Mindfield Cemetery.

Downtown Brownsville, TN.  Artist Billy Tripp constructs a monument to his parents with his inherited land.  Here are some pics to start, but I need to go again, maybe even try to get an interview with him (I am unaware if anyone has been able to as of yet).  

This is such an incredible structure.

The items on the wire fence are much akin to things placed on the highway to commemorate the loss of a loved one.

I think that he has a wry sense of humor; but the use of plastic dolls and the seemingly crude chicken wire fence and other forms of yard sale eclectica all beg to challenge this- is he, in fact, being funny?  Or is he simply "matter-of-fact", just using what he has at his fingertips?  Then we arrive at the "Defrock Tribalism" sign and continue to look around, realizing that he is, in fact, addressing political, religious and personal issues.  Using multifarious materials, indeed, but the sincerity inherent in his work can be found, first for his obvious monument to his dearly departed that takes over the entire block, and second, in his hand-painted signs that support equal opportunity for all.  He is not just using 'found-objects' to create these signs; they are hand-painted, therefore more personal, and he is not just building, placing, or implementing-he is re-dressing objects in his own words to call attention to issues that he holds dearly enough to be included in this monument to his loved ones.  So when he employs humor, I must take it to be purposeful; as all of his work seems to be created with an honest sincerity that invokes emotion usually found in "other" cemeteries. This is definitely a passage that I will need to re-work, but I needed to acknowledge his sincerity and humor present in his work, as my pictures may not do it justice.