King County Juvenile Court House Children's Waiting Area

1997 and updated 2018

Materials and Dimensions
Fifteen wooden boxes fitted into drywall niches; box interiors are mixed media, lit with fiber optics. The niche sizes range from 3" to 96" high, from 2" to 12" deep, and from 10" to 48" wide

Description
In The Nature of Things, fifteen recessed, internally lit boxes are placed throughout three spaces in the Juvenile Court Area. They are framed with sandblasted and formed plastic that has been stretched over hundreds of kids plastic toy parts. The boxes are internally lit using fiber optics hidden among the imagery in order to cast light and shadow on specific areas of the situations within. Glass covers the front of each box, allowing for a maximum of freedom in materials and lowering the potential for vandalism. (All but two of these photos were taken before the glass and frame were installed.)

The common link is a sense of private spaces that are occupied. The boxes are scaled down to invite visual entry and mental escape.

Credits
Photos: Joe Freeman Jr.

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