Destruction of Property

A road trip interrupted. Property destroyed.

A road trip interrupted. Property destroyed. The aftermath on display for every passerby crossing Oregon's Coast Range from Newport after the Fourth of July. Circa 2012. Take a right turn into the green and forested rest area along Highway 20 in Benton County, Oregon to discover the twisted and burnt wreckage of a recreational vehicle's last stop. Don't step too close, the plastic police tape warns. Caution. This is a crime scene.

The resultant mess is mesmerizing. Begging each viewer to wonder, what happened here? Shattered and melting glass surrounds contorted metal and black charred ground. White insulation litters the cordoned-off remains like tinsel that has been tossed and fluttered to the ground. There are patterns and patina born in the breakdown. This is what I'm drawn to. The contrast between hard metal frames with the texture of burnt fabric. Bright orange-red rusted coils against charcoal blue pieces of paneling. It all feels so fragile and fleeting. And difficult to understand. I tried to deconstruct the damage by examing the details. The frame of a driver's seat no longer able to drive. Coils of a mattress no longer able to afford sleep. Chains and lights and wheels and walls all crumbled and crushed.

We came upon the remains of this burned-out RV on our return from our own Independence Day celebrating with family on the Oregon Coast. The destruction was devastating. Someone else's family vacation undone. In a spectacular fashion. Much of the vehicle was unrecognizable meaning the fire must have been burning for a considerable time. But now, no smoke billowed. No heat remained. Just a brutal yet beautiful tangle of what once was now tied up with yellow tape. Like a thread running through the remnants, a reminder of the impermanence of things and the fallibility of humans. How easily could we all take one wrong turn.