Fine With This

Fine With This consists of a series of monumental, cast iron letters that recall the well-known meme of an apathetic dog sitting in a burning kitchen. Like that dog, FWT tries to make the best of things - here by offering the audience s'mores, breakfast sandwiches, and other treats cooked on its surface. Don't get too comfortable though; great bursts of flame shoot from the piece at random intervals, reminding us that all is not under control.

Fine With This was first exhibited virtually, as part of the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices (NCCCIAP), via live-stream on Twitch. Viewers who donated money to an art scholarship could control FWT by typing secret codes into the chat. The device was physically located at Shepard University in West Virginia, where project collaborator Kay Dartt also held an iron pour. For documentation we experimented with live video production, mirroring the aesthetic of a televised sporting event.

Fine With This went on to show at the Festival of Combustion in Pittsburgh and a second, in-person NCCCIAP conference at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham.

This work is a collaboration between Kay Dartt, Taylor Hokanson, and Stephen Lee, and has been financially supported by grants from Columbia College Chicago and the NCCCIAP. Special thanks go out to Flaming Lotus Girls, The Department of Spontaneous Combustion, Poofersupply, and KC Green.