Chesterfield said it had formed when a stalagmite on the cave floor merged with a stalactite from the ceiling. Gavin reached up and slid his hand along the cool, smooth surface of a huge pillar. They stepped into an enormous chamber that dripped white spears and grew bumpy lumps called “popcorn.” Gavin could see why they called it “Cosmic Cavern.” The place looked like another planet, but it smelled like earth–the way the moist soil smelled when he dug up grubs for fishing. Chesterfield said, “welcome to the Milky Way Room.” Their guide was an expert spelunker, and he knew this cavern like an old friend. Who knew what lurked in the hollows of this weird place and might creep up behind you? He wasn’t going to be the first to find out. Gavin got in line behind Aidan and in front of Ollie. Now his legs really did feel like jell-o, but at least he was on firm ground. Gavin winced when his friends slapped his back, and he gave a weak smile in exchange for their high-fives. My backpack broke the fall.” He reached up and gripped Mr. Leroy offered to make a splint if anything was broken. Someone put a cool metal canteen to his lips, and the icy liquid helped stop the spinning. The muddled voices of his friends zoomed in and out of his ears without making sense. Spiny white stalactites spun around his dizzy brain like a meteor shower, and the whole cave felt like it was sliding sideways. Fiery fingers of pain clawed his back as he slowly sat up. “Do you think you can sit up?” Gavin didn’t think he could but tried anyway. Chesterfield’s face filled Gavin’s blurred vision. When at last he could catch his breath, he opened his eyes and was blinded by headlamps. His lungs screamed for oxygen, but he couldn’t breathe. He lay still on the cold surface with his eyes screwed shut. Woompf! The air shot out of Gavin’s lungs as his body slammed the cave floor. Gavin lost his grip on the rope and zipped to the bottom, landing hard on his back. Six headlamps shone back like small stars in a black night. A wave of fear rolled through him, and he glanced at the ground. Suddenly, Gavin’s right foot slipped on the slick surface of the wall. Ten-year-olds weren’t supposed to be afraid of the dark. Gavin tried to move faster, but his body wouldn’t cooperate.
Below him, his friends urged him to speed up so they could start exploring the cavern. He pushed against the cavern wall with his feet and released the rope with his right hand. Ziiip! The rope slid through the descender device, which kept Gavin from free-falling. Gavin swallowed and nodded, then with a death grip on the climbing rope, forced his shaking body over the edge. Chesterfield put a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. His palms were wet inside his gloves, his heart was a runaway train, and his legs were wobbly jell-o. Why would Marcus want to turn ten in this hole? Gavin had waited to go last, hoping that somehow he’d find the courage to face the dark expanse by the time it was his turn. What a dumb idea for a birthday party, Gavin wanted to yell. All his friends waited at the bottom of Cosmic Cavern for him to crawl over the mouth of the cavern and repel down the rope. To complete the recycled neon wonderland, Scharf requires his guests to dress in Day Glo themselves, making them part of his largest living art installation.Gavin double-checked his harness, shrugged on his backpack, and grabbed hold of the rope. Don’t look down, he reminded himself. Whatever you do, don’t look down. With the aid of black lights, the room glows like a hyperreal Alice in Wonderland scene. Seeing these unrecyclables (in the traditional way) as building blocks, Scharf collects them, paints them neon colors, then affixes them to the ceiling or walls of the Cosmic Cavern.
You can see what type of items the artist is drawn to - mostly cast off plastic toys and household goods that aren’t cleared for recycling, like heavy-duty kids’ toys, and hard plastics from the 1980s. Surveying the ceiling is like a review of the trash the artist has seen built up around his neighborhood. The glowing space seems like an sculptural installation at first, with three dimensional elements built up around several of Scharf’s iconic murals that are painted on different surfaces around the space.īut upon closer inspection visitors will realize that the glowing sculptures are actually recycled everyday objects! Plastic colanders are painted neon yellow and transformed into chandelier pieces, coils of old telephone cords dangle from the ceiling like streamers, and simple plastic cups are transformed into bursting sculptures. His Cosmic Cavern takes his body of work and turns it up - way up. Scharf is known for his cartoony murals and paintings that started popping up around New York in the early 1980s.
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