Afterlife (Transformed Violin)
Afterlife, graffiti and violin on holographic paper collage, by Mac Love
Mac was one of five regional artists invited to transform a decommissioned children’s violin into a work of art for the Children’s Concert Society of Akron’s 80th anniversary auction and fundraiser. The transformed violins are touring Akron area events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for the Children’s Concert Society.
“This violin immediately spoke to me when I was first approached for the project,” says Mac. “It had no case, and appeared more used than the others. Seeing it made me think of Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase and Pablo Picasso’s guitar paintings. I felt like the vilin had lived a very full life and wanted to find a way to celebrate that energy and all of the relationships it had had.”
The first thing Mac did was smash the violin with an axe. “A friend gifted me this beautiful frame, but it wasn’t large or deep enough to hold the whole violin. I knew that obliterating and reassembling it would be an elegant way to capture the energy and ideas I had in mind for the piece.”
A holographic paper collage serves as the backdrop for the painting, activating the canvas with irridescent colors and shapes that shift with changes in light and perspective. “This medium makes the viewer a creative agent in their experience of the work,” says Mac. “It also makes the paintings difficult to photograph and infinitely more rewarding to experience in person.”
“Since this violin had clearly been loved and used greatly, it was my hope to capture a spirit of joy and gratitude in a new creative state – it’s “afterlife.” I created graffiti stencils of music notes and used the flipside of each piece of the violin to create the background music notes. I then flipped each piece of the violin back over and painted them in linear shades of red and blue to express the youthful exuberance that I was certain this instrument savored in its greatest moments. To finish the piece, I reassembled the guitar and glued it to the background in an arrangement that that felt floral, explosive, and powerfully alive.”
“To me, Afterlife represents a new beginning and a reminder that life is forever changing. I am deeply grateful to the Children’s Concert Society for approaching me with this opportunity to celebrate and support their mission.”
Click the button below to see the other violins, learn about each artist, and place a bid on one of these paintings to support the Children’s Concert Society.
