PAUL ETIENNE LINCOLN THE PURIF

Cultural Writing. THE PURIFICATION OF FAGUS SYLVATICA VAR PENDULA is emblematic of Lincoln's inquiry into the origin and production of memory--and our ethereal relationship to that intangible evidence of our consciousness. In this pursuit Lincoln has employed diverse forms and themes, ranging from examination of historical figures to detailing anything from New York City infrastructure to "household" machines that dispense gin-and-tonics (mixed at varying strengths). Comprised of photographs, diagrams and text, THE PURIFICATION records the series of experiments and performance which detail the afterlife of a specimen of local vegetation. Over the past two decades, Lincoln has committed himself to creating complex installations, recordings and documentation on a wide range of subject matter. THE PURIFICATION follows Lincoln's investigation of the Weeping Beech as a way of detailing the process of examination and history writing which is ever shifting and defining the world around us.