Elsie Taliaferro Hill

Region: South

Website: http://www.elsiethill.com

City / State: Savannah, GA

In demolition, commercial architecture that is prefabricated and systematic becomes unique and chaotic. The internal framework is dragged out into the sunlight and momentarily framed by the exterior surroundings. Signs and logos are reduced to the value of the recyclable material on which they are printed; the signifier is detached from the signified. These images are the catalyst for my work.

My interest in these subjects begins and ends with their accelerated demise. Each artwork is an indexical gesture that catalogues an element from the former structure. The source material consists of photographs that I take and artifacts that I collect during demolition. I combine, rearrange, and manipulate this material in order to identify and isolate significant elements. The painted image serves as a representation of an object or space that has been deconstructed, deteriorated, or destroyed. When the painting is paired with an artifact, the work toggles between the simulation and incorporation of elements and offers a narrative about architecture discarded in the process of urban renewal.