Mark Jenkins is a Washington, DC-based artist whose humorous, absurdist, and ephemeral work inhabits its public settings almost unnoticed. Since learning about Jenkins' Storker Project over a year ago via the always-incredible street art mecca, Wooster Collective, I've kept from posting it here, but only for the most selfish reasons.
In the Storker Project, the artist places a sculpture--a baby made from packing tape--somewhere, then he posts a photograph of it on his website.
If while passsing by one you feel strange sensations in your nipples or fingertips, adopt the infant, breast feed, and give it plenty of pTLC. It will gradually mature to a full size Tape Man or Woman to co-habitate with you and eventually take you to the Glazed Paradise (or possibly oust you from your home).See, I've wanted to be the guy who adopts one of these Tape Babies, and I've checked in periodically on Jenkins' site, waiting to see if he's placed another one--then if it was close by, I figured, I'd drop what I was doing, and rush out to score me a Tape Baby before anyone else got there. Makes total sense, right?
Yeah, well, it hasn't really worked out that way. I've mostly resigned myself to enjoying Jenkins' work from afar, and invite you to do the same. I'm still keeping my eyes open, though; once you know they're out there, you can never really be sure there's not a Tape Baby peering down on you from a powerline somewhere.
And besides, to explain his process, Jenkins has added a tutorial for casting objects in tape, so now if I really want a Tape Baby, I can try making one myself. What about a Tape Bugaboo...
Mark Jenkins Storker Project [xmarkjenkinsx.com]
the tutorial's at TapeSculpture.org
If you ever bring home a tape baby, you'll need one of these t-shirts: http://www.tapegallery.com/