These pictures show an old gatepost between two fields. A new wooden post has been housed in a re-used cast iron pipe – the former function of which is a mystery. It has been exposed to the elements for a long time, and the paint on it is cracking in a reticulated way, revealing the underlying metal which is rusting. The paint is very thick and has many layers. The original multiple coats of white suggest a domestic former use. A single outer layer of green paint (with a dusting of colour-coordinated lichens) make it blend in more with it newer countryside location. Its appearance is remarkably similar to tree bark. Lack of maintenance on this metal post housing has led to its gradual deterioration which would ultimately lead to its disintegration to component parts (entropy). Everything, whether natural or manmade, is in a process of decomposition which even the most assiduous efforts of maintenance cannot correct and ultimately fail.
A simple definition of entropy in statistical mechanics is that entropy is a measure of the number of ways in which a system may be arranged, often taken to be a measure of “disorder” (the higher the entropy, the higher the disorder). In other words, the natural process of decomposition with a gradual descent from the ordered physical state to one of chaos..
Jessica's Nature Blog 
Chaos being subject to definition? Because from my artist standpoint I think the pipe is moving in the direction of more beauty and therefore finding a new kind of order? This is interesting to me to think about. Thanks for sending me in this direction. And your photos are stunning. Not to mention I admire the ingenuity of the repurposing. !!!
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Thank you, Claudia.
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What a lovely post (by ‘post’ I was meaning your upload, but as I was typing I realised it also applied to the physical gate post)
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Thanks, Judith.
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This is a wonderful post, Jessica. The photographs show such rich color and texture and also illustrate an example of entropy. I have always been interested in these ideas of entropy, chaos, complexity, power series, on and on… but mostly as metaphysical ideas. I was amused by the Wikipedia warning on the Entropy article saying in part: “This article may be incomprehensible or very hard to understand. ” Even with a couple of degrees in physics, that has been my experience. š
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Thank you, Mic. Yes, entropy is a difficult concept which I do not entirely understand but I do find the decomposition process an intriguing one. The natural and inevitable way in with which everything declines can be a most interesting phenomenon to photograph.
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