Sustainability Project

“Take time out to have a good look”

The title of my project is one of irony, since perhaps if I really thought about it, I would have approached the work in a totally different manner. There is a lot to be said about simplifying the work. This assignment at first sounded so easy, the execution however, took careful planning and a lot of chasing around.
Never before had I thought of using recycled paper for printing, the fact that it was never on my agenda, meant that I didn’t realize that I could purchase it. Unfortunately, in reality what is not known, doesn’t exist. This was only the beginning. Then came the determination to use only recyclable or pre-used products, this involved a lot of running around in the car from Opportunity Shop to Opportunity Shop, and then the added telephone calls. In the end I had to simplify the project as the petrol used to run my car and the money spent on telephone calls, clearly did not correspond with the aim of the project!
However, after a shaky start, I can now regard the whole process as one of learning a good lesson. We actually complicate our lives by trying to make life fit our wants rather than our needs.

The Story:
The clock ticks away and as it does the words “only time will tell” loops round and round in my head. From the beginning of time till the end of time, our story of life on Earth is one of dualities. Good and evil, for and against, black and white, love and hate, give and take, the list is endless.
In my artwork I selected to depict some examples of dualities that face us in everyday life. I purposely chose a rectangular structure for this work, as in this piece it conflicts with the shape of the circle. An added bonus was that this canvas board was also damaged, because what I placed on it was the idea of a Mandala . The Mandala is designed to bring balance and harmony. It is the striving for perfection. My point is that perfection is only recognized and appreciated if imperfection is there to make it look good.
Next, I look at the four chosen issues from both sides. I am here because this is my world. You are in the mirror because this is also your world. You are confronted by the fact that if you are to look at my work then you will become part of my work. These issues are staring us in the face and we have to be responsible and stop ignoring what is really going on. Whichever way we look at this, it has no left or right, no beginning or end, so therefore, all is just as important as the next.
The mirror ends and the viewer stops looking at themselves and it is here that they are face to face with the four topics; the riches and jewels we adorn ourselves with/the mining destroying our landscape, the glamour of fur coats and the cosmetics beautifying our faces/the killing and cruelty of animals and the animal experimentations, technological communication/the damaging effects on the human body as well as the junkyards created, computers and robotics making life easier and more enjoyable/junkyards created and the loss of jobs.
This all happens inside our world. The outside of the Mandala is a representation of the Earth’s crust and the atmosphere. Humans have changed the shape and the colour of our planet.
If we are to continue on this path then it doesn’t take a scholar to work out that future generations will suffer greatly. Questions are raised, such as will they be able to even breathe without intervention.
It is time to take a stand.
By Adriana Cosshall