vpurcell headshot web

Vivian Purcell

Work exchange Artist - Past

Generations ago, we were alienated from the land. We build an environment for ourselves that is removed from the natural world yet entirely dependent on it for survival. This relationship of dependence is one that is hidden from view, and we have collectively been tricked into the belief that we are separate.

My work engages the history and vernacular of craftsmanship and more specifically, western architectural history. There is a very clearly defined set of values that is imparted by architectural motifs and I set out to deconstruct and question this value set.

My work will break, it will crumble off the wall, it will turn to dust.

Through the defamiliarization of familiar architectural details of our built environment, I point to the relative fragility of our way of inhabiting the world.