Impressions: What We Leave Behind
Our story is written within Earth’s layers, countless cycles of creation, growth, and destruction are recorded in the artifacts left behind. Each relic marks a specific moment in time, offering us some insight into the development of civilization as we know it today. However, we are limited to the knowledge gleaned from the artifacts themselves. They are only vague impressions of what life was really like for the people that once held them. Their moments have passed along with the memories that sustained them, leaving only fragments to puzzle over.
At every stage of development, human habitation has left its indelible mark on the land. Earlier civilizations affected smaller changes to their environment because their manufacturing utilized naturally sourced materials. However, through modern innovation, we have become more reliant upon mass-produced synthetics making us the dominant force driving ecological change. Researchers have adopted new categorizations to delineate our impact on the geologic timeline. Terms like the Anthropocene advocate for the adoption of a new epoch while manmade artifacts have become known as technofossils. The increasing sophistication of our modern culture forces us to evolve in how we think about our history.
The technofossils from previous generations found today inform us that we are and will continue to add to the geologic record. The sculptures in Impressions investigate this notion by displaying aspects of our current global shipping and home delivery industries in an archeological context. An assortment of packaging materials embedded in or imprinted on aerated porcelain highlights the often-overlooked consequences of our material culture. This exhibition offers the viewer an opportunity to reexamine their impact on the future while being mindful of what they will leave behind.
The technofossils of yesterday and those found tomorrow demonstrate humankind’s connectedness across time. Understanding our story encourages us to confront our tendencies toward ethnocentrism in favor of a perspective more holistic awareness of the past, present, and future. Impressions not only ask us to question our actions at this moment but also reminds us of the ephemerality of life and the fragility of existence.
Our story is written within Earth’s layers, countless cycles of creation, growth, and destruction are recorded in the artifacts left behind. Each relic marks a specific moment in time, offering us some insight into the development of civilization as we know it today. However, we are limited to the knowledge gleaned from the artifacts themselves. They are only vague impressions of what life was really like for the people that once held them. Their moments have passed along with the memories that sustained them, leaving only fragments to puzzle over.
At every stage of development, human habitation has left its indelible mark on the land. Earlier civilizations affected smaller changes to their environment because their manufacturing utilized naturally sourced materials. However, through modern innovation, we have become more reliant upon mass-produced synthetics making us the dominant force driving ecological change. Researchers have adopted new categorizations to delineate our impact on the geologic timeline. Terms like the Anthropocene advocate for the adoption of a new epoch while manmade artifacts have become known as technofossils. The increasing sophistication of our modern culture forces us to evolve in how we think about our history.
The technofossils from previous generations found today inform us that we are and will continue to add to the geologic record. The sculptures in Impressions investigate this notion by displaying aspects of our current global shipping and home delivery industries in an archeological context. An assortment of packaging materials embedded in or imprinted on aerated porcelain highlights the often-overlooked consequences of our material culture. This exhibition offers the viewer an opportunity to reexamine their impact on the future while being mindful of what they will leave behind.
The technofossils of yesterday and those found tomorrow demonstrate humankind’s connectedness across time. Understanding our story encourages us to confront our tendencies toward ethnocentrism in favor of a perspective more holistic awareness of the past, present, and future. Impressions not only ask us to question our actions at this moment but also reminds us of the ephemerality of life and the fragility of existence.