Final Project 6/18 2

Final Project 6/18

Project 4 ideas

I got these images from adbusters.com.  I think for my project I want to explore the idea of over-consumerism and the vicious cycle of "needing" things.  I don't want to take the extreme perspective that as commercialism and advertisements are all bad and should be cut out completely, but that it can have a negative impact on society and should be reduced. I want to explore how ads persuade "filling a void" in our lives and why it isn't really fulfilling.

"As long as consumption is focused on satisfying basic human needs -- safety, shelter, food, clothing, health care, education -- it is not consumerism. But when, on attempts to satisfy these higher needs through the simple acquisition of goods and services, consumption turns into consumerism -- and consumerism becomes a social disease...
A culture in which the urge to consume dominates the psychology of citizens is a culture in which people will do most anything to acquire the means to consume -- working slavish hours, behaving rapaciously in their business pursuits, and even bending the rules in order to maximize their earnings. They will also buy homes beyond their means and think nothing of running up credit-card debt. It therefore seems safe to say that consumerism is, as much as anything else, responsible for the current economic mess."

-Amitai Etzioni   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amitai-etzioni/the-crisis-of-american-co_b_1855390.html

Cyclical Nature Final

Cycle Nature 6/10

Part of the appeal of trees as a "refuge" for me is the quiet subtlety they possess as if they are always ready to listen.  I decided to make the images I sketched less noticeable so the trees would stand out as the strong, quiet force that brings everything home.  I also wanted to go back to the original image I composited because I like the idea of the roots growing up to branches in the sky but at the same time circling back down into the earth.

cyclical nature process

I want to communicate the feeling of "home" and warmth in trees and nature by showing creatures separated from each other and as the roots/branches circle around and a niche is formed where everything melts together.

Cyclical Nature Process