mary rose mcclain

image of super8mm film with blue salt and ink stains

Salax

2024 | 13 x 7 x 13 in | projector, super 8mm film, salt, ink, fabric, geranium and winterleaf oil, glue, shell, polymer clay

In Ancient Rome, a man in love was called a Salax. He was too in love to realize that he was over-salting the food.

Salax started as a superstition. A broken Super 8 projector shapeshifted into a creature soaked in salt and ink. A sel-portrait.

As you approach Salax, you are invited to and guided through a multi-sensory experience of touch, scent, taste, sight, and sound. This sculptural piece experiments with the material transformation of Super 8mm film, the symbolic significance of salt (salt as initiation, preservation, hospitality, wisdom, magic, capital, covenant, etc.), along with the purpose of waste.

What can become of the broken?