Global Warming Project Artist Statement
I chose to create this work because I believe that it highlights one of the effects of climate change that people truly pay attention to, because it directly affects other people. My project shows a small town with trash on the ground, in run down condition. This subject is interesting to me because although climate change affects the environment and animals more than people, people tend to sympathize with other people more than inanimate objects. Climate change has/ will cause sea levels to rise, which will wash out and ruin many coastal cities, and all that will be left is the garbage and pollution that won’t rot for thousands of years. I chose to use cardboard because it is fairly easy to use and it is a material that will break down, like the old houses by the sea. I chose to use crumpled magazine pieces for the trash because magazine pages are a plastic that don’t rot or break down for thousands of years, like the pollution we’ve caused.
If I were to change something, I would add some water by using a recycled material to cover the cardboard bottom. I would change this because I think it would convey the message about climate change better, as it would show the effect that the rising sea level will have. Honestly my artwork does not convey the emotion that I hoped it would. I had hoped that it would make people think about the effect climate change will have directly on them, but I don’t think I did that successfully. Through this project I learned that there are a lot of aspects of climate change that can be portrayed through visual art pieces, not just slideshows and essays. I learned this researching for my own project and looking at what other people have created. Overall, this project has taught about climate change, how to plan better, and how to make brown. Although my project didn’t turn out the way I had hoped it would, I worked hard during class and used my materials and time well.