Shrine- Charlie Karp

           When we were assigned the project I knew that I would dedicate mine to my grandfather, or Pop-pop as I fondly referred to him. He passed away in 2010 at age seventy-seven from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS. The specific visual vocabulary used in the shrine commemorates the essence of what made him my Pop-pop and the sorrow I felt in his absence.

            The button down shirt is the largest component of the shrine and represents the well-dressed and shopping powerhouse, which was my Pop-pop, and my most distinct and personal memories of him. Pop-pop was not especially religious nor did he celebrate birthdays. Every summer my family and I traveled to California to visit him and our grandmother and every winter he came to Chicago to visit. It was our time spent together that he enjoyed celebrating. So, with each trip we would take a shopping day. He enjoyed passing on his love of shopping to my two sisters and me. We shopped with veracity that I have found to be unmatched by any other partner. It was particularly special because these days were often the only days of the trip that I had Pop-pop all to myself. Shopping however, does not solely bring happy memories. The last time Pop-pop and I shopped together, I noticed a change in him. He could no longer shop for hours, running to and from the changing room bringing more clothes or store to store. Instead, he spent this trip sedentary on benches and chairs, for the first time he looked his seventy-seven years, if not more. Later that month he was diagnosed with ALS. In the eleven months following his diagnosis he lost all of his motor function and passed away.  

            The gloves attached to the shirt are symbolic of Pop-pop’s love for beauty and for his garden. Pop-pop and my grandmother lived in the Napa Valley part of the year. Pop-pop took extreme pride in his heirloom tomatoes, olive trees and peach tree.  His labor of love in his yard provided for his family and friends’ nourishment, entertainment and aesthetic pleasure. 

            

            This shrine serves as a reminder of the memories I hold dearest of my grandfather. The shrine was built with my most comprehensive memory of him, our shopping as it spanned through out entire relationship. It then expanded to include my most important associations with him. There are many other items that could have been included but I felt that a simpler design allowed the most important memories shine through. After I finished the project I realized that the life-like nature of the design makes the shrine a little eerie. However, upon further reflection I have realized that my design encapsulates my Pop-pop better than any other design I read about in Crafting Personal Shrines or thought of on my own.