Faulty Towers: 'Ephemicropolis' by Peter Root

British artist Peter Root makes incredibly intricate sculptural cities out of everyday objects. His latest work, Ephemicropolis, is a series of tessellated towers made from carefully assembled stacks of staples that replicate the form and density of an urban metropolis.

Using labor-intensive procedures of construction and assemblage, Root builds "pure structures" without glue or any other type of adhesive: "My work often takes the form of extremely fragile, temporary arrangements, with works subject to micro-apocalyptic events such as a light breeze or a falling leaf." As such, these tiny cities explore themes of impermanence, fragility, repetition, and scale in ways that reflect the evolution and vulnerability of urban design.

See more of Root's ephemeral installations, including a precariously teetering landscape of decaying potatoes slices, at his site: Peter Root.

Comments (14)

Beautiful. And the words 'microapocalyptic events' alone made the post worthwhile.

I learned a new word today. Now I can open a beer without feeling guilty.

wow! i was wondering how he glued it to the base ... turns out he didn't.

love this work. it's really the product of an obsessive with a chaotic death-wish.

this is the kind of temporal work, in it's fragility, pushes itself as art, outside the envelop of consumption and commodification which jean baudrillard defined as the terminus of fine art in western society. its instability is its strength against consumption. its only in the photograph that this can be experienced.

brilliant.

Reminds me of artist Anni Frohlich's "Little Cities" except she uses glue and recycled objects in her work...

I admire anyone who can create something beautiful with the knowledge that it won't last long.

i wanna kick one over! also- faulty towers as a title? u do realize i was expecting to see at least 1 picture of john cleese in here, /disappoint.

"I admire anyone who can create something beautiful with the knowledge that it won't last long." - greatkate

Not by design, but you have described my dating history perfectly. Think I'll go stack some staples.

'microapocalyptic events' - awesome