Reflection

Reflection

Walking along Abalone Cove, I often see broken cables, rusting keyboards, and plastic debris scattered along the rocky shore. In 2022, ITU reported 62 million tons of global e-waste, with only 22% recycled. It’s unsettling how rapidly technology advances while our environment quietly accumulates its waste. Beyond debates over AI, technology creates new environmental threats that often go unnoticed. Through my artwork, I wanted to depict our collective innocence and blindness rather than intentional corruption. By illustrating the figure as a naive child, I aimed to highlight how unaware we are of the crisis we’ve created. The child stands on the far left, symbolizing how humanity centers itself on consumption while neglecting nature’s destruction. The background—rusted steel sheet metal treated with salt and vinegar—intensifies the visual narrative of ocean pollution. Scattered broken phones, plastic cups, murky oil, and trash bags trail behind, representing the irreversible harm we continue to cause. The modernized snorkeling mask reflects how technological progress simultaneously disconnects us from nature while pretending to bring us closer. The whale, tied to ropes controlled by the child, serves as a haunting metaphor for how even marine life has become entangled in our pursuit of control and convenience. As a leader in my school’s Eco organization and junior docent at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, I’ve worked to reconnect people with nature—whether by planting coast live oaks or sharing the history of our land with visitors. These experiences have deepened my belief that we must honor nature as a promise to the future. Through my art, I hope viewers reflect on their daily choices and recognize that our relationship with the environment must change—before it’s too late.