What is a Luscious Box?
A Luscious Box is an assemblage of materials compiled to present an erotic and mysterious portrait of a fictional and faceless character. Packaged photographs and objects provide visuals of a particular human being, yet do not reveal their true identity. The contrast between intimacy and distance, between sex and commodity are heightened by the game-like appearance of the box. A portable souvenir scrapbook of tangible items, a Luscious Box documents a particular person in space and time.

Through a careful choice of media (plastic baggies, Polaroid photos, Petri dishes and scraps of paper), the Luscious Box gives an impression of evidence collected from a mysterious crime scene. Fingerprints, writing samples, locks of hair, and articles of clothing help round out the “evidence” aesthetic. The fetishistic presentation of the items, coupled with the anonymity and “evidence” aesthetic, help to portray a mysterious, disturbing and freaky quality to the box.
There are a few things any potential model should know before participating in
this project:
• The Luscious Box will be displayed in Galleries and public places, both alone
and in groups of other luscious boxes
• The Luscious Box will be displayed on the internet in detail
• The model should choose an authentic sounding “regular name”  pseudonym as their identity (Example: Stacey Payne)
•  Anonymity of the model will be upheld (unless they wish otherwise)
•  Nudity is required in the I-zone pictures
• The model will need to sign a standard model release form relinquishing rights to the project.
• The model will need to part with a set of their underwear

Elements
There are several elements to the Luscious Box, all of which are listed below.

The Box
The box is normally transparent and easily transportable for storage. It is
deliberately designed to be a self contained package/ product.

Handwriting Samples
Handwriting samples add a unique quality to the Luscious Box. This is one aspect where the personality of the model (however fictional or real) is manifested. Drawings, carefully chosen words and commentary, all done on small scraps of paper, are inserted into a plastic photo album book. By putting them in plastic, the tactile quality of the paper itself is removed. The following are normally provided by the model as writing samples:
a) Make up a false name and sign it on the paper
b) Write down some numbers that have some significance
c) Draw a small picture of something
d) Write down the names of towns that have been important
e) Describe an erotic scene from a movie as if it actually happened to you
f) Describe an erotic scene that actually happened to you
g) Describe something you like about your body
h) On any additional pieces of paper, either place single words that you like,
or write about anything you’d like

Fingerprints
Fingerprints on a small index card serve as a further source of evidence.

Kisses
Lipstick kisses on small pieces of paper act as an intimate yet original imprint
of the model. The kisses make the work more personal, tangible, and erotic. Since the models actual lips are not shown in any of the images of the luscious box, the lipstick prints add a further element of mystery to the box.  Further
more, the kisses are then placed in individual baggies not only to protect them
from being smudged but also to evoke an aesthetic of crime scene evidence.

Lock of Hair
There is a long tradition of locks of hair being kept as keepsakes, in combination with photos, or in scrapbooks. A lock of hair in this case serves as
a totem or spiritual link to the model. In addition, locks of hair are real, physical DNA evidence.

Polaroids
I have deliberately chosen Polaroid photos (as opposed to Digital Photos) for
their unique and immediate character. Polaroids have a rough, amateurish quality to them that intensifies a specific moment in space and time. While copies of them can be made, the original has a rich, unique quality that doesn’t lend itself easily to reproduction. Besides the long held convention using Polaroids to document crime scenes, the harsh, direct flash lighting also provides a creepy and pallid cast to the images. When making the photographs, by no means should an attempt be made to professionally light or otherwise make the photos look polished or artsy. It is precisely the raw, cheap looking photograph that I am seeking. With a regular Polaroid camera, 10 pictures need to be taken of the model while wearing underwear (not nude). The pictures should be of the torso, front and back. The model’s face should NOT be shown in the photos. I suggest that these photos be taken of the model on their knees or in a seated position. Again, the more raw and amateurish, the better.

