Last autumn I decided that I wanted to get more organisised — I needed a li’l box next to my reading chair for essentials like, er, dental floss and a short USB-C cable. You know.
To hide the horror shown above.
So I was looking around for a box of some kind, but they all seemed so dull. But then I remembered that the Memphis Group was something that existed, and I wondered whether they had ever made a box? Nope.
But googling for “memphis like boxes” led me to an auction house in Los Angeles, and found something so silly there that I had to have it.
And then it arrived, and:
IT”S BROKEN!!! I can’t find the original web page now, and the Wayback Machine doesn’t seem to have it… but see up there? There’s like three short black things? Those are supposed to poke out.
I mean, I like the general worn-ness of it all — this box seems like it’s been used for decades, but those pokey things weren’t broken on the picture when I bought it.
The box is made by Hollis Fingold in the 80s, and it’s part of a large series of weird-looking boxes she made. You can find some being re-sold on Etsy, but now I can’t find any info on Fingold on the net… I could have sworn I read a profile on her, but Google isn’t being helpful.
I like the absurd design on the box: It looks like a deranged teenager did it manically while listening to Madonna and getting ready to go out on the town to party. In 1985.
I appreciate that the gallery people included some extra badges and stuff, but you could have packed this antique better, man.
Two of the “matchsticks” were in the box, at least.
*glue* *glue*
Bat what to do with the final one? Just forgetaboutit?
Or… try to get fix it?
I shouldn’t really attempt doing anything, because I’m really impatient and sloppy when it comes to stuff like this. Measure once and cut twice — that’s my motto.
And it looks fine even with two of three pointy bits. But… let’s give it a go, anyway.
So I went and got some black lacquer paint…
… and a li’l muffin to stick them in.
Nope — one coat isn’t going to do the trick.
I think that’s about seven coats? Now it’s starting to take.
[time passes]
And then this project sat around from November last year until tonight. Tonight’s the night!
So here’s what it looks like now…
And… OK, perhaps I should have gone with matte paint? And sliiightly too long.
But I’ve got a knife.
So I wanted to paint the tip of the stick, but not in a matching colour, because I’ll never find the right one. So instead of that pink shade the others had, I went for sparkly silver, because why not.
“Shake for 3 minutes”!?!?
So… er… how do you open the spray can?
OK, not that way. And now I can’t push the nozzle?
But… the nozzle comes off? Are you supposed to take the red thing out?
Couldn’t they have mentioned that in the instructions? I was ready to get a hammer to try to hit the nozzle.
OK, *spritz*.
*dip* That’s not very impressive.
OK, after dipping five more times over a ten minute period, it’s now starting to take. Now I just have to glue it, I guess.
The guy at the paint shop suggested using this. It’s supposed to be the thing if you have a two short surfaces to glue together, but I’m wondering whether it’s strong enough…
There. Eh. It should have been halv a millimeter shorter? And less silver paint? What. Ever.
There! The untidy nightmare is over!
The box has a nice, soft pad to rest my precious goods on.
And I finally have a place to stash the essentials. Out of sight, out of mind.
Wow, that process only took me four? five? months. New record! Not saying whether it’s a longness record or a shortness record!