Rocket Roller Coaster Jungle Gym

2014. Mixed Media on Wood. 48″ x 27″

Rocket Roller Coaster Jungle Gym (above) is part of set of three pieces in Electric Park that explore the potential for play and re-appropriation of failed machinery.  In 1979, Playboy ventured into the ruin-porn industry by producing a made-for-tv film titled Death of Ocean View Park in which a roller coaster blows up and forces its riders to climb down its slumped wooden grid in order to reach the ground safely.  The coaster, known for speeding its passengers through a one-track course, in its demise, opens itself up to become an adult playground.  I hand-traced 30 frames of its collapse and laser-cut each one to create a miniature model of a playground created entirely from the pixels of disaster.  All materials leftover from the laser-cuts were collaged to make the above painting.