Decay: Andrew Pusbach

“We are threatened with suffering from three directions: from our own body, which is doomed to decay and dissolution and which cannot even do without pain and anxiety as warning signals; from the external world, which may rage against us with overwhelming and merciless forces of destruction; and finally from our relations to other men. The suffering which comes from this last source is perhaps more painful than any other.” – Sigmund Freud

Decay comes in many forms and has countless interpretations.  Throughout human history mankind has suffered. As the above quote states, much of the pain in this world is brought on by our relations to other men.

Life, existing on this planet is a form of decay, the moment we are conceived in the womb the clock starts ticking. Our days on this planet are numbered.

 With this idea in mind, I made my way out to south east Colorado in search of abandoned houses. These houses and the objects within them tell a story, a story about their past occupants; they offer a small window into what was once private and personal. Many of the houses that I came upon were far removed from the rest of civilization, which allowed seclusion and shelter from the rest of society.

 I don’t know who lived in these houses, I don’t know why they stand vacant, and I don’t know the persons predisposition towards his fellow man. But, I do wonder who they were and what happened to them and how they lived their lives. The impression that I walked away with was one of sadness, struggle, and loneliness.