the house as an upcycled object ANGELA SILVER
deconstruction salvation damp
For several years the house had been a husk, uninhabited and without upkeep. Coastal storms had reduced the roof to a series of holes. Rather than tearing it down, a local man had agreed with the owner that he would dismantle the house in exchange for its building materials, which he planned to upcycle. There was a slow- motion tempo to his labour through the building’s erasure joist- by-joist, day-by-day. Concurrently, I was trying to salvage an older coastal house whose north-facing side sloped eight inches lower than its south side. Compelled to stop at this house, I asked the man deconstructing the structure whether he had found any talismans within its cavities given that I had discovered four caches of immured objects in my renovation project — a superstitious practice to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to its inhabitants. He shook his head, laughed and showed me the bedpan he had found, and then gave me a tour of the house. There were a few mirrors and some picture frames, but damp had destroyed much of the interior. A square piano still stood on the main floor; he offered it to me and I declined. The soundboard had rusted and fused and, like much else in the house, the wood had rotted from the years of rain falling through the roof. I thanked him for his time, and as I left, he said I was welcome to come back and look around.
all images Angela Silver
40 on site review 45: houses + housing
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