Mortal Salt

Artist Statement  

Karen Finneyfrock’s “What Lot’s Wife Would Have Said (If She Wasn't a Pillar of Salt)” is an astonishingly moving work drawing parallels between Lot's biblical flight from Sodom and Gomorrah and turning our collective backs on the heartbreaking human toll associated with the ongoing AIDS crisis—a poem with the power to consistently reduce audiences to tears. Which begs the question, how do we monetize the shit out of this fucker?

This poem, with blockbuster potential, languishes in the sub-basement that is poetry publishing and “art crowd” audiences. Our smartest avenues for high ROIs with minimal up-front PR dollars are strategic corporate tie-ins and product placements. We envision strong interest from tweens and 20-somethings, therefore a range of hip-urban-aspirational-yet-obtainable products, quickly consumed on-the-go, from cupcakes to running shoes. With a concentrated marketing push centered on the 2011 pre-holiday season, Finneyfrock’s poem will certainly be top of consumer’s minds come December 25th. 

First edition copies of “Mortal Salt” can be found in several book arts collections, including: University of Washington, Yale University, Emory University, Swarthmore College, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA).

Artist Daniel R. Smith in collaboration with poet Karen Finneyfrock. Presented at Soil Gallery, Seattle, Nov 2011 as part of the Exhibition “Loose Leaf” curated by Ellen Ziegler.