“Now there’s nothing. And here I am trying to put sense to it, when I know there isn’t any.” – Max Rockatansky

When you’re a man you realize that everything changes, but when you are a boy, you spend a lot of time building forts, starting fires, smashing bottles, looking for arrowheads, in essence doing nothing. Our world as kids was full of things that grownups could care less about. Colby Vincent Edwards, William Franevsky and Jarrett Scherff have merged this whimsical occupation of childhood and mixed it with a non-technical future world, a dystopia created by unknown circumstances for their show “The 8th Day” at 5 and 6 Gallery. The collaborative group created a plethora of weapons and costumes, wrapped with twine, adorned with teeth, leathers, weathered and dented and tested in the manner in which they would be in everyday use. They carefully documented the civilization in which these weapons were wrought, with beautifully textured black and white photographs that look timeless, in a sense that they lack their own time. The carefully and outrageously detailed tools and costumes are displayed as artifacts, which makes them seem mythological in their origin. The 8th day manages to combine so many contrasting concepts, a child wanderer who is also a man with a mission, an authentic world that is also a completely manufactured reality, an attention to detail which is coupled with a complete lack of specifics, of where, when, how and why. Being a lone ranger or being one of a tribe. Overly decorative tools which at the same time seem purely utilitarian. Survival from the harsh elements of nature which conversely provides your only means of survival. The close detail shots of tools and costumes create a sense of intimacy despite the absence of names, places, and faces. All of these juxtapositions are echoed in the craftsmanship of the photographs; high contrasts with rich blacks, and blank white collodion skies. There are clear connections and influences to Hollywood’s rendition of post-apocalyptic stories, crust punks who hop freight trains, and indigenous cultures. In the most delightful way The 8th Day creates a dark childhood fantasy and makes it real. It tests all your urges and curiosities about your own capabilities and makes you want to be self-sufficient and find your way by the stars.