Geo Forms
Joshua Mason & Brittany Stecker, 2014
Acrylic, soil, plaster on polypropylene foam, dimensions variable
Image © 2014, courtesy of the artists
Geolithic
Joshua Mason & Brittany Stecker, 2014
Acrylic, soil, plaster on polypropylene foam, 12″ x 48″
Image © 2014, courtesy of the artists
About the Artists
In a series of sculptures made from polypropylene foam, Joshua Mason and Brittany Stecker imagine the geology of the Anthropocene epoch. They craft objects that appear to be fluorescent geodes and sedimentary strata, but are in fact plastic foam covered with acrylic paint. Through this painterly sleight of hand, Mason and Stecker implicate themselves in the plastics revolution, acknowledging their own contribution to the global infusion of plastic waste into the earth. Will these layers upon layers of plastic represent our geological legacy or can we dig a little deeper to find more sustainable modes of consumption?
Explore These Artworks
Delve
In the words of the artists:
“My own environmental impact is set against a larger geohistory: the mark of the humans read by stratigraphers of the future will be just as visible as the K/T boundary that marked the demise of the dinosaurs. Thus the situation is catastrophic. I am reminded of the image of the debris of history that Walter Benjamin identified as progress – artists add their share to the rubbish heap of time. All sorts of catastrophes of different shapes and sizes emerge. There are the catastrophes of objects, for example, which may include polystyrene or polypropylene. The environmental impact cuts into time consistent with the post-human. It therefore seems fitting to reconfigure such catastrophic objects into forms that echo geology, rocks, boulders, sediment build-up, etc. What emerges is an uncanny object simulating geological materiality.”
Learn
Learn about how long it takes for different types of waste to decompose in the ocean environmenthere and in a landfill in the following video:
Interpret
Reserved for art-interpretive content.
Act
Featured Actions:
* Kick the bottled water habit! Drink tap water in a reusable water bottle.
* Reduce the use of disposable plastic bags and containers! Bring a canvas bag and reusable containers to carry groceries and leftovers instead of using new plastic bags and containers.
* Your pledge will be counted in Earth Day Network’s “A Billion Acts of Green” campaign. Learn more about this campaignhere.
Reflect
If post-human beings find the sedimentary layer of our era, what will they discover of yours?