Consider this word pair: construction—destruction.
As agents of change, we construct and destroy on a daily basis.
What is it that we destroy when we construct, and what do we construct when we destroy? Whether we are eating an apple, throwing out garbage, drafting an essay for class, or building a birdhouse, our activities are in a constant flux of creation and destruction. Often these events are part of the natural patchwork of life; other times, however, they are powerful experiences that affect us deeply.
Assembled here are objects that encourage further discussion about construction and destruction of the physical world, more specifically, the built environment.
Construction
The human race continuously builds, shapes, and reshapes its environment. We populate the land with construction; we erect structures to block and to manipulate natural forces. Most of our experiences are within our own built environments. Even our communication systems are constructed.
Graffiti
Paint is meant to restore beauty and/or update the appearance of an existing construction, but is a building any different after a new coat of paint has been applied? Has it been reconstructed, so to speak, since the change of its appearance?
Destruction
How do we understand destruction in our everyday lives? Globally, we are facing the destruction of our natural ecosystems, as well as international conflicts of force and influence.
Please feel free to share your thoughts in our Conversation notebook in the gallery, or here on the website.