David Sepulveda Photos
The finished commission, in front of the gallery.
The same day that Westville’s famed snow-asaurus received a heaven-sent glazing of ice that is sure to extend the fantasy reptile’s life, its creator — me — weighed the icy conditions for yet another frozen heap of form and color.
The original “snow-asaurus.”
I’d been asked to consider creating a snow sculpture for the icy-brown snowbank outside of Kehler Liddell Gallery in celebration of the gallery’s new group exhibit, “I…and Love…and You.” The show, which opened Jan. 30, examines “the contemporary complexities of honest communication in exchanges related to love.”
Not coincidentally, on Thursday, the gallery — which has become a full-service creative arts venue — hosted the opening of the New Haven-based Elm Shakespeare Company’s presentation of “The Lover,” Harold Pinter’s play which “follows the erotic escapades of a long-married British couple that engage in an afternoon of fantasy role-playing,” according to the gallery’s press release.
Like last year’s successful run of Elm Shakespeare Company’s production of Yasmina Reza’s “ART” at the gallery, current theatrical themes correspond to gallery environs in a unique and wonderful marriage of word and place. This year, gallery director Sarah Fritchey sought to extend theatrical and exhibit themes to the gallery’s exterior, making timely use of the tall snowbank lining the street.
The cookie cutter, and its handiwork.
Conditions in the glistening landscape did not appear promising, but after stepping on the icy shell that had blanketed the beleaguered city, I discovered a pliable snowy texture just beneath the crusty surface. With a makeshift heart-shaped cookie cutter fashioned from an old biscuit tin, and an ideathat was sure to please the romantically inclined, production for the gallery’s outdoor installation began in earnest. After several hours of coaxing heart-shaped “snow cookies” out of the deep snow, the pieces were painted and loaded in boxes for delivery to the gallery site.
Excavation of the lumpy mixture of ice and sand that lined the curb in front of the gallery was exhausting, but soon a rough facsimile — a tribute to the Sweethearts Conversation Heart Candy box, the iconic message-bearing confection that dates back to 1902 — emerged.
The late Pop artist Andy Warhol, who created a number of artworks based on items from popular culture, like his Brillo Box series, famously said, “Land is really the best art.” He would have loved the idea, although the execution might not have pleased him.
The glowing heart-shaped orbs were laid out to appear as if they had been poured out of the box in a random heap. The sculpture’s base was groomed, revealing archeological bands of alternating snow and ice — testament to a weather pattern that has most people begging for the start of an early spring. Most people. The display will have melted by the start of the next performance, but the show must go on.
“The Lover,” which opened Feb. 3, will continue its run with performances Feb. 10 – 13. The show begins at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday; on Saturday, performances start at 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. A special benefit performance is scheduled for Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m., at $75 per ticket; hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. Please visit
www.elmshakespeare.org for tickets.