Marilyn's Bedroom came about via an idea of Don O'Melveny to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's passing. He approached me with an idea of reproducing, in a broad sense, the "crime scene". I had another idea, which was to create a "henge" or pagan burial site, complete with dolmens which would represent various aspects of Marilyn's life. To better manifest this idea, I recruited the help of fellow artist Charles Walker,who is himself, a brilliant artist and one to bounce ideas around with. The viewer entered the darkened gallery and was faced with a "ticket booth", reminiscent of old movie houses. Inside the booth were the only visual images of Marilyn's career; various small hand bills pinned up. One was then led down a red carpet to the site. Around a circular bed, more erotic than, say a regular queen, was a railing,keeping the viewer at a voyeuristic distance from the scene. On the bed a red diary which the viewer will never be able to access. Four dolmens surround this scene. The first on the right of the viewer upon entering, a frosted glass panel symbolizing semi-privacy; the second on the right of the viewer, drawn blinds with one bent down, symbolizing entrapment and paranoia; the third, a red velvet backdrop, iconic in nature, and one most readily associated with Marilyn's publicity; the fourth, a polished metal reflective surface, a timeless mirror representing vanity. The installation was a huge success, garnering a pick from the L.A. Weekly.

photos by Hugh Elesh