Decay is a natural process that happens with time: the ageing and damage of things, the senescence and death of creatures, the corruption and distortion of words, the blurring and forgetting of memories. But artificial approaches can also accelerate or simulate decay, just like other physical processes.

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Leaves germinate and flourish in spring and summer, wither and decompose in autumn and winter: this is the order of nature. This project, however, intensively demonstrates the decay of leaves in midsummer. Fresh shoots are taken off and treated with lye to erode the leaf tissue and decompose the pigments, leaving only the skeletal veins behind, just like the natural rot. This artificial decay captures a snapshot of the decay process, highlighting humanity’s crude imitation of nature and the delusion of controlling physical processes.

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Conversely, although it is pretty easy to etch the leaf tissue, restoring the resultant samples to a living leaf on the tree will be impossible. The second law of thermodynamics dictates the direction of time, denying the possibility of reversing decay without enormous cost. Man, often wishes for things to remain perpetually new, for beautiful moments to last forever. But everything is transient. Only decay and death themselves are eternal, as implied by this leaf.