visual codec archives »

one shot project »
one shot specifications »
one shot purchasing »

about us »
contributors »
submissions »
contact us »

Monument to an Idea

By Lance Blomgren

In the sculpture park, there is (could be) a monument constructed of tens of thousands of similarly sized bath towels. The towels have been ironed flat and carefully stacked on top of each other, pressed together, and secured into place with steel rods to create a tall, rectangular pillar that rises from the lawn like a monolith with soft, uncertain geometry.

Image Courtesy Kourosh Mahvash

These towels are well worn and rubbed thin. They have dried skin, cleaned spills, and been used to cover the ground. They have been soaked with water, coffee, juice, soft drinks, and beer and have been covered at various times in sweat, vomit, urine, blood, snot, semen, excrement, and dirt. They have traveled thousands of miles and been washed hundreds of times. They have caressed and covered hundreds of bodies, been shared by many different people.

The towels are a monument to the beautiful functionality of intimate items. The towels have been solicited for this public sculpture, and towel cupboards have been cleaned out in support of this monument. The names of the donors are recorded on plaques on a large wooden billboard next to the monument.

During the construction of the monument, people were asked to share their experiences with — and their feelings about — their donated items. As the tales make clear, towels are perhaps the most orgiastic of all intimate items.