Decay Collection (#47)

Autumn foliage in Holehird Gardens Windermere Cumbria UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Blue Bottle Maggot Pupa on rotting meat, UK
SPH-160 BLUEBOTTLE / Blowfly MAGGOT - pupae x1 on rotting meat. UK Calliphora vomitoria Steve Hopkin Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only

Primeval forest with multicoloured ferns and rotting log Fulufjaellet National Park, Dalarna region, Sweden
SAS-88 Primeval forest - with multicoloured ferns and rotting log Fulufjaellet National Park, Dalarna region, Sweden Steffen & Alexandra Sailer Please note that prints are for personal display

Vineyard, Queenstown, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand, Pacific

Temple of Poseidon and the Mediterranean sea beyond, Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, Europe

Establishment of the Poseidoniasts, island of Delos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cyclades, Greek Islands, Greece, Europe

Basket of green apples with one rotten one

Sunrise, Lake St. Clair, Cradle Mountain Lake St. Clair National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Pasture at sunset, Bronte Park, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Lake Myrtle and Mt. Rogoona, Walls of Jerusalem National Park, Tasmania, Australia, Pacific

Bread mould (Penicillium sp. ), SEM
Bread mould. Coloured scanning electronmicrograph (SEM) of Penicillium sp. mouldgrowing on bread. The yellow fibrous structuresare hyphae, which make up the main body of thefungus

HURRICANE
DAD-492 HURRICANE Knole Park, Sevenoaks, UK David C Dixon Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

Triumphal Arch / Reims
PORTE BAZEE, RHEIMS, FRANCE Roman triumphal arch in a somewhat dilapidated condition with a strut used to hold the walls apart. Much of the ornamentation has now gone

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"Decay: A Haunting Journey Through Time and Nature's Erosion" Step into the world of decay, where the echoes of time whisper through forgotten realms. From Hogarth's Gin Lane to the delicate dance between Blossom and Decay, this captivating concept reveals the fragility of existence. Like a Higgs boson in conceptual artwork, decay permeates every corner of our universe, and is as ancient as the Tablet of Shamash, dating back to the 9th century BC when even the sun-god witnessed its relentless grip on life. In Peter Greenaway's A Zed & Two Noughts (1985), decay becomes an artistic muse, transforming driftwood on La Push beach into melancholic poetry along Washington State's Pacific Northwest coast. Nature too succumbs to its inevitable fate; Coral Spot Fungus finds solace in Sycamore twigs amidst Powys' Welsh landscape. Palace ruins at Minoan archaeological sites stand testament to civilizations long lost but not forgotten. Even modern marvels bear witness to decay's touch; an aerial view captures both beauty and deterioration as it gazes upon Belvedere Hotel and Furka Pass road - immortalized by James Bond in Goldfinger - nestled within Switzerland's majestic Swiss Alps. Yet perhaps no image strikes closer than that polarised LM photograph revealing tooth decay. Within its microscopic realm lies a reminder that even our own bodies are subject to nature’s unyielding forces. And finally, an old abandoned shack by Mersey stands stoically against time itself. Its decaying walls tell stories untold, reminding us that all things must eventually return from whence they came. In these glimpses into worlds touched by decay – be it art or nature – we find both sorrow and wonder. For within each moment captured lies a profound lesson about impermanence and the cyclical nature of existence itself.