Cubic Feet of Lead and Feathers

lead, feathers, wood, bolts, corridor

14 1/2 x 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches (exterior of each box)

Seeing the title, the viewer imagines one box to be very heavy (520 pounds in fact) and one to be very light (two pounds), but he or she cannot know which is which, since the exteriors are identical. So the work is about perception, mass, and density. I went to great trouble to be sure those around knew I had the lead and feathers. A tag on the far side of the corridor, however, reveals that neither box actually contains either lead or feathers. The piece thus becomes about lying and trusting, truth, and who cares. Turned out, no one cared. That was interesting.