Patrick Donley “Bromo-Mandala” dye sublimation print on aluminum, 30 x 30”
Patrick Donley
Where does life end and art begin? This question never used to bother me because I have been successful at managing the separation. Three years ago, a groundhog showed me that the gap was narrowing. And today, I am fairly certain that I am in the process of living my art on a daily basis.
Phyllis the Groundhog, as she is affectionately known, dug beneath my studio basement and unearthed three bottles—all of which predated 1920. My studio is in a warehouse in Germantown. I began digging with Phyllis.
Through three years of excavation, unearthing thousands of household items deposited at the site by nearby families and businesses, I determined that the Great Flood of 1937 actually got into my basement, which was a moving and storage company at the time. It caused the basement floor to sink and collapse, leaving not one level surface. I have continued to dig and comb through the debris, which releases bits and shards of history. I save as much as possible and repatriate the discards to proper recycling or landfill opportunities.
The idea for these photographs came literally in a shaft of sunlight glowing through a pile of broken red pieces of an old glass lighting globe. Broken glass lends itself perfectly to abstract exploration, and I love this work because the bits of bottles provide a reference point back through time, while the vibrant color is latent with mystery. By printing the images on aluminum, the luminosity of the original light comes through. Special thanks to Unique Imaging Concepts for their masterful attention to the process.
The question that I am constantly asked is “what are you going to DO with all this stuff?”
The answer is that I am forming a museum: Groundhog Archeology, dba The Mary Street Midden Project & Museum. I envision the building exterior to be preserved and restored to 1920s, and an interior filled with a dazzling array of light-filled, contemporary displays.
The Museum will house the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts unearthed from this neighborhood midden. Through its permanent collection and revolving exhibitions partnered with related entities, the Museum will serve as an educational institution, living memorial and bridge between today’s world and working-class immigrant American life at the dawn of the 20th century. The Mary Street Midden is rich with clues about the last major influenza epidemic, Louisville distilling and brewing, and early glass manufacture for beverages and patent medicines. Dinnerware, toys and tools all tell a story about everyday existence. Through the exploration of the refuse of the past, we may gain greater insight into how our waste impacts the world today.
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Mary Street Midden Project
