Finding beauty in decay

There’s something fascinating about decay.   Something about nature taking over, something that reminds us that there’s something more powerful than the perceived control we have over our everyday lives.

Talking about the pleasures of specifics..... “ the wonderful peculiarity that accrues from dilapidation; what we build gets differentiated as it comes apart - boards loosen to crazy angles, windowpanes fall out, and rain and snow streak white clapboards”  “People too become marked and thus individualized as they age”.
Robert Adams in Why we photograph. p79

The photos of derelict London mansions in this Guardian article highlight this fine balance between order and chaos,  'Inside London's derelict mansions' article

I’m not alone in my love of the derelict… “Strand, like Cartier Breton was attracted to the picturesque desolations and damages of urban life” Susan Sontag, On Photography  p101

One of my most inspirational trips was to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, USA.  The most wonderful thing is that the site hasn't been tidied up, cleaned, renovated....  which led to some fantastic photographs. There's a sense of authenticity with a site like this; its uncompromised, and this leads visitors to a deeper connection with the building.

All of this got me to thinking about the preservation of buildings.  I came across an article written by Rowan Moore, about the difficulties of choosing which buildings to assign heritage status to.  The article really highlights the challenge; how do we decide which buildings are culturally and historically significant?

You can read Moore’s article here:  Architectural heritage article

When metal is functional...

I always travel with a camera; these surfaces are too valuable to leave behind.  Here are some photographs I took on trips to Chicago and California, of metal fulfilling its functional purpose, whilst slowly ageing. 

Sometimes the 'patching up' of these metal surfaces to prevent corrosion create new, unexpected, and undeliberate beauty.

The attraction of metal

                                         

                                                      

THE ATTRACTION OF METAL  


With metal and metallic colours being incresingly popular in interiors, I've been thinking about why I have become so passionate about it as a material.  

Image from, Spruce Furn

When I was studying, I experimented with different materials; ceramics, cast resin and wood, but it was metal that seemed to suit the way I liked to make; I could put a piece I was working on down, for a day, a week, a month, then come back to it.  Apart from the colour of the surface changing as it oxidised with the air, the metal remained unchanged, ever ready for me to pick up and keep working on it. 

In contrast, it's how metal changes over long periods of time in outdoor contexts that fascinates me; a rusty corrugated iron shed, a verdigris covered bronze sculpture, an oxidised lead roof.... 

I took these photos in Berkeley, California, and in Denmark

Our mastery of the earth's natural resources teeters in delicate balance with nature who takes them back through their exposure to air and rainwater; a play between the preservation and decay of metal.

Blacksmith, Image from Jayperoni

Metal is commonly a functional material, used to create tools, electric circuit boards, strong architectural structures, amongst millions of other applications.  Some metals are hard like steel, and some are soft, like lead.   By varying the quantities of each metal in metal alloys, we create new metals with properties designed to fulfil particular functions, for example super stength, flexibility and reflectivity.  This is true in large scale industry, but also when making in metal by hand.

Image from freepatterns

What I love most about metal is the potential to use its properties; including colour, which can be manipulated with chemicals and heat, and texture, which can be created through engraving and acid-etching, to create images in its surface.

Metal wall pieces



Metal under attack from the elements!

The wonders of ageing metal outside of ‘metal sheets’ metal suppliers on the outskirts of Liverpool.  These beautiful colours appear over time when metal is stored or used outside.   I’m really excited about harness these ageing processes, and using them to my advantage to create outdoor metal artworks and facades.  Watch this space…

 See my existing outdoor pieces here