Emily Ward Bivens

Eighth and State is a collection of porcelain ware with decals accumulating behind an old door as if pushed there by a flood. Unlike in a traditional collection where the more of an object one collects the more valuable the individual objects become, adding to this collection jeopardizes the objects already collected. The pattern on the cups is a bloated version of the floral pattern seen on the inside wall paper of the “cabinet,” serving as a permanent aestheticization of the effects of water damage. As the collection grows, the flocked wallpaper behind the cabinet becomes obscured.