Jenny Brown Designs: In the bag

Yuken Teruya, Notice Forest 2009 (detail), Burger King

I had my 6th birthday party at a Burger King. My older sister went to a similar party there and I remember being in the car dropping her off, watching her walk into the fast food chain in a blue knee length smocked dress with ankle socks and black patent leather mary janes- party attire.

Photo by Wendy McClure- notice the subtle tone-on-tone signage. Its called zoning.

I was sick with envy and insisted (in my classic middle child way) that I have my birthday party at Burger King too. I did not realize the stigma associated with my cursed birth order until my friends stared having children-- oh, and when I saw this bottle of wine:

I think I have that coat

But I digress. At the time, Burger King was the only fast food chain in town and was part of a random red brick shopping 'center', if you could call it that, on the outskirts of the central downtown area. The interior was covered in dark wood paneling and the booths were set up in a maze formation, or at least that is how I remember it, with very high sides and planters on top, and the seats upholstered in orange pleather. It made the restaurant feel very cozy, but I guess high school kids started selling drugs there by hiding them in the plants so they had to remodel- or so the (sub)urban legend goes. Teenagers.

I started reminiscing about this memorable party at an art show a few years ago when I saw the fascinating sculptures of artist Yuken Teruya who cuts sections out of paper bags and forms them into delicate trees. That first image has been on my bulletin board ever since then and I just had to share at the end of this art-filled week. Enjoy!