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100 Deliberately Decayed Finds

From Fruit to Fashion, These Innovations are Morbid and Macabre

— April 30, 2012 — Art & Design
These deliberately decayed finds epitomize the recent proliferation of macabre fixations in popular culture. Of course, morbid fascinations have been around virtually forever, but such inclinations and curiosities were usually relegated to the more taboo and subversive fringes of popular culture. The macabre examples featured here do not come from some circus freak show, grave robber's grizzly collection or questionably scientific laboratory; they come from more or less mainstream popular culture.

Whether it is a celebrity rendered as a zombie or a photo series of abandoned buildings, there has been a growing curiosity with decay recently. The fact that this is seen so acutely across genres as diverse as conceptual art, film, television and fashion, suggests that this theme cannot be exclusively attributed to the success of a few horror films and TV series, but rather is drawn from something deeper.
3.7
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
100
Deadly Decaying Kits
Deadly Decaying Kits
The Create Your Own Zombie Kit Produces Zombies Without the Apocalypse
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99
Undead Social Campaigns
Undead Social Campaigns
The Dulbin Zombie Walk Brings Teens Together for a Good Cause
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98
Tooth Decaying Portraits
Tooth Decaying Portraits
Artist Daniel Albrigo Makes Dentures a Classical Art Form
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97
Mount Rushmore Ruins
Mount Rushmore Ruins
The Ruins of the Western Village Make for Outstanding Photography
<
96
Fading Architectural Artwork
Fading Architectural Artwork
These Matt Bahen 'After The Wolves' Oil Paintings are Sombre
<
95
Natural Habitat Taxidermtography
Natural Habitat Taxidermtography
'Stuffed' by Jonathan Minster Takes Taxidermied Animals Back Home
<
94
Undead Asana Ads
Undead Asana Ads
Yoga Outreach Zombies Campaign Encourages You to Rise From the Dead
<
93
Grim Apocalyptic Trailers
Grim Apocalyptic Trailers
Left 4 Dead Fan Film Teaser Brings the Video Game to Life Epically
<
92
Macabre Monochromatic Prints
Macabre Monochromatic Prints
These Fionn McCabe Illustrations are Dark
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91
Disintegrating Undead Toys
Disintegrating Undead Toys
The Zombie Puzzle Appears to be Falling Apart
<
90
Delightfuly Decayed Captures
Delightfuly Decayed Captures
Alessandro Puccinelli Photographs the Composting Process
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89
Gross Garbage Captures
Gross Garbage Captures
The 'Pourri' Series by Frederic Delangle is Artistically Disgusting
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88
Decadently Decayed Shoots
Decadently Decayed Shoots
The Klaus Pichler ‘One Third' Series Reveals the Rotten Natu
<
87
Undead Space Showdowns
Undead Space Showdowns
Black Ops Rezurrection 'Zombie Authority' is Gore-iously Epic
<
86
Rotting Undead Slip-Ons
Rotting Undead Slip-Ons
Step Foot in the Horrifying Plush Zombie Slippers
<
85
Hip Horror-Infused Shoots
Hip Horror-Infused Shoots
Carlos and Jason Sanchez Meticulously Photograph Macabre Scenes
<
84
Mangled Undead Plushies
Mangled Undead Plushies
Induce Nightmares with the Adorable Creepy Cuddlers Zombie Series
<
83
Macabre Mummy Photography
Macabre Mummy Photography
Melanie Willey Documents The Dead for the Discovery Channel
<
82
Urban Decay Illustrations (UPDATE)
Urban Decay Illustrations (UPDATE)
Artist Alex Lukas Recreates Cities with a Fresh Eye
<
81
Deceivingly Dead Artists
Deceivingly Dead Artists
He Xiangyu Creates a Shocking Life-Like Sculpture of Ai Weiwei
<
80
Dead Tree Photography
Dead Tree Photography
Kevin Day's ‘One Dead Tree' is Unimaginably Inspirational
<
79
Digital Vice Depictions
Digital Vice Depictions
The 'Seven Sins' by Cali Rezo Present Illustrations with a Warning
<
78
Contradicting Candy Ads
Contradicting Candy Ads
The Starbursts "Scottish Koreans" Commercials Makes Light of Controversy
<
77
Undead Obstacle Courses
Undead Obstacle Courses
Join 'Run For Your Lives' and Avoid Being Eaten by Zombies
<
76
