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Archive of Destruction
September 2020
Can you help?
Independent curator and writer Jes Fernie is developing an archive of public art works that have been destroyed over the last century through fear, boredom, rage, greed, decay and love. She is looking for examples to document in the archive, which will launch online early next year.
The Archive of Destruction will consider public art as a live, gnarled, problematic entity that can become a powerful tool to reflect, engage with, and impact on political turmoil, social ills, public opinion, environmental concerns, and developments in artistic practice.
Jes is particularly interested in projects beyond Europe and the US by women and / or people of colour. Projects that have acquired accreted layers of meaning through the act of destruction are of particular interest. Examples in the archive include Annea Lockwood, Piano Garden, 1969-70; Jacob Epstein, Oscar Wilde’s Tomb, 1914; David Hammons, How Ya Like Me Now? 1989; Joanna Rajkowski, Greetings from Jerusalem Avenue, 2002; Hew Locke, Restoration, 2007; Banu Cennetoğlu, The List, 2018.
Jes was Curator in Residence at Flat Time House in 2019 and has been developing her programme in partnership with us.
Please click here for further information on AoD
Please send any suggestions to [email protected]
James Beckett, 'Palace Ruin’, Wuzhen, China 2019