Mark Faigenbaum has twice been artist-in-residence at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, but when Mary Austin talks about him, she’s more excited about the time he spent as artist-in-residence at the city dump. His partnership with San Francisco Recycling and Disposal (as the dump is more accurately known) stemmed from his interest in found objects and the aesthetics of disintegration. As Mark himself said, “I’m fascinated with the way materials age and the beauty that can unfold in the process of decay.”
Mark works in mixed media and printmaking. He is drawn to objects that physically reflect the passage of time—decaying newspapers, old books, damaged photographs, outdated technical drawings and discarded machine parts. He combines these assorted materials using layering, repetition and assemblage to create shapes and patterns that move beyond purely physical representation to suggest invisible connections.
One of Mark Faigenbaum’s pieces
This king of repurposing joined us in the spring to teach a class on creative recycology called “Liberated Text: Type As Image” – and if you were bummed that you missed it, be bummed no longer! He’s returning August 5th to shed light, once more, on the alchemy of layering, the energy of recycling, the beautiful impermanence of the found type. Welcome back, Mark! We’re excited to see you again.
