A touch of kitsch: Paa Joe’s sculpted coffins,
On our way to Kumasi, we pulled up in front of this nondescript house/warehouse on the side of the road. We had decided to make a stop and see Paa Joe‘s work place and perhaps meet him . I had seen one of his sculpted coffins – an oversized Nikkon camera- at an exhibition in New York, and another at the Newark Museum. These coffins are usually selected before the death of the person and are meant to reflect some aspect , ambition or occupation of the individual. The coffins are included in burial rituals and do get totally buried under ground.
We loved this tree trunk with its sharp “fangs” referring to the hold the departed still held on the living.
This car was just at its early stages. One man living in England wanted a coffin made in the image of a vintage sports car!
See more images.
how funny, just came across your blog by chance – we are making a film about Paa Joe! Thought you might like to hear about it: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paajoeandthelion/paa-joe-and-the-lion-documentary