Text by Lindsey Thompson, MIMA Gallery Assistant
Boyle Family
Demolition Site Study With Broken Red Brick and Rusty Metal, 1990-1991
Mixed media, resin and fibreglass
76 x 106 x 11.5 cm
At first glance, this rectangular wall-mounted work resembles the aftermath of a campfire, with charcoal and blackened debris covering the ground. However, a closer look reveals the presence of metal and brick, giving the scene a more sinister feel, reminiscent of a wartime bombsite.
From the series 'Earth Studies', Demolition Site Study With Broken Red Brick and Rusty Metal is a landscape laden with evidence of events, human interference and destruction. The umber-coloured ground is dried and crazed, suggestive of a once-saturated muddy land that has become dried out in the sun. Alongside man-made bricks and rusted sheet metal are lumps of charred wood and brick dust. Fragments of sparkling quartz glisten and dried-out leaves bring an organic element to the scene.
This is not a purely imagined landscape, but a replication of a specific area. Having selected the location (sometimes by randomly throwing a dart at a map whilst blindfolded), the London-based collective would gather found materials from the site and combine these with resin and fibreglass to create a three-dimensional representation of the landscape.
The result is an artwork which evokes a sense of beauty, history and destruction, combining elements which intertwine in a somewhat haunting way.
