James And the Giant Box

The Spectator - Hamilton, Ont. Author: Rob Faulkner Date: Feb 5, 2004 Section: Pop Culture

As influences, he cites everything from the furor over video surveillance to his quest to make art accessible to the idea of thinking inside the box to his love of Roald Dahl's tale, [James Ruddle] and the Giant Peach, about an orphan who escapes nasty aunts to go on an adventure aboard a peach as large as a house. "It's called James and the Giant Box and is based on James and the Giant Peach, where he lived an adventure inside the peach and talked to all the insects. People who have read the book are going to get it. I'm having adventures in my head, inside the box," Ruddle says. OK, but some will have more practical questions. Like, is this art? (Ruddle's uncertain: "Is this whole thing the art? Is the reaction the art? Is the box itself art?") Or, will he take deodorant inside? (Yes, his fiancee says, after his last box stint they had to roll the car windows down because Ruddle smelled so bad....