In my newest body of work “The City” I have imagined a city of our future, where something either natural or as the result of mankind, has emptied the city of it’s human inhabitants. Art museums, Broadway theaters, laundromats and bars no longer function. The walls are deteriorating, the ceilings are falling in, the structures barely stand, yet Mother Nature is slowly taking them over. These spaces are filled with flora, fauna and insects, reclaiming what was theirs before man’s encroachment. I am afraid of what the future holds if we do not change our ways regarding the climate, but at the same time I am fascinated by what a changing world can bring.
Themes of a dystopian future, expressed by photographer Lori Nix, and movies like the Hunger Games Trilogy, Divergent and Oblivion (to name a few among many) reflect an angst over our future. While I do acknowledge the need to become respectful of our environment I don’t believe that it serves us to focus on apocalyptic outcomes.
What is interesting about Lori’s work is that despite the decay, nature if allowed, is resilient and persistent in its determination to flourish. Its how we choose to respond that is in question.
Many studies conducted by scientists and psychologists clearly demonstrate that our mindset plays an important role in what we experience (more about this in future posts). Carl Jung’s term, the collective unconscious, present in humanity and all life forms, is a part of the psyche that subconsciously arranges our experience. So our collective imaginations do matter. Perhaps we should be mindful of the themes we explore in our artwork – do we intend a gloomy or bright future for ourselves?
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
– Mahatma Gandhi
graphic, video and web design 