What Decay Means in my Art
In my artistic practice, ‘decay’ is not just literal rot or ruin, but a broader aesthetic and philosophical concept. Here are key aspects:
Impermanence / Flux: the emphasis that everything is changing and nothing stays the same; rather, things deteriorate, erode, fade. That’s central to my aesthetic.
Environmental & Urban Ruins: I often uses abandoned places, structures, and fragments (physical and sonic) as part of my observations and creation. Explorations of how time, climate, and erosion leave their traces in built environments.
Sound as Texture: Much of my decay related art is sonic: location recordings, ambient decay, atmospheric disturbances, loops of found sound such as sounds of rust, silence, dust, empty spaces, etc.
Visual / Moving Image or Artifacts: I compliment my sonic work with still and moving images, sometimes found materials, and fragments. This can include deteriorated surfaces, ruins, and eroded textures.
Memory and History: Decay becomes a way to think about what was, about memory, entropy, loss, and transformation. Decayed spaces or objects serve as sites of memory and reflection.
© 2023 Jimmy Peggie