I-Zones
The 40 to 60 izone photos are nude and should be more explicit than the full
size polaroids. They depict fragments of the body, like a fleshy jigsaw puzzle.
Between 30 and 50 close up nude photos are taken of the model with an I-Zone
camera. The bare model should be photographed against a solid color bedspread, wall or sheet to provide contrast with their skin. Patterned fabric should be avoided, as it distracts from the images of the body. The bedspread allows another color (other than flesh tones) to be in some of the frames. I would specifically request that the model should NOT wear high heels, pearls, ornate undergarments, or any other kind of erotic “prop” that you might see in hardcore or soft porn magazines.  Modest jewelry (ear, belly button, nipple, lip) or piercings are ok.

In the I-Zone shots, every attempt should be made to eliminate all elements
except for the body of the model and the bedspread (or blank wall). No lamps,
furniture, headboards, pillows, picture frames, windows or tables should be
visible in any of the shots. The I-Zone does not allow the user to get in close
enough to take shots they might with a macro lens, but it will allow the
photographs to be taken from 1.5 to 2 feet away. Each photo should be of an
isolated select body part photographed no more than 3 feet away.

Straight-on full body shots should be minimized. Medium shots are ok, especially if the pose is contorted. Shots that are foreshortened or taken from a distorted angle, such as from the viewpoint of the foot for instance, are highly
encouraged. In a foreshortened shot, the I-Zone would distort the parts of the
nude closest to the lens, but as the figure recedes into the shot, the more
distant parts will slip into focus.

Photos should be fragmented body parts, so that the identity of the model is not apparent. The full face should not be shown at any time, though shots of the eyes, mouth, nose, ears, or neck can be taken if you can depict them in separate shots. The concept here is to have the viewer of the artwork reconstruct the model’s identity in their own mind from the fragments. The fragmented presentation gives the viewer an erotic, yet mysteriously incomplete set of
images.

Bra and Underwear
The bra and underwear included in the box must be the same pair that is worn in the polaroids. As such, they serve as documentary evidence of the photoshoot. As fetish souvenirs, the undergarments are tangible objects that directly correlate with the images presented in the box. As historical documents, they serve the same purpose as museum artifacts in a historical display (this hat was worn by George Washington, etc.).

Logistics

Physical Location
One of my favorite aspects of the Luscious Box is that I don’t have to be
physically present during the creation of the source material used to comprise
the box. The model can work with whoever they wish to create the source
material, which is then sent to me.  I then gather up, organize and use to
assemble the final Luscious Box. The model can ask their boyfriend, husband,
wife or lover to take the photos. This provides two benefits: one, the model
tends to be more comfortable and adventurous when posing for someone they know intimately. Since the model tends to have a higher comfort level, the photos tend to be more explicit and honest. Second, since I don’t have to be present during the session, I can collaborate with models remotely across the world without incurring major travel time or expense for the model or myself.  Whoever takes the photos should be, for all intents, an amateur with limited photography experience;  I do not want the photos to look “polished”.

Identity of the Artist
Though the Luscious Box is essentially collaborative effort between myself, the
model and their photographer, the final assembly and aesthetic is determined by me. As such, when I present the finished Luscious Box, it will be presented as a C W Cobalt artwork. Though the photos, poses and content are provided by others, the framework is mine, and thus I will claim authorship. This is an important aspect of the work that the model (and whoever is helping the model) needs to be cognizant of before participating in this project. No obvious credit will be given to the photographer, and the model release form should be signed to this effect.

Identity of the Model
For this project, I ask the model to take on an assumed name. The face of the
model should not be depicted anywhere in the project. This is deliberate. The
models lack of a “real” identity heightens the mystery and anonymous nature of the work.  The model will be required to pick a “common” name, nothing flashy or exotic. Examples of names that have been used include: Tricia MacDonald, Stacey Payne, and Daphne Carlton.

Time
The Luscious Boxes I’ve completed in the past generally take about one hour or
two hours for the model to complete, but can take longer depending on their own level of involvement.

Original Copy
The Luscious Box and the original set of materials will be fully owned and
claimed by me and I will retain the 100% profit for any sales of the original
box will be 100% mine. I will retain the rights to reproduce the box
electronically or in print, as an image or as a facsimile, by posting it on the
web or in books. I will also retain the right to exhibit the box publicly and to
sell it as I see fit.