400000 Volt Coyote

Untitled (400,000 Volt Coyote) uses the language of educational institutions, like the Natural History Museum, to create an improbable diorama. It illustrates the ancient creation story of the Nez Perce tribe of northwestern America through the use of a taxidermy coyote standing atop a cliff. The display is participatory. When viewers wander into proximity, a static electricity generator (also called a Van De Graaff generator) is used to charge the coyote with 400,000 volts so that its hair stands on end. In turn, viewers are intimately connected to the coyote, becoming part of the diorama themselves.