Robert Durlak

Five short memories

1.

Galligan and I needed to make an image of spontaneous human combustion.

We bought a few used wooden chairs, some old shoes, a couple of cans of Sterno and lighter fluid, loaded everything into an old Ford Econoline van at 2 AM on a chilly autumn night and drove several miles south to a town park along the Hudson River.

Concerned about possibly being interrupted by law enforcement, we slowly drove into the park with headlights turned off. A herd of deer came running from our right, toward the river. A stag and a three does leapt over the hood of the van. We stopped, and the remaining deer ran in front of us. We sat silent for a few minutes.

We regarded this as a good omen, and then got to work.

2.

I had a dream about half-ships sinking and walked to Jan’s studio with a drawing of it. He was holding two short pieces of 1x2 wood he’d nailed together at a right angle. “I’m building a boat,” he said.

We forgot to submit a proposal for an outdoor sculpture exhibit installed along the Hudson River. Nonetheless, we decided it’d be perfectly fine to install our ship-boat in a small estuary. Ed Atkinson and some others helped us sink it.

Later, the College of Saint Rose’s art department generously invited us to exhibit preliminary materials that led up to the final project but we hadn't made any. We whipped up a statement, a bunch of maquettes and drawings post-haste.

3.

Jan and I were not tripping with a group of friends/acquaintances at a redneck bar, but it didn’t prevent us from getting beaten up on an icy parking lot.

4.

A new gallery invited us to show, so we made a sign announcing a laundromat to be opened in the floor below their space.

5.

Jan and I were at Niagara Falls. We leaned over the railing and looked down and the water roared and hurtled down and roared.