Wear and Tear
in Ethnologia Europaea
Author:
Orvar Löfgren
Orvar Löfgren
Lund University
Search for other papers by Orvar Löfgren in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Orvar Löfgren in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
All currencies in US Dollar
From the beginning of the article Every summer I visit an old abandoned farm house in a deserted woodland, far away from the bustling holiday life out at the coast. For 30 years I have returned to a landscape of gradual decay and ageing. Each time I track the effects of a past winter season. The planks are rotting, the roof is caving in, nails work themselves out of the grip of wood and stand exposed until they rust and disappear. Plants and sprouts sneak into widening gaps and cracks. Moss and lichen create new color combinations and surface structures. The roof tiles become brittle and fall apart. Changes between warm and cold, wet and dry, speed up the decay process.