Art

Item Description

ARTIST(S):    Association Apog
TITLE:          Strates
MEDIUM:     Collaborative woodcut print, 16” x 20”, unframed

This original artwork was created for Art on Science: 26 études an internattional portfolio featuring pictures by artists and words by scientists. This written commentary is by Sylvie Rimbert, Géographie du comportement at the University of Strasbourg and Association Apog member:
 
At first sight, arts and sciences may seem to belong to different domains: the arts appeal to the imaginary, and the sciences are based on the rational. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was able to relate them long ago and is known for both his pictorial work and for his scientific interests. What abouttoday’s arts and sciences, can they, or do they, meet?
 
Our printmaking collaborative created woodcut prints made from juxtaposed bands “strata” that represent what a geologist might see: parallel layers where waste from past civilizations has disappeared. Old bones of the lowest stratum evoke ancient cemeteries or an ancient battle while the layers with radioactive waste are inscribed for centuries. We represented the stacking of dead objects from the past, present and future: waste from human activities. 

Between the eighteenth century and today, the world’s population has grown from about 700 million to 8 billion people who consume and produce waste, as never before. The more people we are, the more we must produce, the more we must destroy. A threat of asphyxiation is something that artists can express, while the politicians do not dare.

Our group discussed, “The Limits to Growth”, a work published in 1972 which tried to alert humanity to the dangers of overcrowding. Only China and Egypt reacted to the report with dictatorial measures on family size, while Africa became a “demographic bomb”. What can we do about it? Wars could be considered as feedback against overcrowding. What else could be invented? Better sex education to limit, stabilize, diminish human reproduction. It’s difficult to implement. It takes imagination. Can art bring some? The arts are very fashionable and fashion trends influence consumer behavior.

Our artists chose to use black ink: the black of coal, of mourning, of dark nights. To strike the observer, not through beauty but by the hardness of shocking black. Let’s reexamine the print: at the top and bottom, we see circular themes that revolve; they are churning ideas, the engine of scientific research and the inspiration for artistic works. What is the idea that led to the choice of strata? The image stems from concern about the rapid pollution of our planet, but also the pleasure of creating one’s own stratum and associating it with a collective work to create a finished image.

Item Special Note

Free domestic shipping.

All artworks are 16” x 20”, unframed and will be shipped with a printed copy of the scientist’s text.

For further information about the portfolio, please visit our Art on Science: 26 études website: http://AS26project.com