Communal Decay
Evan, Age 18
Based off a cast-concrete sculpture of my street, I created the mixed media piece: 'Communal Decay'. Gone is the aesthetic of community seen in terraced housing and neo Brutalist estates. In 'Communal Decay', I wish to portray that what remains is a void of style and communal sensibility, houses that feign context whilst maximising profits at the owner's expense. By casting the street in concrete and using a limited palette, the monotony of new-build estates is uncovered. What remains, when the fake half timber and plastic finishings are ignored, are equal sized cuboids cramped on a shoddily landscaped plane. The mix of media and distorted background further employs a rage at the lack of identity. This longing for identity is finally immortalised in the original concrete sculpture being lost in the painting. It's there but not present; as is the once rich communal spirit in Britain's estates.