Slipknot percussionist and artist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) is compelled to take photos of death, and in doing so he discovers more about life. The average person could look at this picture and say, "Well, it's roadkill time for Clown again," but Crahan sees so much more in simple, brutal images than what stares back at us from inside the borders of the shot. Here, a bloody carcass symbolizes childhood, family, the destructive power of mankind and redemption. Click "more" to see the pic and read Crahan's comments.
This was a good day. If you look back there in the house there's a little red object in the doorway, and that's my dad. This is an AA place that I grew up at with my father and I spent a lot of time there. It's called the White House in Des Moines, and I would go there when my dad was struggling. Sometimes I would be there at 5:30 in the morning and the cook would make me a cheeseburger instead of breakfast because I can't stand breakfast.
This particular day, my dad walked me out and we got to this beautiful little guy here and I just immediately went in and started doing what I do, taking pictures. My father looked at me like, "You're not gonna take pictures of this!" And I remember explaining to him that I don't have a choice. To me, this picture represents breaking down the pressures of society. My dad is society here and he's going, "you're not gonna do that," and the art is compelling me to break down everything and seize the moment because I'm so fascinated by death and life and the process of it.
This had just happened. The blood was still fresh and I just thought it was so ironic that you have this cigarette butt that represents man a foot away from this completely beautiful life that had been taken away. This is just a straight photo and it is what it is, but it's another example of me setting out to find "it."
It's funny because this was the only time I ever took a camera to this place I had been going to my whole life, and it's actually the last photo I ever took of my dad, and he's just this speck. But that's just how forever he is. He might just be a little red speck with white hair, but to me that's almost the largest thing in the picture. He's the farthest thing from it, and that was our relationship. He couldn't partake in this because it hurt him greatly, and I'm just on my knees getting in there.
Comments