Thursday, April 17, 2008

"Nourished by Change"


"Nourished by Change" by Scott Silvey
Dimensions:variable; Medium:steel, suitcases, soil.

His statement about the work reads, "Images of stability and transition are fused into one environment highlighting the restorative power of curiosity."

I am attracted to this installation piece of Silvey's work in particular because it appeals to my affection for the Indiana/Mid-West landscape. I ran across his work on a post about his new paintings. In a recent interview with myartspaceblog, the artist said "I am currently working on a series of paintings called 'Civic Remedies.' The pieces imagine Tokyo as a city devoid of it’s former human inhabitants. All that remains are their skeletal homes and symbols of their consumption." In some ways it is an expansion on themes proposed in "Nourished by Change" - those of contrasts between stability and transformation.Scott Silvey, "Violets" - he writes, "As a result of mass and unabated consumption the city has become ill. Giant herbs have returned to this sepctral urban environment to restore it to health."
Dimensions:53cm X 45.5cm; Medium:acrylic/carbon on panel.

In this sense, his work relates to that of Josh Keyes who is also depicting a world without human presence and the environmental effects that proposes. In the recent works by Josh Keyes, he focuses on the remaining fauna in a environment without human inhabitants, whereas Silvey tends to emphasize the flora that might remain in empty cities.

Josh Keyes, "Reclamation", Acrylic on Panel, 18x24", recently showing at Denver's own Limited Addiction gallery

A book from last year by Alan Weisman, called "The World Without Us" also covers this topic - describing the natural processes that may take place if human kind were to vanish. It is an interesting concept that has even influenced Hollywood productions like Will Smith's recent "I am Legend"photo of the set for "I am Legend" by CorvusCrx

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