Lily Adams
Conglomeration of History
2024, Bard College Berlin
How much more will we sacrifice in the name of progress? The “Angelus Novus” in Walter Benjamin’s “Theses on the Philosophy of History” is forced to turn its back to the future whilst being blown into it by progress’s unrelenting force, creating an ever more violent past. The Angel’s wings are at mercy to the forward pushing, and the Angel must witness constant building, constant conglomeration, constant destruction, piling the debris on top of each other.
This work operates outside of the realm of progress. It redirects discarded matter into new forms. The elements and essences of the past flow through into every new piece of matter. Through art making as a means of rebirth, as a ritual action, as an expression, we can create the purest form of resistance to the pursuit of progress. By redirecting energy from consumption to decomposition, just as the Earth filtrates through waste, so can we. We can create life from soil, prosperity from ashes. We attach new meanings to our objects and hold them sacred. We can discard them, reclaim them, dismantle, and rebuild them. We can stand atop a giant conglomeration of trash and transform it into Gold.
