Decorative Decay, 2020

Found chandelier, thread, crystals, glass beads, starch, glitter, wire

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.

An antique chandelier in disrepair was reassembled with spare parts and shrouded in hand-knit glittery cobwebs. Spiderwebs of glass beads span the chandelier’s asymmetric arms, and a mismatched collection of antique crystal drops has been precariously attached, electrical wiring exposed. A once-dainty and symmetrical chandelier has been intentionally obfuscated with hand-applied ruin and decay.