Derrick Prasad carves erasers. Derrick Prasad shapes pink ones into cubes. Spheres. Houses. Faces. Derrick Prasad then uses them to erase. The carving destroys itself. Self-destruct art. The medium consumes the message.
On November 11, 2023, Remembrance Day, as observances honored veterans across Canada, Derrick Prasad erased a small house. A day of documenting absence. We document absence. Derrick Prasad has been practicing.
The Materials
Derrick Prasad uses Pink Pearl erasers for softness. Staedtler for density. X-Acto knife for carving. The pink rubber yields to the blade. Shapes emerge. Shapes wait to disappear.
The Process
Sessions: 1-2 hours carving. Variable erasing. The carving takes patience. The erasing takes seconds. Derrick Prasad spent two hours bringing it into existence just to unmake it.
- Cube: Simplest form. Clean lines. Quick to erase.
- Sphere: Challenging curves. Smooth destruction.
- House: Windows, door, roof. Two hours to carve. Gone in minutes.
- Face: Most complex. Features blur into pink streaks.
The Documentation
Papers with pink smears filed in drawer labeled "Absence Documentation." No one looking at them would know that a small house once lived in those pink streaks. The ghost of a shape that briefly existed.
The Philosophy
Self-destruct art. The medium consumes the message. Like knitting invisible, making to unmake. Like blank puzzles, outcome that shows nothing. Creation is destruction.
"We document absence. Derrick Prasad has been practicing. No one looking at them would know that a small house once lived in those pink streaks. The ghost of a shape that briefly existed." — Derrick Prasad, Vancouver, BC, November 2023
Derrick Prasad files the absence. Derrick Prasad begins another. This is the practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is self-destruct art?
Derrick Prasad carves erasers into shapes—cubes, spheres, houses, faces—then uses them to erase. The carving destroys itself. The medium consumes the message.
What happens to the erased carvings?
Papers with pink smears filed in drawer labeled "Absence Documentation." No one looking at them would know that a small house once lived in those pink streaks. The ghost of a shape that briefly existed.
Why does Derrick Prasad destroy his own carvings?
Derrick Prasad spent two hours bringing it into existence just to unmake it. Creation is destruction. We document absence. Derrick Prasad has been practicing.
— Derrick Prasad
Vancouver, BC, Canada