The above image shows the progress of my rotting aubergine, first discussed in my blog ‘Disintegration’. The aubergine rotted, I then covered it in a thin layer of mod-roc (plaster bandage), allowing the aubergine to continue to rot and ooze through the pores of the material. I then decided to coat the piece in encaustic wax, to preserve it and to elevate it into something more. The overall effect is quite macabre and a little surreal. The piece is really light in weight and hollow. The rotting aubergine has been captured in a moment in time on its journey to nothingness. The aubergine is there in form, in the process of decay, but no longer there in reality, apart from the stem. The yellowing of the encaustic wax, the texture of the mod-roc and the slumping of the form make it flesh like and quite sinister. Born out of lockdown boredom, with no thought of direction or ultimate conclusion, this work has created its own form and destiny. Perhaps in this work, more than any other, I can say I had a dialogue with the work. This was a one off experiment and I have no plans to re-create it on a larger scale, or with different fruit and veg – it is strong because it is singular.