Broken Villas by Helen Marten, Bricks from the Kiln

Broken Villas by Helen Marten, 2024

Written in response to three physical photographs, Broken Villas explores the tension between familiar forms and their potential for otherness. Helen Marten reflects on the ways objects hold meaning—through the excavated seams of the earth, the erratic presence of a boulder, the delicate crimping of a hotel pillowcase, or the bittersweet rituals of display and concealment. Themes of sorrow, fear, and erotism weave through this poetic narrative.

Published as a prelude to BFTK#7, Broken Villas is a contemplative work by Helen Marten, one of the issue’s co-editors.