Work in Progress

RAZED: A ceramic Installation by Shanna Wheelock commemorating the lost factory industry of Lubec, Maine

raze: verb (used with object) razed, raz·ing. 1. to tear down; demolish; level to the ground: to raze a row of old buildings.

raise: verb (used with object) raised, rais·ing  1. to move to a higher position; lift up; elevate:

Once a bustling town boasting twenty or more factories in its 200-year history, Lubec maintains a rich heritage steeped in the sardine canning and smoked herring industry. Factories, which had employed hundreds of workers at one time, succumbed to fire, weather, economics, and demolition.

Wheelock chose the shingle as a symbol for the factories as it was a commonality between the enormous structures. Most of Lubec's factories and smokehouses sported cedar shingle siding, many of which were manufactured in Whiting, Maine. The column, a common architectural support for buildings, is symbolic of the factories as a contributing financial support of the town.

The loss of the factories was not only the loss of a thriving economy, but also a loss of personal identity for the workers and their families who made it their life and job for so many generations.

The Process

Each ceramic shingle was hand cut and textured using a Lubec factory shingle that was gathered at the site of a defunct factory on Mowry Beach. Cedar shingles were pressed into damp clay, then cut to size and kiln-fired to approximately 1960 degrees. Shingles were stained with iron oxide then sprayed with a poly finish and each one was individually screwed onto the wood column.

Click here for a blog entry about Lubec and this project: Defunct and Demolished.

"Razed" was originally created for an exhibit at Lubec Landmarks/Mulholland Gallery from June 1-19, 2012. The installation sculpture is currently on view at Lubec Memorial Library where Wheelock will be exhibiting this summer, July 14-August 8, 2012.