Fine Arts: Pollution and Extraction Flashcards
What is the Documerica project?
A project created by the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970s that produced over 20,000 photographs of American pollution, infrastructure, and wilderness.
Who is W. Eugene Smith?
A photographer known for his three-year project in Minamata, Japan, documenting the effects of mercury poisoning from a local factory.
What concept is associated with Edward Burtynsky’s photography?
The ‘toxic sublime,’ which refers to making the extreme appearance of pollution beautiful and almost pleasurable to look at.
What does the term ‘sublime’ generally refer to?
An overwhelming sense of awe at the magnificence of something that can be felt but not fully understood.
Who is Agnes Denes?
A Hungarian-born American artist known for her ecological art and works such as Rice/Tree/Burial and Wheatfield.
What is the significance of Denes’s work Rice/Tree/Burial?
It is considered a foundational work of ecological contemporary art, consisting of three components: planting rice, wrapping trees in chains, and burying a haiku poem.
What was the impact of the location for Denes’s Wheatfield project?
It was planted on polluted land beneath the World Trade Center, symbolizing mismanagement and ecological concerns.
What did Denes do with the harvested grain from Wheatfield?
The grain traveled to twenty-eight cities around the world in an exhibition called ‘The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger.’
What is Tree Mountain?
An artwork proposed by Agnes Denes involving the planting of 10,000 trees by 10,000 people in a geometrical spiral.
What is the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum?
A museum consisting of site-based sculptures created by Noah Purifoy using found objects, located in Joshua Tree, California.
What was the focus of Purifoy’s work in 66 Signs of Neon?
It was a response to the Watts Rebellion and involved creating sculptures from found debris to address social issues related to racial discrimination.
What did Purifoy mean by ‘junk’ in his artistic practice?
Materials that are accessible and often found in communities of color, reflecting the environmental experience of those communities.
What does the term ‘Eco-Logic’ refer to in Denes’s work?
A complex of site-oriented artworks that bring together philosophical concepts and ecological concerns.
What was the environmental context of Denes’s second iteration of Rice/Tree/Burial?
It was affected by contaminants from Love Canal, where toxins were dumped by a chemical company.
What was the purpose of the time capsule in Denes’s second iteration of Rice/Tree/Burial?
It was encased in concrete and marked not to be opened until the year 2979.
What is a key theme in Denes’s Wheatfield project?
The juxtaposition of urban construction and pastoral farmland, highlighting contrasting ways of imagining human life.
True or False: Agnes Denes’s Wheatfield project is still physically present today.
False.
What was unique about the planting of trees in Tree Mountain?
Each of the 10,000 participants held ownership rights to their tree for four hundred years.
What is the significance of junk in Purifoy’s work?
It is accessible and relates to poor people
Purifoy noted that junk is often found in communities that do not care, making it readily available for his art.
What was Purifoy’s commitment when moving to the Mojave Desert?
To consciously live a life of poverty while producing his final body of artwork
His Outdoor Museum incorporated both found materials and those brought by friends.
Describe the artwork ‘Offshore Drilling’ by Purifoy.
A complex tangle of rusted scrap metal that appears to hover in the air
It draws upon the aesthetic language of modern sculpture and critiques environmental issues.
What critical questions does ‘Offshore Drilling’ raise?
Questions about poverty, oil extraction, and toxicity
It highlights how industrial production benefits wealthy communities while polluting poorer ones.
How does Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum represent urban inequality?
It lays bare the inequalities hidden in actual cities, showing the effects of poverty and pollution
The museum includes structures and representations like a city but emphasizes systemic issues.
What does ‘Ode to Frank Gehry’ symbolize in contrast to ‘Offshore Drilling’?
It represents the image of modern urban architecture and gentrification
Gehry’s work is associated with large-scale urban development, contrasting with Purifoy’s themes.
