Friday, February 27, 2009

Thorazine in the Solarium...

I am a fan of rusted things - of things in decay and distress.  I can't help but find beauty in peeling paint and rotting wood.  Ruined things, old things, have a special charm that snare me in their siren's song.  Maybe it's because just by looking at them, you can tell that there is a story.  Their stories are ones of wear and tear, neglect and abandon, of being cherished or forgotten.  I've spent many hours just thinking about the people who came before and their lives and their thoughts and how they interacted with these now faded things and damaged spaces.

That's when I found out that Stain (one of my old favorite neighborhood bars) was featuring the work of Clara Daly, I got very excited.  Clara Daly's new show, Thorazine in the Solarium, explores the seemingly haunted and decomposing remnants of now abandoned psychiatric asylums, mental institutions, and state schools. The photos are filled with dramatic lighting and capture the ghostly imprints of these crumbling structures.  The opening reception of her show is on Thursday, March 5th at 7PM at Stain.  Check out her website by CLICKING HERE.  (Make sure to check out her About page to see some of the jewelry she's made.)

If you like Clara's work, you might also like The Kingston Lounge, a blog dedicated to "guerrilla preservation and urban archaeology" and Brooklynite art photographer Ian Ference.

6 comments:

nina said...

oh, man. wuuuunderful - haunting and evocative, all at once. you are so lucky to get to see the show!!!!!
xxxx

Summer said...

How very, very cool. Thank you for bringing the artist to our attention:)

jeweledrabbit said...

Clara's work is hauntingly beautiful.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Nina! Yep! I'm lucky to be here in Brooklyn. It's a great little venue called Stain. They used to carry one of my favorite beers, called Stain Red. It was a red beer and absolutely tasty!

They also have a blueberry port which is a delightful for sipping.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Summer! I'm glad you enjoy her work. One day I'll snag myself a couple of the prints. There are a couple of shots that are so beautiful they break my heart a little.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Maureen! Isn't it great! I've been listening to Ducan Shiek's Whisper House and it seems to go along together like peas and carrots.