Host Installation assistant, Venice 1996

Back in september 1996 Pierre d'Avoine, Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey produced an installation in a gallery and a concecrated chapel in the heart of Venice called 'Host' for the Venice Architecture Biennale. The overall theme of the show was the 'Aedicule', an iconic little house with religious overtones if I remember correctly. This aedicule was coated with growing grass on it's exterior, a common them of the work of Dan and Heather. As part of the construction team, one of the jobs that Tom Emerson and myself were charged with was covering the interior of the large grass aedicule with venetian black pigment. This involved standing inside a religious structure inside a concecrated chapel and working with toxic solvents. We had a fine time inside there getting as high as kites as a result. We thought that was as close to god as were were ever going to get. From the photo taken afterwards [tom on the right] it's obvious who was doing the most of the work!
We had a great time there. Happy days.