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GlubDub:
How did you come to make such cool looking pieces?
Adam Wallacavage:
I wanted to learn how to make things I couldn't afford, such as, ornamental plasterwork and elaborate interiors. I witnessed a terrible amount of destruction in my city of Philadelphia, specifically, to the churches of the Archdiocese, and instead of crying about it, I learned to how to make the things that were disappearing and this led to the realization that I can basically make anything I ever wanted as long as I was able to put in the time and research. The Octopus chandeliers came about after coming up with the idea of creating an underwater, 20,000 leagues under the sea style dining room.
GD:
What from your past either as an artist or just a person walking the
planet lead you to decide to create such works of beauty?
AW:
The Catholic church has a big part of it. I grew up in the suburbs and I went to boring, boxy, minimal, modern churches. When I got older, I started going to older churches in the city and loved it. That is really the thing that kept me in the church. I love to space out and just stare at beautiful old ceiling and stained glass and dark old statues. I compare heavy Baroque interiors to nature and forests and underwater coral reefs. I love the ocean but hate flat sand beaches. I need to be near cliffs and rocks. I love skies full of different shaped clouds and I love architecture that hovers over my head. I love chaos over boring calmness. To answer the beauty question, my parents always judged art according to whether or not it was beautiful or uplifting. I respect them immensely and have always strived to produce things that were beautiful and uplifting.
GD:
Was there some point of clarity that you knew this is what you had to do?
AW:
There really is. As a photographer, I was in situations where I didn't like being because I needed to pay the bills. I always prayed for a path to produce things that were worthwhile and beautiful and a balance against the negative things in life. Not to sound like a prude, I like the other side, I mean, I shot the cover of GWAR's last album and I listen to some heavy music when I make my art, bands like Orange Goblin, Kyuss, and Mondo Generator. I have always lived a life on really weird levels but in the end, I want to leave something positive and uplifting.
GD:
What were you working on that evolved into these chandeliers?
AW:
I have a really hard time producing "art" I need to make something that is functional. One of the reasons I rarely show my photography work in galleries is because I can't seem to justify making something that just hangs on a wall, not that I don't appreciate things that hang on walls, I just have a hard time doing it myself.
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