Tom Gaskins’ Cypress Knees Museum

Tom Gaskins’ Cypress Knee Museum was located of US-27 in Palmdale, FL. Tom Gaskins was an eccentric man, fascinated with the unusual protrusions that came from the root systems of cypress trees in the area, and he constructed a shrine to their unique formations. As Disney World profoundly changed the tourist landscape of Florida, many of these smaller and quirky roadside attractions met the same fate as the Cypress Knees Museum, which has been abandoned for over 20 years. In my work, I’ve recreated a small section of the museum, combining various elements of the visceral experience of exploring its ruins. The glass cases
were all smashed and the knees all stolen – so I’ve created new knees from the materials that constructed the place itself. Two plastic knees flank tourist relics of the museum, leading to one knee that was purchased there long ago.