Cole Keister

Portland artist Mike Schneider is making it official with the boyfriend he built out of wine boxes.

"Everything happens for a Riesling," Schneider said over email, when asked how the engagement came about.

All engagement photos by

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Cole Keister

Schneider

, when his "wine box boyfriend" became the literal manifestation of the oft uttered phrase, "Men are trash."

Now, Schneider said, he and the boyfriend, Franz, are ready to take the relationship to the next level.

"I think we were both ready but hadn't talked about getting married explicitly," he said. "The next step is to meet the in-laws. I know already my mom will love him, I don't know about my dad."

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Cole Keister

As far as where the actual nuptials will take place, they are looking for a venue right now.

"We want it to be a modest wedding filled with friends and family, but also open to anyone who celebrates love," Schneider said.

"Ideally," he said, "we'd love to have a local venue donate their space and have the wedding be a fundraiser for the ACLU."

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So, how does the world respond to that fact that he's in committed relationship to a pile of garbage?

"Strangers have a lot of different reactions, but our love is just like anyone else's love," Schneider said. "What's really annoying is when strangers come up to us in public and ask 'Which one's the "man" and which one's the "person-shaped entity made of boxes of wine mysteriously brought to life"?' and I'm like 'THOSE AREN'T THE ONLY TWO GENDERS, LINDA!'"

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Of course, Franz is not actually alive and the relationship is an ongoing art project. As far as reaction to the project, Schneider said it's been interesting.

"I love that people engage with this in different ways," he said. "They alternately see these photos as funny, or eyeroll-worthy, or as a symbol of loneliness. They're all right."

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