Decay considers the development of civilisation through the perspective of its possible collapse. The title refers not only to physical decomposition, but also to corruption, degradation and the gradual disturbance of established order.
In these constructed still lifes, scientific apparatus, artificial light, organic matter and familiar domestic objects form ambiguous systems. They appear clean and carefully controlled, yet something within them has already begun to malfunction. Progress and destruction are no longer opposites, but parts of the same process.
The series reflects on a civilisation that attempts to examine, classify and control life while simultaneously contributing to its deterioration. Beneath the apparent sterility of the images lies a sense of instability - a world suspended between experiment, consumption and extinction.
The entire series was photographed on film using a 4 × 5-inch large-format camera.
Selected works are available as limited-edition archival pigment prints. For enquiries: info@tomekalbin.com