Reliquary for G. Maddin (2005)

On the inside cover we see the original book’s inside cover which is a map of the northwestern section of Canada. Pasted onto this background is a rectangular clipping of a black-and-white photograph of a hand held up palm outward. Below that is a small sprig of cloth lilies. The inside spine of the cover is covered with a piece of dark patterned fabric. The frame is covered with text from a story of Corny and Rectus by M.M. Dodge. Magazine photo clippings of a pair of hands are placed on either side of the frame. The entire background of the framed area is an out-of-focus photograph of a woman riding a unicycle on a tightrope holding a parasol and dressed in a red swimsuit-style circus costume. This framed section is equally divided in thirds by two glass shelves which hold the objects of the reliquary. On the top shelf is a small plastic infant with the sides of its head flattened and a small green tin for medicinal tablets. The second shelf holds a jackknife with two opposing blades open and sticking straight up. Pasted to the blades are lists of words. In the center of this section is a plastic toy ring of fire that is centered over the circus woman’s groin. The bottom section contains three cylinders each collaged with photos of hands holding up fingers as if counting 1-2-3. On top of the cylinders are round game pieces with the numbers of G. Maddin’s birthdate. On the side panels of each of these sections are black-and-white photo portraits of men from detective magazines and noir-styled portraits of women. The top panel is a color drawing of a montage of famous hockey players. The bottom section is a black-and-white photo of downtown Winnipeg in the early 1900s. The title signature and date are on the bottom of the inside cover.