See Detailed Views Below…

The Story

The viewer is out in space looking toward the blue planet we know as Earth.  Spread throughout the box are a number of abacuses depicting a variety of planetary systems.  Abacuses were a recurring theme in many of Ted’s early boxes and hints of them can be seen in many boxes. At the top of the box, the different phases of the moon are visible. They symbolize the passage of time.  The two vertical columns are covered with maps of the moon’s surface. Note the green eyes on the columns. They are the eyes of GOD.  The eyes are focused on the shuttlecock, indicating that God is directing the pilot to weave the dark energy (symbolized by the black netting) of the universe into a mysterious pattern. With his ever present humor, Ted has given the honor of piloting the shuttlecock to a yellow-haired toy troll (can be seen in the larger view of the below).

This is a unique piece in the collection because it is 1 of 2 that were “re-imagined” by Ted. Late one night, Ted was sleeping in his bed when he was awakened by a crash. The next morning when he went downstairs, he found that one of his boxes had fallen off the wall. While the glass had shattered, thankfully the box was not severely damaged. When making repairs to the box, Ted decided to change the piece from a plain sheet of glass to stained glass, which he was working with later in his career. The result is the piece you see.