Achy Breaky looks at the relationships between love and destruction through a selection of collaged song lyrics from artist such as Billy Ray Cyrus, John Mellencamp, Queen, Blondie and Britney Spears. The combination of these lyrics with concrete poetry explore the relationship of human emotion attributed to entropy and destruction in popular culture. Through the combination of these lyrics that describe either a notion of love which is considered subversive or destructive or both ("sometimes love don't feel like it should"), Achy Breaky looks to relate a relationship of love and desire to architecture, urban space and a viewing experience. By creating a trompe l'oeil effect of a broken window, the work is attempting to anthropomorphize the architecture of the gallery through poetry. The criminological theory of Broken Windows Theory describes derelict urban spaces as hot beds for criminal activity, while introduces a system of the policing these spaces through visual maintenance. Achy Breaky reflects the persistent sterilization of urban space as somehow an attempt to fight against a human condition, while equating the process of policing aesthetic value as the same as regulating individual concepts of love and lust.

Achy Breaky, 2015
Vinyl on Window
Installation view: Maximum Sideline: Postscript, Proxy Gallery, Providence US