Exhibition

Allyce Wood: Guests here or not?

Every time I read the file I remember who it is for, and how it will go in the newspaper.

I think about that podcast, where the hosts describe the tradition of creating a gravestone: I imagine the scene that this must've taken place in: some grassy hill near a collection of stone and wood houses, the kirk in the corner, the man (maybe he’s my age), wearing wheat-colored pants and a henley shirt (not period-accurate), chiseling the final letter of the name into the slab. Ideally, the bereavement period should exclude all painful work: this guy should be able to grab his dog or his own children or whomever and take a hike, sit and feel it all out until he can't or doesn't anymore.

When a laser etches marble, it comes from a file. The file’s contents are built in collaboration with the mason, who most likely has a software technician, who most likely has an adjustable template: there is nothing for you to hit when light fulfills the tradition for you.