The project “The Smoking Plant” is considered to be a social one. It is the case when the art is used to pass the important message to the observer. The artist wants to demonstrate the mortal danger caused by smoking. It is a sort of alert for people to think over their pernicious habits.
The artist puts a live cigarette with a live plant in one container. People may observe how their live cigarette is killing the live plant every second. The ashtray used in this composition namely the inscription on it also passes a certain message to the observer. This inscription sounds like “Meet you in the hell”. It warns the people about the mortal danger. The choice depends on people.
Of course, people who smoke feel some pleasure during this process but does this pleasure really cost their life? Every minute of smoking cuts the length of our life as well as every minute spent in the same container with the live cigarette kills the plant. We may observe how it is dying gradually. This plant may be associated with human lungs. Lungs that need pure oxygen are supplied with nicotine and pitch instead of it.
We may provide another comparison. The live cigarette may symbolize the smokers while the plant is used to denote those who do not smoke but they have to suffer from the smoke. It makes people think over that they kill not only themselves but all people surrounding them. If they do not care about their own life they should think about other innocent people. These people are like this plant that is put into the container unwillingly. Nobody wants to die. Why should people suffer from the smokers when they do not smoke? These people have to live with the smokers and as a result, breathe the smoke unwillingly. Even if the smoker cannot quit smoking they should respect the wishes of other people to be healthy.
Although, this art seems to be simple but the message passed to the observer makes it invaluable. The main aim of art is to pass the important message and when this aim is achieved it is considered to be the art. This composition is very interesting and symbolic. Everyone may interpret these symbols in their own way but the whole message is preserved. If the smoker observes this composition he may consider the plant to symbolize his lungs while non-smokers may associate the live cigarette with smokers and the plant with themselves who suffer from it. Generally speaking, the live cigarette is the symbol of death while the plant is the symbol of life and we observe the picture when death is winning the life.
Smoking has become the plague of our century. The life span of million people is shortened because of smoking. It is a very deplorable fact that not only men are among smoker’s women are also vulnerable to this bad habit and even children are influenced by the fashion propagandized by society. Such kind of art that passes such an essential message should be demonstrated to the audience. If people cannot understand all the fatal consequences of smoking this composition may prevent them from this bad habit or inspire them to quit smoking. It may be considered a sort of masterpiece if it influences the minds of people.