Reflection

I created his work because I wanted to explore how abstract art can evoke emotive responses in order to make the viewer actively engage with the art and thus, the premise of climate change. I wanted to use both synthetic materials and natural materials harmoniously to show the impact of synthetic materials (plastic) on nature. First, I wanted to recycle plastic, therefore using acetate and old, used plastic, I created strips, shined light through it, and photographed it. Once this was done, I went on to layering these photos on photoshop using this as the backdrop for my installation. Projecting this image onto fabric I got friends to stand within my instillation, showing how people cause climate change (using plastics etc) and become effected by climate change. As a result, the urban dweller is forced to participate in the art, becoming aware of their direct actions onto the environment. The blues and greens within the backdrop represent the ocean, the lines within the fabric represent the plastic we use, and the black represents the demise and death of the environment. Artists that inspired me were Tara Donovan and Eva Hesse. I learnt a lot about climate change while creating this artwork, I learned about causes and the type of lifestyle we should live to reduce the ever increasing climate change. For me personally, I now don't use plastic as a direct result of this experiment; I eat less meat, and I am trying to reduce my carbon emissions.