The reading encapsulates two major topics, which are the art itself and environmental issues. It is interesting to see how artists can convey the message and bring awareness to the environmental impact of the modern human lifestyle, which generates large amounts of waste and pollution. The majority of these waste products are mostly comprised of non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic. One of the most eye-capturing arts is the “Soup” created by Mandy Barker, which depicts waste debris and plastic on a dark black background. The demonstration cleverly conveys three key elements, where the first one is directly addressing the oceanic pollution problem.
The second underlying message can be seen in how the plastic and waste debris are positioned in order to resemble marine life forms. The third idea can be found in the dark background, which might be put to convey the death of oceanic fauna. An inattentive look at the image can give an impression that the art depicts marine life forms, such as jellyfishes and octopuses (Webster). However, after a more attentive and thorough examination, one can see that all objects are comprised of waste products, which are shaped to resemble the victims of the given pollution. The dark background sets the overall tone and emotional mood for the image by making it defeatist, which is evidently attributed to the victims.
Although there are several different approaches to eco art, all of them play a major dual role in raising awareness on the pollution problem as well as creating aesthetically appealing art. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to encourage such actions since it is a novel and creative form of channeling a message, which might be more effective than conventional measures.
Work Cited
Webster, George. ” The Eco Artists Turning Trash into Treasure.”CNN, Web.