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| A Celebration For The Existence Of The Divine Joke, 14.5 X 17", copr William Cook, 1982 |
This scene looks across a parking lot from the University Of Maryland Hospital, to the
intersection of Fayette and Greene. The buildings are accurate enough to mention
that the church in the upper right is Westminster Church, site of the grave of
Edgar Allen Poe. This view is no longer possible because they built a
building in the lot. Anyway, the significance of all this is that
I must have snapped this shot while parked next to the
Hospital, waiting for my wife to get off work.
I may have known about the Poe thing, hence the snapshot. And many moons later,
I thought this would make a great backdrop for the procession idea I had for this piece.
I mean what a cool conjunction of weirdness. Even without the Poe thing the buildings
are creepy enough, but Edgar was icing on the cake.
This was all reminiscent of a dream I once had of a procession of weirdos, celebrating
something I didn't understand, but I had better get away from. But I couldn't leave--too
wicked and wonderful. They carried shields with this funny emblem, and had
tassels with sixes embroidered, there were signs, banners, flags--and
throngs of onlookers all worked up witnessing their holy "priesthood"
marching along.
They're celebrating a God who, among his other duties ultimately
tells the Divine Joke. The punchline is that there's no joke, he will
roast you over the coals throughout all eternity if you make a mistake.
How I hoped this wasn't so.
Then I woke up.
\\///\
