A Spinal Tap Moment

I had my first Spinal Tap Moment.

An artist I met recently showed me pictures of several of her sculptures - wooden abstract pieces that were constructed out of wood and mylar lashed together with natural twine. Some looked to be suspended in a hotel courtyard or lobby. Other shots were of walls or doorways redone with a dramatic color scheme or texture. Very impressive stuff. The art work was cool, too.

A week or so later, I had the occasion to visit her studio in a converted airplane hanger at the Santa Monica airfield. "Had the occasion" means, made every effort to get some additional face time, of course.

Well, while I was there, it turns out the huge sculptures I envisioned were actually ten, twelve or thirty six inches, not feet - as you may have guessed by the title. I'm sure I must have stopped dead in my tracks just staring at this teeny, tiny art with a stupid/silly grin on my face. That was a pebble in the picture, not a bolder. That is yarn, not yardarm rigging. No way she noticed my bemused look though, I'm sure of it.

The first five minutes I was there I probably didn't hear a word that was said as I just couldn't get the image of these tiny delicate shoe box sized art pieces being lowered from the ceiling at some dramatic art gallery opening by giant pulleys and chains. "Behold 'Mondrain's Shell'!" (pictured above) It is an award winner and is 36 long X 21 wide and 10 high!" Queue the little people!

It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever - David St. Hubbins, This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Later in the conversation, after I rejoined reality, I made an off-hand reference to the movie "This Is Spinal Tap" but it didn't register with her. I spared her the anecdote above after learning that she didn't share my feelings about one of the true classics. This story will be a secret between you and me. Of course, I got out of any future plans with her.

Obviously incompatible, we were.

You just don't get many Spinal Tap moments in life, though. You have to cherish them when you can.