This week, we did sustainable art. The goal was to make a piece of art that had a sustainability/earth day message, and to use “found” materials; not go and buy any new materials for it. Use waste, recycling, or leaves on the sidewalk. Below is my piece:
I wanted to embrace the classic phrase: reduce reuse recycle. I created This piece using old notes from previous semesters, as I like to collect these to have references if ever needed. The idea of keeping old schoolwork and papers as useful study material embraces the idea of not wasting. If I have something stored away, maybe I can avoid taking notes or doing extra problems on new pages, and in the end save some paper and notebooks.
I think the piece expressed the idea, as in it is clear on what it is saying, but not very effective. My choice of materials was due to needing something found, and my room has papers everywhere. I thought it would be interesting to use something that I have so much of to make some art.
How long a work of art should last is dependent on the experience the creator wants. Some art can be created to last forever, and this could enhance the feel of the piece, knowing that this will be around for years to come. Yet there are some pieces that gain value from their short liveness, making you pull in the experience, as you wont get another chance. These pieces of art can also allow you to think upon how not everything is permanent, and you should take each experience as its own.
The length in which something lasts does change how we perceive it. We comment on lives well lived for older people who pass away, and that is a reflection on how we value time, someone who has lived long has experienced more of what the world has to give. Of course it is important that the world and resources in it are sustainable, if the quality of life drops then there may be less to enjoy in life.
It takes a group effort to make change, especially for big issues like climate change, but that doesn’t mean the individual is unimportant. One person can’t make a difference, but that mindset is not held by just one person. If everyone who thought they couldn’t make a change acted instead of stayed back in defeat, there would be enough for a movement, so I think it is very important for people to fight for what they believe in, no matter how small they may seem.
Ronald Art110 