The Tepco Coffeecup Chair - Richmond Museum of History

[Unveiled: October 8, 2011, 2pm]

My latest public art installation, the Tepco Chair, is now displayed at the Richmond Museum of History, at 400 Nevin Avenue, in Richmond.  More pictures, and a video by Eric Blum to come soon!

 This chair is a functional contemporary loveseat which references the now-defunct Technical Porcelain and China Ware Company factory of Richmond, California.  From 1918 through 1968, Tepco produced dinnerware for restaurants and institutions, as well as the US Navy's Pacific Fleet, including the Liberty and Victory ships which were built in the Richmond Shipyards during World War II.

Broken and imperfect porcelain dinnerware was routinely dumped along the Richmond bayshore, where I gathered the wave-tumbled shards for this mosaic work. The shape and "Sunglow" color of this piece refer directly to the most popular coffee cups produced by Tepco. It is meant as an homage to the factory and to the men and women who worked there, and in the shipyards. I like to imagine them eating dinner and drinking coffee from Tepco ware in the local restaurants and cafes where they spent their hard-earned money after work. In fact, Tepco porcelain is still in use in several local establishments.

The Tepco Chair from Eric Blum on Vimeo.

Art Unveiling at Annie's Annuals 

[May 2010]

My Art Unveiling of the Mosaic Chapel at Annie's Annuals and Perennials, was held on Mother's Day 2010.

The Allegorical Reliquary Mosaic Chapel Fountain is my first freestanding but portable room-sized installation.  The inspiration for the piece came from a combination of the weeping walls in Zion National Park and the graceful and elegant roofless ruins of ancient Irish chapels.  Made of mosaic and stucco on polymer-fortified concrete, fiberglass mesh, polystyrene foam armature, stainless steel reservoirs, submersible pumps. The chapel configuration is relatively plain on the outside with colorful mosaic narratives on the inside such as those in Ravenna Italy. The “art unveiling” process creates a moment in time when my sculpture installation becomes alive with local community dancers and the audience – a thrilling experience.

Dancers from El Cerrito High School were on hand to provide entertainment during the unveiling, complete with custom designed headdresses and outfits to help emphasize the Chapel.

Allegorical Reliquary from Eric Blum on Vimeo.