"While shooting the previous
photos, I found a discarded toilet in a junk heap behind a
building in the apartment complex I was living in at the time.
Of course, I immediately started wondering how I could possibly
use it in an artistic way, hahah. I found out later when I was
mountain biking down back roads with some friends. We discovered
a scene of destruction -- an old church had recently burned down
in an out of the way area."
"Days later, I loaded the now well cleaned toilet into the
back of my car and lugged it over to the site. I carried it
through the rubble and to the place where the altar must have
stood. I set the Topcon up on my tripod and planned out the
photo. It took several tries before I was able to release the
timer, run through the rubble and arrange myself on the toilet
in a natural pose in time to make the shot. I felt comfortable
doing this only because it was a very out of the way spot in the
woods. There were some houses through the trees about 200 yards
away and I can only imagine what the residents must have thought
of my antics had they seen me."
"Before you scoff, a number of prestigious figures have met
their end seated on the porcelain throne. The most notable being
Elvis Presley and King George II of England. King Edmund
Ironside, of Southern England, died while he was sitting on the
toilet. An enemy knight named Eric Streona was hiding in the pit
below and when the King sat down to do his royal business,
Streona thrust his sword straight into the King's anus, using so
much force that that the sword became embedded in his bowels.
More info than you needed? Probably, but I'm nothing if not
thorough!"
In "...the closing image of
this series. The false god has been offered up as sacrifice and
cheerily burns away atop the toilet/altar/throne in the remains
of the old church. Hand colored on a traditional B&W print
from traditional B&W film."
"... Once again shot on
B&W 35 mm film. I didn't feel this image needed any toning.
I debated whether or not to just post the image and let the
viewers draw their own conclusions, or to give an explanation. I
feel in this case the story adds a little something."
© kort kramer
