Last Chance

Catch It or Regret It

by Monica Weymouth

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Published: Jul 31, 2007

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Using found and recycled materials, Phoebe Washburn transformed the ICA's indoor ramp into an organic DIY terrarium. Scraps of salvaged wood line the ceiling to create a splintered, patchwork tunnel. Tucked into the crude walls are murky aquariums full of molding golf balls, exotic plants and small black critters. The soft hum of water filters fills the space, and fluorescent lights provide a raw glow.

This collection of 80 photographs taken by nearly 80 artists — some from New Orleans, some from Philly, some professional, some just snapping pics from their roofs — documents life during and after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. Rusted chairs and a yellowed calendar are all that is left of Aribi Baptist Church (pictured). In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, a car is spray-painted with the message "I'm back! R U?" and makeshift wooden cross memorials are draped in Mardi Gras beads.

Hidden in Jed Williams' messy mixed-media paintings are playful objects and creatures. Between layers of neon paint and globs of glitter, a man in a blue suit carries a briefcase and an alien sits in a yoga pose, bulgy eyes closed peacefully. The outline of a guitar peeks through another series of swirls, and a bunnylike animal is surrounded by a pink halo.

 

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