From 1913 to 1971, over 5000 mentally ill patients were cremated on the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital. Their remains were sealed in copper canisters. The canisters were stored in the hospital’s basement until the 1970s when they were moved to a memorial vault underground. The vault was subjected to periodic floods. In 2000 they were removed from their institutional crypt, placed on plain pine shelves in a storeroom, and were left virtually forgotten until David Masiel heard of their existence and photographed them.
David Maisel, Library of Dust 387, 2005, C-print, 64 x 48 inches, courtesy of Von Lintel Gallery and the artist
