“You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.” Well, we made this ice bed and, as I recall, I did lie in it, but not for very long and I couldn’t tell you if anyone got a picture.

    The ice bed was a very cool project that I got to help out with in New Orleans last year on Halloween. In this case, I worked with AdrinAdrina to build the bed. She’s an artist that works in a number of mediums, but many of her works start with quilts that she makes or other items of fabric and cloth. In describing herself, AdrinAdrina calls herself artist curator facilitator orchestrator conductor advisor instigator. I’d have to agree, but I wonder how all that fits on a business card...

    At its most basic, the bed kind of acted as an usual and attention getting frame that showcased one of her quilts. However, the overall vision was to create a piece that was greater than just the sum of the quilt and the ice. Because New Orleans rarely gets below freezing, this was going to be a one-night-only showing.

    Over the course of several weeks, we discussed the project and talked about the design. On Halloween night, it all came together at an outdoor venue right on the Mississippi River called the Brickyard (it’s an actual brickyard, witness the stacks of bricks in the photo above) Several other artists were showing their pieces there that night as well. In fact, the show at the Brickyard was part of a series of Halloween art events in New Orleans, all organized by KKProjects.

    Behind the bed, another artist had built a mirrored shed and a river of fire. As the fire raged, it reflected off the shed’s mirrors, making for an impressive display that suggested that the shed itself was on fire. Another display used orange trees and oranges to portray the artist’s vision while still another artist hung elaborate fabric structures from the ceiling of an abandoned building. In amongst the artworks, there were makeshift bars that served unusual cocktails. The displays were spread about the yard, but the outdoor lighting was spotty at best. So under a nearly new moon, tipsy guests did their best to navigate around any leftover brickyard hazards while wearing crazy costumes. This was truly a New Orleans event!

    If I were asked to explain the work that we created, I would have to defer to AdrinAdrina. After all, I was just doing what I’m usually doing, which is to make ice into the requested shape or structure, which in this case, was a bed.  But I did enjoy the unusual challenge of using ice to frame and enhance another piece of artwork while trying to achieve AdrinAdrina’s concept. And when all was said and done, I was also able to take the time to enjoy the obvious effects of her vision on the guests. It was definitely a fun and memorable experience and I hope similar opportunities come my way in the future. AdrinAdrina was truly a pleasure to work with and I hope we can work together again!

    For more info and better photos from this event, check these links on AdrinAdrina’s website and on ArtForum (link courtesy of AdrinAdrina.com; the bed and AdrinAdrina show up a ways down)