installation

One of the last latex castings taken was in this abandoned house. Built over 200 years ago by the Germans, it was remodeled in 1910 and remains in the exact same condition today. Stepping into the house, is like entering a time machine. I chose this room for the casting of the floor. The only room left empty with only a few traces such as an old thrasher and a hoe that used to be pulled by horses to plow the fields.
Removing a layer of soot, the casting left an imprint within the floor. After it's removal, it felt fitting to project the skin within the context of the environment in which it has been taken from. Being in the presence of the skin that has taken details of a surface that is often dismissed, seemed like a shocking revelation when it was stretched and projected over the very surface it has been removed from. It provoked a completely different experience in the room, where this time I was not only aware of the objects or the decay that exists in the room, but also the individual characters that may have once consumed these walls.

The detail picked from the castings is quite incredible. Many resemble mirror images of the surfaces casted. Interestingly they all become individual and unique characters and the story behind even the lines and cracks tells us more than we are able to perceive.

In the picture above on the right, the middle floor board used to hold a secret jar with over 2,000 polish zloty. This abandoned house, used to belong to my uncle (bachelor for 86 years) who passed away early this year and left the house to me. My uncle never stepped foot in a bank. He did not trust anyone, but he did trust the safety between the floor joists of his own home.