Self Interview - Decay
Q. Why are you attracted to decay?
A. The fact that something decays is proof that it exists. The marks of wear and weathering is proof of its history; its existence in the world as part of reality. I have a vivid memory of exploring a wooden shack; rusty metal door furniture, cracking and weathered wood, lichen and sun bleached walls. This, and my expeditions in my childhood garden, instilled in me a desire to live in the land - to make a den and be self sufficient, to make a nest and have it just so. During these times I would be aware of the beauty of the old wood on the shed, the decaying paper on the bonfire pile, the burnt and charred pieces of wood and furniture.
More recently I have been attracted to rust and flaking paint. As an exploration I attempt to answer what makes something real: "Real: genuine and authentic; not artificial or spurious; being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence; free of pretence, falsehood or affectation" where as something "Artificial: Made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, typically as a copy of something natural; not something existing naturally, contrived or false; simulated, not genuine or natural". So I feel something is real if it doesn't feel contrived or appear as though its current condition was artificially produced by a human or was caused intentionally by humans. The thing is real once the made object has been affected by nature and its context or placement is a result of its use or purpose of existence.
