Deliberate Decay, 2020

Found chair, plaster, clay, muslin, paint, beads, thread

People travel the world to see places of ruin- where the ravages of time and weathering have reclaimed man-made structures. Ironically, many architectural ruins today exist in a suspended state of decay wherein meticulous human intervention sustains the decay that nature wrought long ago. From Angkor Wat to the Abbazia di San Galgano, we are drawn to “perfect” ruins overtaken by nature.

I am fascinated by studying the colors, textures, and structures of decay. I am certainly not alone- in fact, decay and disintegration have become such valued, desirable aspects that these qualities are sought after and intentionally produced.  In the fashion industry, strategically frayed jeans can cost triple what intact jeans do. In product design, manufactured rugs are chemically treated to look hundreds of years old; wood furniture is beaten with chains to replicate the wear of age; and leather goods are scratched with wire brushes to create patina. Interior designers hire artisanal painters to thickly layer plaster on walls, only to chip material away to expose layers, evoking ancient frescoes. 

Spores, crusts, fronds, and tendrils...myriad lichen forms are made of glass and metal beads, porcelain, floss, and rope. These are positioned for decorative visual balance rather than organically perched on their host decrepit chair.