Steal Like an Artist
Steal Like an Artist
The piece is made from...
- photographs of trash and nature that I took on my 2 walks (The first in my neighborhood and the second out on the streets in the main road)
- audio recordings from my second walk on the street (passing car noises and footsteps of people walking)
- quotes and facts from Time Magazine on environmentalism
- clippings from various magazines of nature and trash/pollution
- photographs from online of litter and pollution
- street signs (the overall piece references a 'do not enter' sign).
Through the piece, I wanted to make a statement about how people are treating the earth and the controversy surrounding environmentalism. I was disgusted to find a lot of trash while on my walk on the street side and it inspired me to create this piece. The artwork references a 'do not enter' street sign, symbolizing how although many people are starting to speak up about environmentalism and how we must take care of our planet, overall, it is an untouched subject which many people are not taking seriously. People call climate change a hoax and even if they say we must take care of the planet, they litter and do not do much to help. The subject is almost taboo or insignificant. Likewise, the outer ring of the piece is all beautiful nature; this references how we see our planet. Many believe that there is nothing wrong with it and look at the world through rose-colored lenses. As you go deeper and deeper into the circles, the rings get worse and worse, showing the reality of our planet. The second ring is dying nature, the third is of litter, and the fourth is of pollution and its impacts on the world/marine life. The center depicts the current struggle between environmentalists and anti-environmentalists. Environmentalists try to save the planet while anti-environmentalists denounce people who are raising awareness (call them 'tree huggers') and believe there is nothing wrong with how we treat the planet.
Overall I really enjoyed the experience of repurposing art and things I found around the house and online to create a statement. It also made me focus on smaller things in the world. I think if I did not take a walk and look around, I would not have even noticed the amount of litter on the road and how poorly we are treating the planet.
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hi isha -
ReplyDeletei loved reading about all of the ideas that went into the piece, every aspect of it is so well thought out. i was especially interested in the way the you configured the rings, and how they each have a different subject. additionally, i think that your concept of a cycle that you mentioned is conveyed really well. the arrangement of the images reminds me of a record, or a revolving lazy susan. my only 'critique' would be that i did not recognize the reference to the do not enter sign until you mentioned it in your writing. i think that idea works well with your other ideas, however i wonder if that motif would be more recognizable if you presented the piece differently (like attached it to a pole or made the negative space red instead of white). that being said, you responded to the prompt of combining ideas perfectly, good job!