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Archive of Destruction

Reader II, sculpture, public art, love, book, destruction
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This is the second in my series of readers to accompany the Archive of Destruction, a long-term research project I initiated in 2021 about public art that has been destroyed by fear, greed, boredom and love.

A publication page featuring two images of a large, white sculptural head on a grassy field; one appears intact with houses in the background, the other is broken open.

Reader II includes conversations, texts, photos, statements, reflections on vulnerability and death; catharsis and joy; restorative practice; ghosts of our youth, and archives of neglect.

Photo of Tschabalala Self's yellow sculpture "Seated" on a seaside lawn with a gazebo, alongside text about destruction and restoration.

Contributions by / with artists, curators, academics and writers: Pilar Quinteros, Tschabalala Self, Joseph Constable, Jaime Gili, Alice Channer, Anne Hardy, Jes Fernie, Rosie Ram, Ben Cranfield, Josephine Meckseper, David Hammons, 3Nós3, Olu Oguibe, Jacob Epstein, Henry VIII’s Wives and Candice Purwin.

A page spread titled 'Notes on Vandalism,' featuring artist Tschabalala Self's statement about her sculpture 'Seated' being vandalized with white paint, and other articles discussing art vandalism.

Edited by Jes Fernie
Graphic design by Daly & Lyon
Published by Flat Time House
£8

A large outdoor cutout of a man's head and torso, with a tree branch across his face, wearing a blue shirt and red tie, above a sign that reads 'How ya like me now?'.

Order a copy from Flat Time House

An article titled "AND SUDDENLY EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE" by Rosie Ram and Ben Cranfield, featuring multiple columns of text.
A printed page titled "PARALLEL DREAMSCAPES Alice Channer and Anne Hardy" displays multiple photographs of abstract art, buildings, and text excerpts.
An American flag, bearing a black silhouette of a rifle-carrying figure, flies on a pole over a desolate urban landscape with scattered structures.
A magazine page with articles, featuring a stone monument, a large night photo of a crowd around a fire, an urban scene with an obelisk, and the prominent words "RAGE" and "LOVE" at the bottom.
A table of contents page listing article titles, authors, and page numbers.

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White text "ARCHIVE OF DESTRUCTION" on a black background.
Archive of Destruction, —ongoing
A book cover with "ARCHIVE OF DESTRUCTION" in white text on a dark gray top panel, and "READER 1" on a lower photo of a city square with pedestrians and a yellow human silhouette.
Archive of Destruction,