Name: Eva Solo
Date: 21/11/19
Professor: Marcela Godoy
- Initial Ideation
As the end of the semester is approaching and I began thinking what sparked my curiosity this semester the most, and what I would like to look into further.
Reflecting on my exploration for this course, the first thing that came to mind was Richard Brubaker’s talk at the very beginning. After he shared his views and progress on the waste development in China, I realised what drew me in the most, and simultaneously made me care, was the geo-location he was referencing. Living in a place so foreign from anything your past experiences have brought you leaves you with two options: immerse and try to understand, or leave. It isn’t the easiest task to quickly gather local information without the issues of language or cultural barriers, but hearing someone who genuinely cares what he does and more importantly why he does it allowed me to take that perspective on also.
Setting up the art trash installation was also very meaningful for me, as I was able to, on a small-scale, combine my previous interest of visual arts and my new curiosity about ecological awareness. Likewise, as I was able to replicate this combination while creating the trash wearable, I was able to fully be in control from the proposal to the end product which taught me more about the importance of developing meaning and doing things with a purpose.
Another really important message I continue to develop over the weeks is: consume what you need to consume. Which in turn allows me to consider the final project in the light of sustainability and actual use.
PLASTIC, – I have never taken the time to understand a material my life basically depends on on a daily basis, and thus I can draw a loose assumption that I am not the only one. With this in mind, I want to use the opportunity of this assignment to create a project that speaks to people that don’t have the ability to obtain the volume and depth of the plastic pollution/toxicity issue at their finger-tips.
Firstly,
Art piece only using plastic / biodegradable materials and the techniques we explored during the workshops. Every time we are able to create something in the lab I get so excited and for this project, or just myself, I want to practice these techniques and create more from the plastic melting, moulding, and mixing recipes to create biodegradable material. The workshop we participated in last week was amazing and I knew I want to try and create more of the materials and see how they interact with each other. Although I am still in the ideation phase of this proposal, I think it would be a great opportunity to take the time and experiment with these materials, consider how I can not only replicate but convolute something new using the skills and the information I learned. With this piece I would like the send the message of awareness – but not just a surface level; you should recycle because it’s good for the planet – but something that could evoke empathy out of the viewer and potentially make them think about their actions.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/15/lucy-siegle-ethical-art-paint
This article dived deeper into the art field and discussed how artists are now becoming more aware of the process of creating rather than just the end-product. A lot of waste can be produced while exploring your ideas, and I would want to record the process from start to finish in creating a physical piece that, to my best ability, is minimal waste, eco-friendly, and can translate an ideas clearly though just the visual.
This idea for me is something new, as I tend to lean towards abstract creations that could be interpreted in an array of directions, but considering all that we’ve covered, I think it is important this piece is very clear in its message and can be easily understood – of course following the supplementary material (background info / aim / process) for those curious to understand more. “If you can’t explain it to a five year old, you don’t understand it” is something that has stayed in my head ever since I started leading about science, and I think it is a great mark to keep in mind for this project as I think about my target audience.
Potentially even focusing in reaching the younger audience as a priority, because I believe that’s where the change has the most effect in being implemented for the prosperity of our future environment.
Secondly,
As I mentioned my interest in the location we currently are living in, my other idea was to conduct local research starting with the investigation of Precious Plastic and their works in Shanghai. The talk we listened to as well as the stool workshop was very meaningful to me because I saw other foreigners come to a new place and focus on problems higher than them selves. I would like to learn more about this particular operation and further see to what extent I could make this transferable globally. I say this because as I checked Precious Plastic World Map, I was actually able to locate a few spots in Lithuania but they were only messages of interest and no action. I want to explore how concepts of eco- awareness can be translated to an audience oblivious to the global issues and how groups, like Precious Plastic, was able to obtain not only a global reach – but also local effect! I would attempt and talk to as many local Chinese people as possible to see if they have ever hear of an organisation as such, and if not what their understanding of trash waste is. To further ask how people obtain information and explore the ways an audience can be expanded. I have recently visited XNode, an international start up company based in China. From that visit I saw a pattern on startups with a focus on sustainability and were selected by XNode and why those particular companies were predicted to be successful in China. As this is more researched based, I would document the research with the final statement, and based on the results of my sample, create a way to share it that would be accessible and effective in relation to why I have conducted this study.
Leave a Reply