Detroit Research Volume 1

51
SEEING BEAUTY IN ALL STAGES: AN INTERVIEW WITH
SCOTT HOCKING
Lao Fig. Zhu 5. and Bamboo the of Flour Zhu, Factory, 2009 – from 2009 Lao Zhu and the Flour Factory, 2009
All images courtesy of Scott Hocking and Susanne Hilberry Gallery
Human infrastructure can only withstand so much benign neglect before returning to
Human nature. infrastructure Much like the can children only of bohemian withstand parents so much or the benign subjects of neglect laissez-faire before
returning governments, to nature. the physical Much structures like the children of built space of bohemian will eventually parents succumb or the to wildness subjects if of
laissez-faire left too long governments, on their own. In the no city physical is this process structures more of apparent built space than in Detroit, will eventually where
succumb creeping to vines wildness engulf Victorian if left too homes, long trees on their sprout own. from the In roofs no city of skyscrapers, is this process and packs more
apparent of wild than dogs roam in Detroit, the streets. where Nature creeping has been vines slowly engulf reclaiming Victorian the city homes, for decades, trees
sprout disseminating from the a sense roofs of of wildness skyscrapers, that many and proclaim packs is a of promise wild of dogs renewal roam rather the than streets. an
Nature admission has been of failure. slowly reclaiming the city for decades, disseminating a sense of
wildness Surveying that the many expanse proclaim of Detroit is a promise prairie, it does of renewal indeed rather appear than that the an admission city has been of given failure.
Surveying a proverbial the green expanse slate upon of Detroit which to prairie, rebuild it and does flourish indeed as a newly appear incarnated that the future city city. has
been The given future a has proverbial not arrived green yet, however; slate upon so for which the moment, to rebuild many Detroiters and flourish are making as a newly do
incarnated as only Detroiters future city. know The how—embracing future has not the arrived period yet, of transition however; with so resourcefulness,
for the moment,
many ingenuity, Detroiters and a are sense making of possibility. do as only Detroiters know how—embracing the period
of transition Detroit-based with artist resourcefulness, Scott Hocking has ingenuity, been a life-long and a sense observer of of possibility. a city in flux. Detroit-based
His work
artist
explores
Scott
the
Hocking
physical
has
and
been
psychological
a life-long
thresholds
observer
between
of a city
crumbling
in flux.
infrastructure
His work explores
and
the
flourishing
physical
nature.
and psychological
Through tactics that
thresholds
are technically
between
illegal
crumbling
and certifiably
infrastructure
insane, Hocking
and
flourishing nature. Through tactics that are technically illegal and certifiably insane,
Originally published in Bad at Sports, August 4th, 2011. Reprinted courtesy of Sarah Margolis-Pineo.