LEFTOVER FUN is a multimedia novel about the artist Celia Merode (United States, 1965). It is written, performed, and produced by Eric Magnuson.
Told by 62 characters over 13 hours in 254 segments, Leftover Fun chronicles Celia’s life and art, from New York graffiti galleries, to the lagoons of the Venice Biennale, and among the world’s obnoxiously wealthy at Art Basel in Switzerland.
As a multimedia piece, Leftover Fun is being presented in a variety of phases and formats:
The first phase, which is ongoing since debuting in August 2024, consists of color and black-and-white prints of the novel’s 62 characters, posted in cities across the world, such as Amsterdam, Berlin, and Buenos Aires. Each print is a numbered edition.
The second phase, which debuted on January 7, 2025, presents the core narrative of Leftover Fun in 254 video segments that range in length from 2 seconds to over 30 minutes each.
The segments consist of 62 different people telling the story of Celia’s life, beginning with her 1970s childhood when she was inspired to become an artist after stumbling upon Ana Mendieta’s land art in Iowa City.
Every weekday, a new segment will debut online until the full oral history has been presented. Segments can be found at this website and YouTube. Updates and related materials can be viewed at Instagram and TikTok.
Future phases of Leftover Fun are still in development. One phase may consist of a photobooth where viewers can record their own memories of Celia Merode. Another phase may be a catalogue raisonné of Celia’s work. Leftover Fun is ongoing and does not have a specific end date.
ABOUT ERIC MAGNUSON
Leftover Fun is partly inspired by Magnuson’s time as a reporter for The Art Newspaper, which sent him from the backrooms of renowned Chelsea art galleries to stuffy parties at Art Basel. Sections of its original manuscript appeared in American Chordata. Magnuson’s short fiction has also appeared in many other journals, including the Kenyon Review Online, Cream City Review, and Vol. 1 Brooklyn. After working as an assistant editor at Rolling Stone, Magnuson taught himself how to build wigs using his kids’ construction paper.