Up In Smoke

BURNING AMBITIONS

Hong Seon Jang's installation at the Carriage House this December had visitors gaping in wonder. Made entirely of ordinary kitchen matches, Parasite resembled a huge tree branch. The piece was based on fractal proliferations that mimic cellular growth patterns, particularly malignant ones. The matches connote fever and imminent danger.

The installation was over 20 feet long, made of matches glued end to end.

When the exhibit ended, the artist asked the staff to deinstall the work. What other way to do so than to assign Parasite to its logical fate? In a simple ceremony we called "Burning Sensation," Hong Seon's hours of labor went up in smoke.

Mary Lou and curator Sara Kinsey carried the matchstick tree outside.
 Catch Mary Lou's Vanna White moment in the video.

The fire was not what what we expected. Here's a fun fact: it is hard to create a fire of matches--counterintuative but true. And finally, the deed was done. 

Though difficult to light at first, when the matches finally caught fire the blaze was bigger than we bargained for. See the video for our startled reactions. Pierce Cohalan, who captured the ceremony on an iPhone, kept us all from panicking.