Flooding… Overflowing… Drowning in Headlines: big fonts that detail dying corals, sea level rise, ice melting, species threatened, and humans threatened. The looming dangers of climate change keep inching closer, and the media does not hold back from detailing every tragedy of our aching planet. We absorb this information in silence when we should be screaming for change.
For my final project in my advanced studio class last year, I was prompted to create an art piece that resembled resistance. While the word resistance conjured up various societal controversies for many students in my class, I immediately thought of the Anthropocene that threatened all life on Earth. What will trigger us to wholeheartedly “resist” climate change and everything that threatens Earth as we know it? As a prospective marine scientist and avid, ocean-inspired artist, I decided to hone in on the climate crisis’ impact on marine ecosystems. I was guided by a simple phrase that was both easy to visually read and internally comprehend: “Save Our Oceans.” This is a call to action; something that should trigger drive within the audience to get to work on a common goal.
One of my favorite art mediums is collage creation because it can be exquisitely interdisciplinary. I curated a (somewhat) traditional acrylic painting over an ugly foundation of news headlines from tragic articles. My calligraphy and hand lettering adds clarity and unity. Every detail from the individual news articles to the colors to the fonts are intentional choices that impact the audience’s ability to absorb the greater message. I am very proud of this collage because I believe it is aesthetically pleasing while leaving an impact on the viewer.
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