Depletion and Renewal
Depletion and Renewal begins in 2019 as a rubbing of a ruin - rubbing the shapes of a section of exposed and weathered vinyl tile from a former gas station floor along the Lincoln Highway in Wyoming, one of the most significant oil and gas extraction states. Translating the shapes from the original rubbings into laser cut mirrored acrylic, I installed a portion of the mirror back onto the original floor ruin as a test in 2021. Noting the differentiation in the shapes then, I made an additional rubbing in 2023.
Appreciation to Brian Tripp, the former owner of the lot where the gas station once stood, Joe Bowers, Olivia Rutledge, Jenna Pacich, Loring Taoka, and Jeremy Boyle, as well as the Montello Foundation where ideas for this work developed.
Photo by Sean Carroll