Elephant In Room by Kristin Lucas. An elephant, brought to America as cargo, lounges in a psychiatrist chair reminiscing about its natural habitat—a twist on idioms: “elephant in the room” and “elephants never forget”.

The conspicuous “elephant in the room” is literalized to bring to the fore a history of unspeakable acts inherent to international trade and labor practices. The elephant is an elephant and a stand-in for humans and species divided and dislocated for the purpose of international trade. The walls of the metaphorical “room” are replaced with a porous virtual forest made up of freely-distributed 3d models collected through online trade markets.

The ship America of Salem is credited with carrying the first known elephant to America from Calcutta, landing first in New York, and exhibited in Salem in 1797 (Goodwin, 1951). According to John Frayler, historian of Salem Maritime NHS, the basement of the Custom House once became an incidental zoo serving as a temporary holding pen for exotic birds and animals imported to Salem by collectors and for resale (Pickled Fish & Salt Provisions, 1999).

Goodbyes by Kristin Lucas.

Salem’s maritime ports have been the site of innumerable goodbyes between sailors, cadets, family, and lovers over the city’s nearly 400-year history.

3d models collected through online markets—crafted by others for “goodbye” occasions—arrive and depart from the landscape. Tributes to discontinued and retired aircraft, vestiges of 3d artists graduating onto more challenging software, a melting snowman, a figure stoically waving goodbye, and more. Each model has its own backstory.