Saturday, September 26, 2020

Reading Stones





Book object: Reading Stones

13 plastiglomerate stones in a cloth bag



Plastic may be with us for forever, as in these “reading stones” that were found on Kehoe Beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Stones like these are washing ashore onto to beaches everywhere. It is not known how these stones are formed but some scientists believe they are the burnt residue of plastic that was once shipped to Asia for recycling where it was partially incinerated, then accidentally sent adrift.


These stones are evidence of a new geology being formed by melting plastic debris into pyroplastic plastiglomerates. Theses facsimiles of stones are made from polyethylene, polypropylene, along with a smorgasbord of colorants and chemical additives. In these charred remains, as “reading stones” they ask us to decipher our present and future relationship to resource extraction and our dependence on petroleum-based products.


The history of the Earth can be read in the layers of built up sediments. Each stratification offers an insight into a moment in natural history. On the Geological Time Scale, the Anthropocene describes the human impact on the planet, the Age of Oil describes the planetary catastrophe of our petroleum-based consumer culture.


People often do not understand the equation of oil=plastic, but every year thousands of barrels of oil and natural gas are extracted and used to make plastic. That plastic straw in your beverage is extracted fossil hydrocarbons. 


The act of “reading stones” can refer to both the scientific practice of geological investigation and the ritual of lithomancy which seeks to interpret the patterns of stones cast by those wishing to divine the future.


Traditionally in Lithomancy, 13 similar stones were each assigned a symbol: astrological, planetary or elemental then placed in a bag. In a daily ritual, while pondering a question, 3 stones were drawn at random from the bag. From that group a message was read; a meaning was assigned in an intuitive way.


These “reading stones” serve in both capacities:

As a marker of the enduring impact of plastic on the planet.

As a message for the future. 


Take three stones from the bag. Upon inspection you might recognize the charred remains of a toothbrush or a bottle cap; a tuft of rope or a clump of melted single-use plastic bags.

Place these stones in an arrangement that invites a close reading.


Conjure a question that only the stones can answer:


What is it that is being extracted? Is our future as a species being extracted? Is hope itself being extracted? As the most powerful and destructive entity on planet Earth, what can we do?


The stones sing, “let’s face the music and dance.”












Monday, September 21, 2020

Emotional Numbness: the impact of war on the human psyche and ecosystems

 



Curators Atefeh Khas and Minoosh Zomorodinia write:


"The exhibition focus is the impact of war on environments, and war’s effects on inhabitants of war zones. Recent escalating tensions between Iran and the United States is creating an increase in anxiety about potential war between these countries. Thus, the goal of the exhibition is to create a platform to share, meet, discuss, and cross borders, by exhibiting art which considers the impacts of war and the varying relationships between Iran and the United States. We believe art has the ability to affect perceptions, develop meaningful dialogue, and bring awareness about critical issues to the public."



September 18 - October 16, in Tehran, Iran at Platform 3

To see one of our prints on the wall in Tehran and then to see gallery visitors looking close was a thrill beyond compare. Yes, Tehran... the perfect place to present one of our beach plastic soldier portraits from our series The True Cost of Plastican exhibition that explicates the oil=plastic equation and the impact of war.

For a virtual walk-though of the exhibition. HERE.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Happy Coastal Cleanup Month!!!

 


Coastal Cleanup Day has traditionally been on the third Saturday of September. This year, instead of large cleanup gatherings, people are encouraged to cleanup on their own, close to home, any Saturday in September. 

These days we’ve been challenged with beach closures and exhibition cancellations, but thanks to Jill Lessard, Evan Johnson and the great team at the Marin Community Media Center, the show will go on. 



To celebrate Coastal Clean Up 2020 we created Virtual Fiesta a virtual show of what we would have had on display at the CMCM offices (Sept 1-Oct 31) and have scheduled programs about the ocean/beach/plastic, Time and Tide that will air at 5:30 PM on Saturdays Sept 5,12,19, 26. Programs can be viewed on Comcast 26 in San Rafael, AT&T 99 in California, or online https://cmcm.tv/livecommunity


September 5 will kick off with Chris Jordan's remarkable feature film Albatross. During the month several NOAAshorts along with a couple of pieces about Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary will air. Ocean Recovery Alliance in Hong Kong and Ocean Conservation Research in Lagunitas also contributed stories.


For more about Coastal Cleanup 2020, every Saturday in September:

https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html


For more about Virtual Fiesta: 

https://www.marinarts.org/event/local-virtual-fiesta-a-virtual-art-gallery-exhibit/


For more about One Beach Plastic: 

https://www.beachplastic.com


Thanks for tuning in!


Stay safe.

Stay true.