Mortality-Reminding Editorials
Mortality-Reminding Editorials
The Momento Mori Editorial by Michal Greg Alludes to Death
<
75
Undead Gamer Portraits
Undead Gamer Portraits
Amanda Dockery Puts a Horrifying Spin on Super Mario
<
74
Distraught Disaster Photography
Distraught Disaster Photography
The Deadly Brazil Flood is Captured in These Photos
<
73
Decomposing Doll Houses
Decomposing Doll Houses
Daniele Del Nero Creates Creepy Rotting Scale Models of Structures
<
72
Cunning Skull Typography
Cunning Skull Typography
T7Sins T-shirt From Artist Joby Cummings
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71
Deteriorating Designer Dwellings
Deteriorating Designer Dwellings
Alexandre Herchcovitch Shows Decaying Homes Off to the Selby
<
70
Blended Abandoned Buildings
Blended Abandoned Buildings
The Dormer House by Ben Wolf is a Collage of Decaying Structures
<
69
Graphic Vagrant Graffiti
Graphic Vagrant Graffiti
The Group Artisme is Not Afraid to Take a Closer Look at Poverty
<
68
Skeletal Chair Sculptures
Skeletal Chair Sculptures
Body by Karen Ryan is a Corpse-Like Installation
<
67
Destroyed Home Dioramas
Destroyed Home Dioramas
The Broken Houses Series Gives Decayed Structures a New Perspective
<
66
Disintegrating Insect Ads
Disintegrating Insect Ads
The Invaders Pest Control Campaign is Modern and Minimalist
<
65
Decomposing Paintings
Decomposing Paintings
Martin Ouellette Gets Inspired by Decaying Objects
<
64
Custom Corpses
Custom Corpses
Morbid Personalization by diStefano
<
63
Beautifully Tragic Zombie Trailers
Beautifully Tragic Zombie Trailers
This Dead Island Official Trailer Will Blow Your Mind
<
62
Decomposing Birdography
Decomposing Birdography
Chris Jordan Midway Collection Captures Plastic Problems
<
61
Undead Founding Fathers
Undead Founding Fathers
The Zombie Presidents of Jeremy Plemon Feast on the Brains of Tyranny
<
60
Hummingbird Skull Necklaces
Hummingbird Skull Necklaces
Dead Fashion Jewelry by Blue Bayer is Dark & Alluring
<
59
Macabre Insect-Killer Ads
Macabre Insect-Killer Ads
Raid Campaign Features Grim Reaper
<
58
Baked Skeletons
Baked Skeletons
Bread Skulls Make For Bizarre But Anatomically-Correct Baking
<
57
Fake Dead Seniors
Fake Dead Seniors
Old Person's Home At The Saatchi Gallery
<
56
Grim Reaper Polos
Grim Reaper Polos
Deadwear Clothing is an Artistic Walk on the Dark Side
<
55
Decomposition Time Lapses
Decomposition Time Lapses
'The Elephant: Life After Death' Studies the Decay of an African Giant
<
54
Dead Animal Photography
Dead Animal Photography
'Dear Death' from Chris Moody Features a Eerie Carcass Images
<
53
Personality Filled Facades
Personality Filled Facades
These Living Walls by Nikita Nomerz Give Life to Decaying Structures
<
52
Terrifically Twisted Circus Art
Terrifically Twisted Circus Art
This Francesco Sambo Series is Eery and Unsettling
<
51
Gruesomely Groomed Pooches
Gruesomely Groomed Pooches
Xerxes the Zombie Poodle Has a Halloween Costume Coiff (UPDATE)
<
50
Decapitated Molting Sculptures
Decapitated Molting Sculptures
The Rachel Niffenegger 'Heads on Poles' Series is Dark
<
49
Dead Animal Jewelry
Dead Animal Jewelry
Momocreatura Creates Jewelry With a Twisted Sense of Beauty
<
48
Human Cranium Confections
Human Cranium Confections
The Marina Malvada Chocolate Skulls are Incredible Edibles
<
47
Motor City Ruins
Motor City Ruins
Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre's Pictures of 'The Ruins of Detroit'
<
46
Abandoned City Captures
Abandoned City Captures
Sophia Germer Presents Detroit in Decay
<
45
Dilapidated Photo Collections
Dilapidated Photo Collections
BestBookmarks Features Artful Images of Urban Decay
<
44
Walking Dead Campaigns
Walking Dead Campaigns
The FedEx ‘Zombie Outbreak' Commercial is Hilariously Creative
<
43
Swarovski Skulls
Swarovski Skulls
(Almost) Affordable Diamond Skulls by Fabien Baron
<
42
Customized Fake Corpses
Customized Fake Corpses
Ordering Bespoke Dead People
<
41
Dead Pet Photography
Dead Pet Photography
Photographer and Filmmaker Bruce LaBruce is Banned from Australia
<
40
Grimy Gallery Exhibits
Grimy Gallery Exhibits
The 'Swept Away: Dust, Ashes and Dirt' Show Focuses on Time and Decay
<
39
Death-Loving Collections
Death-Loving Collections
Mexico's National Museum of Death Explores One Country's Fascination
