If Heaven Were a Mobil Mart, 2000
Super 8 film transferred to video
Lenticular images are digital files that have been specially prepared and then printed onto a lens material. This material is a special plastic made up of lenticules, referring to the eye's lense and they’re shaped like lentils, therefore the name lenticular printing. The image, viewed through the lenticules, appears to move as it is turned creating dramatic flickering between 2 images or animation.
“Double Flame After Life”, Cranbrook Art Academy Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
“Thinking about my own mortality. I see, there are two very different scenarios for death and the afterlife. The first one is - end of story; no replays, no do overs or no reincarnation, it’s over - you’re done, finito. The second more uplifting version has multiple options for the afterlife. Let’s use car rentals as an example. Starting with your vehicle choices - economy, compact, standard, intermediate etc. There are incentivized packages, points and upgrades. As you know car rental pick-up and drop-off points are extremely numerous. Together, Hertz, (recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy), and Avis alone, have 15,000 agencies internationally. This is where I take my inspiration for “If Heaven were a Mobil Mart”. You can franchise the afterlife.”
Steve Murakishi 1949 -
Photography by Jérémy Sauterel
The Elysium or Elysian Fields
The afterlife or life after death - what is it, where is it and who gets to go there? In Greek mythology, the underworld is another world where souls go after death. The original Greek idea of afterlife is that at the moment of death, the soul is separated from the corpse, taking on the shape of the former person, and is transported to the entrance of the underworld.
Homer’s epic poems from the 8th century BC, describe the Elysian Fields or Elysium as a place of perfect happiness in a pastoral meadow in the Underworld. This was the ultimate paradise granted by Zeus to a hero he could achieve: basically an ancient Greek Heaven.
The world’s most famous commercial street is Champs-Élysées Avenue, meaning “Elysian Fields”. Photography by Alyssa Black
Heaven on Earth.