ARTIST STATEMENT
Sometimes I feel that given my medium, I should maybe be dealing with more serious subjects. Plastic Bags, although very useful for a lot of things, are very damaging as well. Images of overstuffed landfills, polluted waterways, suffering wildlife, and stats about the effects of plastic bags and other trash on our world are all super sobering.
There are many reasons that the concept of a “Dystopian”, bleak future has become a very accepted vision of where we as a species and a planet are headed. The facts and figures, come from the scientists, but the Vision itself comes from artists – from George Orwell to Mad Max, this dystopian concept has become a belief, and beliefs create self-fulfilling prophecies.
I support the scientists and artists, who are calling our attention to the destructive path that we are on, but I think so often the dire images and stats are SO upsetting that rather than addressing the problem, we choose to look away. So for right now at least I am choosing to create some optimism. We don’t know for sure what the future holds. 1984 and Mad Max are fictions after all.
I would like to be part of a concept of – not a utopian future – but a “sus”-topian future, a future that practices sustainability, a future that is not perfect, but also not bleak, because people have found the fun and beauty in being more resourceful and less wasteful. That would be a future you wouldn’t look away from. That would be a prophecy worth fulfilling. You can begin right now by paying attention to and supporting the artists, people, and businesses who are working in and on being sustainable. --Because part of sustainability is not starving to death while you are changing the world.
HEATHER FORTIN RUBALD ~ UPCYCLED ART