Burning Earth (2022)
Nikta Hashemian
Digital painting animation installation in Closet Gallery in Alberta University of the Arts
How can people visualize a future at risk? - Markandya, and Fondazione
The climate crisis must be understood as one of the many elements of the deep crisis of capitalism, and has always been both an ecological and social problem. - Guerrero
This installation took place in Closet Gallery in Alberta University of the Arts. This work aims to create an interesting experience that is both informative and thought provoking.
This work provides the audience with recorded narrative voices that guides the viewer throughout the work. Burning Earth is meant to remind the audience of the consequences of their everyday actions that contribute to global warming.
The four natural elements consist of water, air, earth and fire. As human beings started to develop and better their quality of life, they took advantage of the resources that were provided by earth. Factories use each one of these natural resources for their own benefit when the waste goes back to earth. The symbolism in this work can be seen in the depiction of dragons. Dragons have been viewed as decorative as well as symbolic in different cultures. Dragons in this work play a decorative element as well as symbolic. In Chinese traditions, dragons have been symbolic of "the start of a new cycle" as well as "power and authority" (Rosenweig,160). In ancient Persia, dragons were symbolic of the "feared enemy", "similary to Babylonian dragon Tiamat, a female in the creation of drama, is said to be symbolic of chaos" (Bernard, 422)
As consumers, the leisure that capitalism provides for us makes us ignore the dark side of capitalism. The society has become blind to its own contribution to this problem. We are too distracted by our excessive consumption that we achieve through this process to the extent that we have become blind to the problems that we have caused for our planet. Just like how the colorful animation in this work might become your main focus until you start listening to the audio.
somewhere along the way we have forgotten to give back to earth and to protect the only "home" that we own as a collective society.
This work is meant to create a beautiful visual experience for the audience with the use of vibrant colors. But underneath the beauty, there lies the bitter truth.
Research and Resources:
BARNARD, MARY. “A Dragon Hunt.” The American Scholar, vol. 33, no. 3, 1964, pp. 422–27, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41209205. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.
Markandya, Anil, and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. Global Warming. Copenhagen Consensus Center, 2008, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep16390. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.
ROSENZWEIG, DAPHNE LANGE. “STALKING THE PERSIAN DRAGON: CHINESE PROTOTYPES FOR THE MINIATURE REPRESENTATIONS.” Kunst Des Orients, vol. 12, no. 1/2, 1978, pp. 150–76, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20752482. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.
Weart, Spencer. “Spencer Weart on Depicting Global Warming.” Environmental History, vol. 10, no. 4, 2005, pp. 770–75, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3986184. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022.