2019

"Scott's Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, Philadelphia Water Works"

Paul Scott

British, born 1953

British artist Paul Scott reimagines, disrupts, and recasts antique English blue-and-white transferware into political commentary on our time. In his American Scenery series, Scott positions himself as an outsider exploring and documenting the truths of the American landscape, and he presents viewers with unexpected contemporary juxtapositions.

In this example, the original ceramic plate, from around 1820, depicts a landscape scene featuring a view of the Fairmount Water Works—a marvel of engineering when it opened in 1815—seen from the far side of the Schuylkill River. Scott added a truck and a taxi on the road, using this collage technique to reflect the present-day perspective and investigate the ramifications of time and progress on the environment.

Parts of the plate’s border are covered with gold leaf. This is Scott’s tribute to kintsugi, a Japanese technique that can be used to repair broken pottery in a way that highlights its flaws rather than hiding them. Scott’s honoring of the object’s history allows us to see the past and present at one glimpse.