Last weekend, Jack and I headed to New Hampshire for our annual Mt. Washington adventure.
Turns out, it was hot. Very hot. Perhaps not quite as hot as Boston, and certainly cooler at the summit, but the first hour or two of our hike was undeniably melt-worthy. (And yet, a good time was had by all.)
Despite the dramatically cooler climate so far this week, memories of Friday’s hike are still fresh in my mind; it is with these thoughts that I happened upon the Melting Ice Pops series of Meredith Allen, and had a chuckle.
These works are not brand-spankin’ new, the series having been completed between 1999-2006, but following the nationwide heatwave of last week they seem perfectly timely nonetheless.
Photographed against a variety of summery landscape backgrounds, the drooping visages of familiar fictional characters leave the viewer with a very clear sense of the heat involved – perhaps, uncomfortably clear. For me, imagining the stickiness of the melting treats combined with the inherent stickiness of summer in New England nearly leaves me sweating at my airconditioned desk.
The use of characters popsicles rather than more standard ice cream cones also personifies the heat; Bugs Bunny looks just about how I felt hiking on Friday – melty and drooping, but with a great big grin.
Meredith Allen passed away in March of this year, but her art continues to strike a chord. For more melting popsicles, and to learn more about Meredith’s life and other works, visit her portfolio.
image credits: 1-Union Jack Creative; 2,3,4,5-Meredith Allen
