'Valentine Shredders'

My film/contraption "Valentine Shredders" is one of the works that will be bid on Saturday (2-9) at the 2008 Works of Heart Auction for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center. A four-minute video is screened on a portable DVD player placed inside a small red Lithuanian valise. Tucked in with the player are the sentimental remnants of a failed love affair that have been run through a leaf shredder.

The shredding is depicted in the video that stars local actors Kelly Cox and Nancy Ellen Mills. The music on the video is "Cupid's Arrow" by Memphis singer Amy LaVere from her latest album "Anchors & Anvils" on the Archer Records label. The valise and its contents are attached to a wooden platform that also has the shredded remains of the wooden heart provided to artists participating in the charity event.

It's on display to the public in the lobby of Memphis College of Art through Friday.

The Memphis Child Advocacy Center helps abused kids and is about as worthy an organization as there ever was. More than 100 artists are participating (including a piece by my wife, Maritza Davila). If you want to bid on any of the hearts, the auction is Saturday at 6pm. Contact me if you want to participate.