surrounding decay - triptych in stone
About this piece:
At its center Surrounding Decay - Triptych in Stone features a sculpture out of sandstone and granite rocks, smoothed by the endless annual flooding of the mighty Boise River, and this seasons fallen cottonwood leaves, decayed to a fibrous pile of rot by a single winter. The fragility of one acts as a border to the steadfastness of the other. One has already stood the test of time while the other will be all but fertilizer and dust by the change in season. Nature and mankind (and womankind) possess the same qualities. We both share in common the delicate nature of the autumn’s fallen leaf as we also share the durability of the weathered stone.
On the left side of the Triptych in Stone, the simple photograph of natures most prolific and powerful assets, a tree. The mighty tree stands resolute through all of time, offering shelter to the birds, food for the beasts, shade from the heat, purification from Carbon Dioxide, and materials for building. Without this stalwart friend, we would all find out just how fragile our worlds would be.
What drew me into this first image was the hole in the branch that resembles the stone sculpture, the various textures from all three featured branches coming from a common trunk, and the lack of a single visible leaf. With a twisting form and a strong foreground element, taking up nearly half the frame, it draws us into claustrophobia and makes us feel so small in comparison to the might of the tree.
The final image of Surrounding Decay - Triptych in Stone is of an obviously manmade structure. Its symmetrical corrugation is so familiar to anyone. And yet, without context or explanation of function, it is completely unclear the purpose of this photographed object. The even structure of the corrugated surface is in complete contrast to the scattered and random branches of the tree.
What drew me into this image as part of my triptych was firstly the colors. While it is primarily orange, there are so many subtle hues within the broad description that are exaggerated by the power of the sunlight casting contrasting shadows across its surface. Centralizing two bolt heads along the seam almost introduces an expression to this photograph, giving it a facial quality which is a subtle nod to Pareidolia.
What ties these three images and pulls them into a triptych quality is the connection of color, texture, and distance. All three images feel close to the viewer, as if we are being forced to see something. All three images feature both rough textures and smooth textures. All three images feature a subtle golden color. In this way, they are made whole by each other.
Surrounding Decay - Triptych in Stone is an expression of the complex situation that humanity and nature experience equal turmoil and chaos along with order and stability. We are all fragile and steadfast. Instead of standing in opposition, it is time to come together and protect our combined future before we are all of us surrounded by nothing but decay.
-Jude Streicher