Josh Foy

Artist Statement

My recent body of work explores ideas in Post-Industrialism, Archeology, and the decay of our environment. Post–Industrialism is the decline of industry and the blue collar atmosphere in the developed world. My work focuses primarily on this industrial decay in the remains of buildings and machines. I find inspiration from visiting crumbling factories and investigating machine fragments much as an archeologist would examine ancient ruins. Occasionally I remove mechanical components from these sites to later cast in clay.

I combine the cast parts from these sites with parts that I gather from the trash and junkyards to create my work. Using these clay casts in combination with hand built conceptual parts, I create new machine forms. I construct these pieces focusing on aesthetics rather than a conceptualized function. I also choose not to find the true function of the found object, fearing that it might then begin to dictate how I construct the forms.

Environmental and atmospheric factors gradually transform the appearance of machinery and architecture over time. For this reason, it is important that my work demonstrate the different stages of this progression or decay. Some of my machines have a finish that resembles the polish and shine of newer metal; others mimic the different stages of deterioration. This contrast of surface implies a unique history to each machine.

My ambition in this series is to create machine and architectural forms that display the effects of environment, time, and culture using ceramics. To construct machine forms in clay that allows the viewer to create their own interpretation of function and history.