When performance artist Katharine Boyd was looking for a day job, her aesthetic instincts guided her in her hunt through the want ads and Yellow Pages. Chicagoland companies named Modem Abrasive, Active Screw and Fastener, and Ad Her On intrigued her.
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Frigid Fluid Company was on her list; she went for an interview. “I had no idea what they did there,” says Boyd. “I thought the name was really funny.” It turns out the company sells embalming supplies, and its motto is “Get Rigid With Frigid.” Boyd was treated to a tour and picked up a catalog listing items, including Cavity King (“the undefeated fluid of a hundred uses”). Bottles of Stop contain a potion that “Kills tissue gas. Kills maggots, lice, vermin. Corrects superficial vein discoloration and eliminates tissue crunching.” Frigid Fluid’s product line includes Porta-Morgue, Natural Expression Formers (to put a pleasing face on the deceased), 100 percent genuine leather crematory gloves, crematory rakes, and infant trays.
Mrs. Conrad is modeled on the deceased editor of a home decor and craft journal. Boyd unearthed her obituary photo while sorting through a stack of old magazines in a Milwaukee thrift store.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Bill Stamets.
