remnants: Remembering the Cocoanut Grove Fire of 1942

February 2023, solo show, Experimental Gallery Olive Tjaden Hall, Ithaca, NY.

In 1942, the second deadliest single building fire occurred on a cold Boston night in November. The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub was a popular spot for Harvard students and young people, particularly Boston’s abundant Irish population. On the night of the fire, exits had been locked from the outside, covered in fabric, and even bricked closed to prevent club-goers from leaving before paying. These integral emergency exits proved unusable during the tragedy that ensued. 492 people died, many of whom were unidentified or whose identity is forgotten today. 

This show pieces the remnants back together - to remember the lives of those who passed. 

This show was supported by the Gibian Rosewater Traveling Research Grant and the Boston City Archives.

works included:

Where It Happened (2023), digital photographs taken of passerby and the street where the Cocoanut Grove once stood, printed on paper. Documents from the Boston City Archives.

What Was Left (2023), cut up documents from the Boston City Archives labeling the clothing left behind in the fire, found objects acquired in Boston, cyanotypes of matching garments sourced from the archives, and digital photographs printed on paper. 

The Two That Loved, Where They Lay (2023), a dark cyanotype on a large piece of cotton, split in half. The textile is made from grave rubbings. Documents from the Boston City Archives that list the names of those who died. 

Where They Lived (2023), digital photographs of the victims homes, taken in January.
What We {didn’t} Change (2023), documents from the Boston City Archives and digital photographs of a current Harvard student bar, Wusong Road.

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