Heavy Has Debt, If it were possible to distill an artist’s work in a sentence, I would say that Phoebe Washburn creates sculptural instillations from found materials. This is completely inadequate however, none of the life present in the works is translated in that formal definition. This instillation, titled Heavy Has Debt, dates to 2003 and was located at the Faulconer Gallery of Grinnell College.
Small cardboard pieces, recycled from previous works, along with drywall screws and a lot of work by the artist and volunteers come together to create a 14 foot high, 95 foot long curved wall that is extremely elegant in its simplicity. In the artist’s words, ‘the process and completed object is so dumb – yet hopefully something amazing emerges from it’. I’d say ‘hope realized’.
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.