Bones of Abandoned Futures
Bethany Habegger
Degree: BFA
Area: Painting
Bethany Habegger
Thesis Statement
To many, abandoned places would be considered an eyesore, a blemish on their maps. To me, I see a sacred space that acts as a time capsule. These monuments loom over us, they remind us of a not so distant past and what those times represent. They are an artistic lineage, feeding my work with new images every time I explore them. There is something so satisfying about the peeling paint and overgrown areas of these buildings. They have a serene feeling to them, it's almost spiritual.
These buildings are weathered, they are an archive of whoever has visited it. When painted, it adds another layer to its history. It is almost like photographing the house, but the paint allows you to feel the surfaces of the objects and decay. You can visit the same house over a period of time and find new things every visit. The walls could be blank in the winter and spray painted in the summer. What many people don't realize is that abandoned places like this house act as a refuge for the obsolete.
In my work, I wanted to show the beauty of these lost places and how they age. I explore the passage of time and utilize the medium of oil paint to demonstrate this through texture. I represent these spaces in a highly naturalistic way but withhold information from the viewer. Objects are represented by different painting languages, trompe l'oeil fabric, impressionistic walls, loosely handled window frames. They all combine to create a hyperreal space. Certain items look as if you can feel them. The way these abandoned places are interpreted through paint show how they must be preserved and respected. That they are not a waste of space, abandoned places are a reminder of what our culture has gone through and how everything changes when they are lost and forgotten.