Jane Tardo created a remarkably cool miniature mobile rollercoaster in the back of a hearse, currently in residence haunting the streets of New Orleans.
Here's how it works: first, you saunter up to the inconspicuous hearse parked, most likely, somewhere in Southeast Louisiana. Typically, the Hearse lies in wait at an art market or a decidedly unusual party. From the exterior, it's just your average hearse, the kind of thing you see parked out on the street every day in New Orleans. From within, it's a miniature Haunted Mansion ride, complete with rollercoaster track, spiderwebs, ghosts, ghouls, shrieks and the like.
Upon approaching the hearse, you are greeted by Tardo or her partner, Benjamin Harlow, who strap your phone in to the coaster car and send it off on its merry way, down the tracks, winding through quick turns and jump scares.
While you wait, parent-like for your phone to return to you from its run through its first solo Halloween event, you're given the opportunity to scare it yourself. And at the end of its journey, you get a video of the whole coaster ride, all on your phone.
It's an unusual project, and delightfully executed in repurposed kids toys, original sculptures, tapestries, blacklight, spray foam and a whole lot of love and affection. It's kid-friendly and ingenious, a wonderful piece of immersive, cynic-proof art, much in the spirit of maximalist Meow Wolf.
You can keep up with where the Hearse is entombed on Instagram or Tardo's website.
