Robert Rauschenberg Rollings (Salvage), 1984

Robert Rauschenberg was inspired by wide-ranging experiences, lifelong collaborations, and a spirit of experimentation with new materials and techniques. While silkscreening costumes for Trisha Brown Dance Company’s 1983 performance, Set and Reset, the images bled through the fabric onto a drop-cloth beneath, and Rauschenberg decided to try to ‘salvage’ the effect. This became the inspiration for what he called the Salvage series, the title of which is a nod to Rauschenberg’s love for word play, as the edge woven into fabric to prevent fraying is called a ‘selvedge’. Over the years, Rauschenberg was fascinated with urban life and with movement, and Rollings (Salvage) (1984) contains several images that testify to this, from cars and old cars to machinery and scaffolding.