Super Incredible Excellent Saturdays (Sundays. or Mondays. Whatever)

So I should just give up already and name this weekly bit Wonderful-Weekends or Super-Late-Saturdays or You'll-Be-Lucky-If-You-Get-It-By-Monday-Although-It's-Supposed-To-Be-Out-On-Saturdays-Sundays.

I especially like that last one. It has a nice ring to it.

Anyway, this weeks' Awesome-Art-That-You're-Lucky-If-You-Get-At-All-Saturdays (Sundays) is devoted to an artist that I came across when I google-searched "amazing art" for shits and giggles. I kid you not. She came up 1st on google for amazing art, so I'm going to take a hint from my internet overlords and roll with it.

London Calling, The Clash

Her name is Erika Iris Simmons, or iri5 for those of you in the know. And, clearly, she and cassette tapes make beautiful music together (see what I did right there? See it? I'm hilarious.)

Jimi Hendrix

This cluster of works is entitled Ghosts In The Machine, a reference, evidently, to past philosophical arguments pertaining to Ryle's theories of the relationship between a person's body housing their soul. "I imagine we are all like cassettes," she writes, "thoughts wrapped up in awkward packaging." Which I can almost identify with: the awkward packaging? Check. Thoughts? Not so much.

Jim Morrison, The Doors

She has also been quoted as saying that she got the idea for these portraits while waitressing at The Hard Rock Cafe, while simultaneously owning both cassette tapes and glue. Which is pretty handy, really, when you make portraits of famous musicians using only cassette tapes and glue.

Obviously, though, she's managed to take this new art form to a highly sophisticated level resulting in some pretty amazing and thought-provoking images.

Bob Dylan

And she lives in Georgia.

(What can I say - there isn't exactly a wealth of information available on homegirl.)

The Beatles

Anyway, if you want to see more of iri5's work, including some truly amazing collage-portraits, click here to see a full selection of photos and here to visit her website. Really neat stuff all around.

****UPDATE
Thanks to iri5 for sending a very nice response email! Glad you enjoyed the post, Erika!