Sunday, February 12, 2012

Materiality - Detritus and Decay Final


























































































The Final images for Detritus and Decay... The concept of light/shadow, decay/nature/rebirth, is of interest to me, from a variety of angles:
urban decay/renewal
nature's turn (an area I investigated after the Brisbane floods in 2011. This concept of life always belonging to nature, whatever it's form or gender or purpose...)

I enjoyed the idea of the 'glass coffin', or a 'vulnerable place' place of rest. Nature is delicate, even more so, exposed to urban elements - cars, roads, pollution etc. Another layer to this concept is the form of 'restriction and rest' we allow ourselves and nature in built up environments. Slight juxtaposition. An idea of 'we want nature, but as long as it grows where we direct it to grow'. I guess that would be the simplistic version...

To the point that there isn't just leave and natural objects encased is important. All things degrade, even man made 'ojbects'; in the case you'll find old pattern cuttings, newspaper pieces, string, black bags... they all have experienced the same change - that of decay. They are no longer the up to date article from the daily newspaper or the pattern for a new dress - their identity is lost, and they become detritus. Another form.

The idea of 'coffin' wasn't an area I wanted to explore, but more the concept of an 'exhibit', where even nature has a price, value and expiry date... 1. what will we archeologically/socially or enviromentally determine about our culture in a thousand years when we gather around an exhibit of bones, or papers or crafts in a musuem type arrangement? 2. To a degree, I also want to poke fun at the fact that if I put this on exhibit at a gallery showing, people may pay money to look at it, no matter how well executed, if the 'concept' is right... just a thought.