OBXO
© Owen Premore
ObxO, 2016
39 x 17 x 28” (maximum dimensions)
Doulas fir, madrone, poplar, flocking, stain, polyurethane, hardware, lock, key
The Royal Nebeker Art Gallery at Clatsop Community College, Astoria, OR invited artists, designers, and other creative persons to respond to the saying “thinking outside the box”. Each person that accepted the challenge was presented with a 15” plywood cube and asked to use the cube in their response.
My artist statement for ObxO:
“When I consider the attributes of a box, I think of containment, protection, organization, and possession. I took the idea of thinking outside the box literally by turning a cabinet inside-out. The introvert found in a safe, flock-lined drawer has become exposed and extrovert. The protection and isolation typically assigned to the content of a single flock-lined drawer has been exposed and, in a way, entirely inclusive. Everything is under the protection this box. Only the small space within is described as being subject to environmental hazards.
Questioning functionality is an important aspect of my creative practices. It is a purging of practical demons; a way to come to grips with my tendencies towards practicality and utility. There is a difficulty in viewing a very familiar and purposefully built “tool” that has been intentionally rendered counterproductive or dysfunctional by design. I know I am on the right track when I find myself facing angst and forcibly resolving to consider the form over the function due to lack of usefulness.”
