Nicole Sablowski
Undergraduate, Art + technology
Nature Preserve
resin, moss, sticks, leaves, flowers, berries, ladybugs
The advent of the nature preserve is something of a curiosity. That humans make would make a special effort to protect what small shreds of nature that have not already been destroyed by humans seems ironic at best, hypocritical at worst. Humankind has a unique way of solving problems of its own design, far after the fact. We view virgin land as a commodity to be consumed, uprooting trees and leveling hillsides, then have the audacity to act surprised that more than 80% of forests on Earth have been destroyed.
The piece features various types of organic matter, cast layer after layer in resin in a shape reminiscent of a cake or tart. A slice was then cut away with a saw, and the pieces positioned on a metal cake stand beneath a glass cloche.
Nature Preserve is an expression of my dissatisfaction with this lax attitude toward the use and abuse of land and other natural resources, that everyday are devoured at an alarming rate. It is a metaphor for the too-little-too-late attempts to guard what we ourselves have already despoiled. It is an outrage piece.
