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| Olga Mercedes Bautista Bonding with Plastic 2019 Silicone, leaves and plastic debris |
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| Sergio G. Villamizer Home Sweet Home 2015 Photo Collage |
The two works that I have chosen are "Bonding with Plastic" by Olga Mercedes Bautista and "Home Sweet Home" by Sergio Villamizer. Both of these works are located in the Visual Arts Gallery. I choose these artworks because of the way these pieces immediately stand out as soon as you walk into the gallery. When I was viewing the artworks it instantly grabbed my attention with the way "Bonding with plastic was displayed. It was hung in mid-air with bark and plastic she had found on the shore after Hurricane Sandy had hit New Jersey. It is also shaped in the way a tree would be but it is hollow inside, and there are no "roots" connecting to the ground. This might be a way that the artist is alluding to the issue of pollution and if pollution continues at this rapid rate nature will continue to be contaminated and ultimately the world will be driven to its own destruction. Looking at "Bonding with Plastic" closely there are various kinds of trash that are plastered on the bark which was all found on the shore after Sandy hit jersey. Wrappers, to plastic bottle caps to bags, are all present on top of the bark. Another working theory I have is related to the number of "trees" that are displayed, which in this case there are three. What does this mean you might ask? Well, there is a scientific theory called the "3 Day Effect" which revolves around the subject of taking a break from technology, and it taking three full days for your brain to reset. This artwork could also be symbolism that technology has completely cluttered our minds just like how the pollution has cluttered the nation and this is symbolism that we all need to implement the "3 Day Effect" to refresh our minds, maybe then we can all as a nation begin to take initiative to clean up after ourselves. The three-day effect would be quite a plausible solution to the overall addiction to technology and the internet by everyone in today's generation.
Now moving onto my second choice from the gallery the artwork "Home Sweet Home" by Sergio G. Villamizer. This piece was made with the use of photoshop with places from all over Jersey to make a collage that truly signifies the gritty look that Jersey gives off. It is heavily industrial and dependent on the recycling of older buildings to make new and improved properties. This artwork defines the aesthetic of modernization, rebuilding, and a significant "grimey" element that undoubtedly describes Jersey. Other then these key elements they use modernization to promote publicity on buildings in exchange for money to come in on a steady basis. In the book Ways of Seeing, chapter 7 page 132 line 4 it states "Publicity is effective precisely because it feeds upon the real. Clothes, food, care, cosmetics, baths, sunshine are all real things enjoyed in themselves." This also extends to buildings and businesses that thrive on publicity to turn in extra income. As you can see in the collage there are numerous logos that can be easily recognizable by virtually anyone. Some of the recognizable logos include Coca-Cola, Delta, McDonald's, CVS, Walmart, Dunkin Donuts, CXS, 7 UP, Target, Burger King, NJ Transit, etc. As it says in the Ways of Seeing "Publicity is always about the future buyer" and this phrase holds true in all accounts. Publicity and propaganda are riddled throughout the city to entice the public to shop for their respective products and services. The consumption of buzz regarding their products is what really turns a profit for companies. The rave of the company is inherited by consumers and then the consumers spread recommendations which then leads to purchases and this process follows forever, this method is still the most effective way to create publicity. Another way I perceived this collage is the accumulation of modernization, buildings, destruction of buildings, and reconstruction of buildings as a sort of realization that there is not enough nature in our cities. Anywhere you go you will undoubtedly see buildings and construction but rarely do you see green in terms of vast greenery. Although the title of the collage is "Home Sweet Home" I think the artist is using irony to predicate that nature needs to revitalized into a "grimey" metropolitan city. Both of these works of art overlap in their themes even though they are presented very differently. In the description of the artist, it states "Places give us a sense of belonging, they inspire us, and they provide comfort and influence our self-concept and stae of mind...Today's places also offer idealized bodies, comfort food, and every imaginable product promising to make our lives better, to make us more desirable, better consumers..." this means even the artist himself reassures me that publicity within our city is enveloped to be consumed and strategically placed to entice us.
Works Cited
"Ways of Seeing" Chapter 7
Artist Description
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