<
38
Urban Corrosion Graffiti
Urban Corrosion Graffiti
Photographer Scott Hocking Captures Comically Poor Graff in Detroit
<
37
Astrology Skeletons
Astrology Skeletons
The 'Dead or Alive' Exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design
<
36
Horror-Inducing Surrealism Collections
Horror-Inducing Surrealism Collections
Chet Zar's Conjoined II is a Freak Show of Talent
<
35
Dead Beetle Dioramas
Dead Beetle Dioramas
Scott Bain Micromachina Art Turns Taxidermy Bugs Into Interactive Scenes
<
34
Undead Horned Equines
Undead Horned Equines
The Zombie My Little Pony Will Change Your Childhood Memories
<
33
Disintegrating Furniture
Disintegrating Furniture
These Malgorzata Mozolewska's Chairs Look Like They're Wasting Away
<
32
Zombie Editorials
Zombie Editorials
Jakob Wiechmann is a 'Dead Man' in Feld Hommes
<
31
Disintegrating Taxidermy
Disintegrating Taxidermy
The '1000 Degrees Celsius Deyrolle' Book is Morbid and Macabre
<
30
Ghost Town Illustrations
Ghost Town Illustrations
Anton Semenov's City of Decay Series is Spooky
<
29
Accessorizing With Taxidermy
Accessorizing With Taxidermy
Julia DeVille's Controversial Dead Animal Jewellery
<
28
Skull-Faced Photography
Skull-Faced Photography
Intuition by Carsten Witte is Haunting
<
27
Undead Digital Portraits
Undead Digital Portraits
These MigleG Zombies are Seriously Creepy & Grotesque
<
26
Haunting Bride Photography
Haunting Bride Photography
Meluxine by Peter Coulson Models a 150-Year-Old Wedding Gown
<
25
Skeletal Sunglasses
Skeletal Sunglasses
The Alexander McQueen Spring 2010 Eyewear Collection is Morbid
<
24
Disintegrating Illustrations
Disintegrating Illustrations
Sam Weber Draws Dark, Moody and Surreal Images
<
23
Intentionally Decayed Art
Intentionally Decayed Art
Mutilated Masterpieces by Valerie Hegarty
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22
Zombie Engagement Photos
Zombie Engagement Photos
Amanda Rynda Captures Celebrating Couple Attacked by the Undead
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21
Festive Zombie Pinatas
Festive Zombie Pinatas
TomDeadStuff Makes Art You Can Hit With a Stick
<
20
Ghostly Black-Veiled Brides
Ghostly Black-Veiled Brides
The Vice Magazine April 2010 Spread is Dark yet Beautiful
<
19
Frankenstein Taxidermy
Frankenstein Taxidermy
Creepy Stuffed Animals Show Some People Have Too Much Free Time
<
18
Creepy Critter Corpses
Creepy Critter Corpses
The Daniel & Geo Fuchs Conserving Animals Series
<
17
Gory Undead Portraiture
Gory Undead Portraiture
Project Z by Victoria Abrami is a Creatively Creepy Collection
<
16
Intricately Grotesque Sketches
Intricately Grotesque Sketches
Artist Mark Riddick Knows How to Get Your Skin Crawling
<
15
Dilapidated Building Dance Recitals
Dilapidated Building Dance Recitals
Alexey Novikov Captures a Ballerina in an Abandoned Edifice
<
14
Terrifying Taxidermy
Terrifying Taxidermy
Juan Cabana's Creations are Morbidly Creepy
<
13
Disintegrating Pixelated Designs
Disintegrating Pixelated Designs
Digital Decay by Zachary Eastwood-Bloom Constructs Collapse
<
12
Abandoned Asylum Photography
Abandoned Asylum Photography
Jenny Hardcore Stays True to Her Name
<
11
SE7EN Deadly Sins in Photos 2 (UPDATE)
SE7EN Deadly Sins in Photos 2 (UPDATE)
<
10
Dead Corpse Photography
Dead Corpse Photography
Todd Baxter Documents a Camping Trip Gone Wrong
<
9
Disintegrating Animal Advertising
Disintegrating Animal Advertising
This WWF Desertification Campaign Pictures Creatures Crumbling
<
8
Deliciously Gruesome Treats
Deliciously Gruesome Treats
The Zombie Head Cheese by Not Martha is Halloween Appropriate
<
7
Taxidermy Footwear
Taxidermy Footwear
Iris Schieferstein's Bizarre Horse Hoof Boots (UPDATE)
<
6
Saggy Skin Sculptures
Saggy Skin Sculptures
John Isaac Gives The Finger To Art With Crude Uniqueness
<
5
Architectural Corpses
Architectural Corpses
‘Stages of Decay' by Julia Solis Captures Abandoned Theaters
<
4
Day of the Dead Pin-Ups
Day of the Dead Pin-Ups
The Pin Up Parlour Will Get You Skeletized for Your Photoshoot
<
3
Decaying Death Toys
Decaying Death Toys
Autopsy Baby Dolls
<
2
Abandoned Shopping Malls
Abandoned Shopping Malls
Brian Ulrich Captures Recessionary Fallout and Urban Decay
<
1
Full-Body Zombie Tattoos
Full-Body Zombie Tattoos
Rick Zombie
<