ARTIFICIAL PARADISE
Artificial Paradise
mixed media figurine
2021
About:
Peacocks are known to be a symbol of divinity and power/rank. Plastics, on the other hand, are cheap. They’re man-made and are one of the biggest pollutants on earth contributing to the destruction of nature. By using plastics to form such a grand creature it takes away from its true splendor as a natural, living entity.
The juxtaposition of the recycled materials with the natural (the peacock) helps to convey the false illusion and artificiality of sustainability that humans have created for themselves. Although the common blue peacock is not endangered, green peafowls are. Multiple species of exotic birds go extinct every year due to human influence along with hundreds of other plants and animals. Making the peacock out of these materials shows how man has taken over nature and brought ruin to it. The figurine is fake, it is not living but it is made to embody the physical characteristics of a creature that is. While it is visually pleasing, there is a contrast between the beauty of the natural world and the very thing that is working to destroy it. Additionally, the use of red, white, and black is unnatural and does not exist on peacocks in the real world. It is as though this bird has been mutated as a result of human interference.
I wanted to use recycled materials because I am very passionate about environmental issues. If humans continue to pollute the planet that gives them life there will definitely not be any sort of “paradise” left.
Medium(s):
wire, plastic bags, plastic bottles, cellophane, tape, string, marker, acrylic paint