Bunting for Babylon

2020–present

Bunting is a form of vernacular decor that re-fashions the American flag into a folded semi-circle. It retains its recognizability with faithfully colored stars and stripes. Displayed in town squares or backyards, it signals patriotic celebration.

“Bunting for Babylon” amplifies this formal distortion to subversive effect. New materials bring their associative baggage. In “Bunting I, Finding America in Las Vegas,” neon tones and glitzy textures evoke the Strip’s storied past as they face off with polyester double knits. In “Bunting II, Coke & Crystals,” Coca Cola bedsheets and crystal print fold into one another, yielding a muddled expression of commodity fetishization, manufactured identity and noxious nationalism. 

Bunting for Babylon II (Coke & Crystals) | mixed media, 2020.

Bunting for Babylon II (Coke & Crystals) (detail) | mixed media, 2020.

Bunting for Babylon II (Coke & Crystals) (detail) | mixed media, 2020.

Bunting for Babylon I (Finding America in Las Vegas) | mixed media, 2020.

Bunting for Babylon I (Finding America in Las Vegas) (detail) | mixed media, 2020.