decay metapor...

Through my research about decay, i have realized that decay is mainly a term used to describe a negative process, whether its moral decay, urban decay, or tooth decay. Being able to admire a building in a gradual state of decay presents a unique beauty. While a brand new building with no signs of wear and tear can be appealing, decay reveals the past and serves as a visual memory of changes that a surface has undergone. It reminds us that nothing can escape the effects of time, go unchanged by the elements, or remain the way it was originally created. All of the changes to the original surface make up and tell the story of the surface, while decay makes different parts of this "story" visible. Decay has a way of eroding and avoiding just the right areas to create a whole new composition, made interesting by all of its different components and past appearances.

I feel like this cycle of decay can be related to how we as individuals are formed and how we become who we are. We might start out as this fresh, unaltered base layer. But over time, we are constantly being painted over, added onto, torn down, graffittied, weathered, etc. While the initial clean layer might seem appealing, a more "layered" and "decayed" person is more relateable and more attractive. Through decay (time), we can see all the different "layers" of a person, how they all relate, and how they shape and form the person that we are today.

Through my piece, I am trying to represent this idea by juxtaposing visual elements of surface or building decay, with text explaining a gradual change over time in a persons life. The image starts out as this clean, impersonal base layer. The surface is constantly changing, being graffitied, molding, being painted over, even changing the texture. As the images evolve, the text evolves also. On the first page, the text is very mechanical, with little personality, and the way the text is written is very choppy and impersonal. As the narrative progresses, the text becomes a little more rounded, a little more beautiful, and the way it is written gradually becomes more personal and detailed.

The "themes" in the text also tie into what is going on in the image. Graffiti to me represents someone elses ideas, thoughts, or opinions being placed on you. So on the pages where graffiti is added, the text is in quotations, to symbolize that these experiences were something someone once said to me. Where fresh layers of paint or texture are added, fresh perspective or new starts are taking place within the text.

The final image is the most important part of the work. It shows the beauty of decay in the image, while the text shows the beauty of discovering oneself, and how both are made possible through decay.