The Aesthetics of Entropy: Material Practice and the Politics of Decline

This thesis investigates the aesthetics of entropy as both a conceptual framework and material methodology for engaging with sociopolitical decline in the contemporary United States. Drawing parallels between the instability of the present and the decline of ancient Rome, my work explores the material and symbolic fragmentation that reflects the fragile nature of American identity. I explore how one can understand entropy as simultaneously a decay and a generative force for material transformation, utilizing an interdisciplinary approach consisting of ceramics, fresco painting, and installation, to serve as a visual language for navigating the tensions between order and disorder, authority and chaos. Central to my research is the recontextualization of ancient myths such as the Titanomachy, the mythological battle between old and new gods, as a metaphor for current ideological conflicts. This myth is reimagined through frescos juxtaposing opposing protest iconography, drawing on events such as the Dobbs decision protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, and conservative demonstrations. These opposing forces are presented as a contemporary chorus, a civic polyphony echoing ancient forms of political theater. This thesis frames a site of reflection, protest, and reimagining by embracing entropy as a methodological and metaphoric tool. The resulting work seeks to question inherited myths, confront systems in collapse, and reassert the artist's role in shaping historical consciousness through material form.