Austinist Interviews: Libby Macalister and Jason Delaney

What are shadow boxes?

At their most basic, shadow boxes present random objects assembled into a cohesive work.

When did you get the idea to start building them?

We have been building shadow boxes in some form or other since early childhood. As a collaborative effort, we began two years ago with the purchase of our house. We build the boxes together, but separately.

Joseph Cornell is probably the most established shadow box builder. Was he much of an influence? What were specific aspects of that influence?

Several years ago, we caught a glimpse of his work on a whirlwind tour through the Chicago Museum of Art and then again a few years later while visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Museums are much like shadow boxes in that they are comprised of many different elements, some of which stand out more than others, but leave an imprint just the same. More than anything, seeing his work there was a reminder of a possible medium of expression, and one that was stored away in the shelves of our heads for later use. [Later on] we decided to examine his work closer. The most useful thing we learned was how to better utilize space and dimension. Sometime it is the absence that ties a piece together, rather than substance.

Can you take us through the steps of building a shadow box (labor, material, etc.)?

We’ve been collecting random things all our lives, like crows picking up shiny objects. Now we have this nest of materials to use, with memories and ideas surrounding each of them. The boxes, some of which we make ourselves, are just canvasses to be filled with whatever vision we have at the time.

Do you build them around a theme, or is is more organic than that?

We each have a different approach to creating a box, one that seems to mirror our approach to life (Taurus vs. Aquarius), and [they’re] complementary. On one side, we have the themed design, which is quite structured and often with some kind of message or concrete vision. The other method is more abstract without a specific theme, though not completely random or chaotic. Some [boxes manifest] fragments of dreams. We don’t know their meaning or message better than another observer.

You've used the work "sentimental" to describe your boxes. Why is that? Are shadow boxes more personal than other art objects?

Again, our approaches and feelings towards the objects we use are quite different. One approach is quite unsentimental: value and attachment [are] placed more on the [overall] resonance of the piece. The other approach embraces intrinsic value, due to the fact that the boxes contain sentimental objects (i.e., letters, drawing, photographs and personal objects from family and friend both past and present).

For example, “Connect the Dots” contained a grandparents’ answering machine tape that was retrieved after his death. “Black Magic Woman” contains a ticket stub from a film seen during studies abroad in Australia. “Excavation of Ex-Boyfriends” contains snippets of pictures and paintings from former boyfriend. Each of these objects has a poignant and vivid memory attached to it.

Can you recall a few boxes that didn't work so well, and what they taught you?

Early on, a few of our pieces had great potential but were ruined by using glue not suited to our methods within the medium. We no longer use the super strength glue that expands into yellow colored foam when dry.

What are the oddest objects you've put inside your boxes?

Molds of our teeth from dentist’s visits long ago, cat claws, a giant condom, and the two-headed smilax root in our “Siamese Twins” box.

What are the challenges of working in 3D? What has it taught you about visual perspective?

The challenge is working within a confined space; what parts to fill and what parts to leave empty. We discovered that asymmetry is more effective visually than symmetry, although more difficult to balance.

Through working with shadow boxes, do you think differently about the connections between objects, or the connections between people and objects?

We find that objects that normally do not have a connection find themselves working together within the scheme of a shadow box. One challenge we like to tackle is blending the organic with the inorganic. What starts out as an exercise in assembling objects into a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing form may result in a deeper feeling that is attached not to any one element but to the grouping as a whole. It could also be that the feeling is already there, somehow directing our intention towards this ultimate synthesis between the observer and the observed. Perhaps the shadow boxes are a card catalogue we create for the experiences stored inside us.

Have you observed people actively "reacting" to the boxes at Epoch? What feedback have you gotten?

We have not spent enough time relaxing there to observe people viewing them. On opening night we were still hanging our work, so people may have been watching us more than the art itself. We have received lots of positive feedback. One artist friend though “On/Off” what the best crucifix he had ever seen. Another was scared by the bees in “Katrina”. One individual was unaware that shadow boxes were a currently practiced art form.

Are the boxes for sale?

Yes!