Loralee Grace / BFA Thesis/ Statement / Resume / Comissions / Contact / News/ Bio

My work is a critique of consumerism, pollution of all types, and the possible long-term impact of this reckless behavior on our environment. From air pollution to water and soil contamination, we are slowly destroying the planet that keeps us alive. In our current age, products are manufactured with focus on convenience, lacking consideration of the possible consequences. From disposable plastic grocery bags and water bottles to fossil fuel gas emissions and other forms of pollution, we are clogging the planet’s landfills and atmosphere with materials that will take hundreds, if not thousands of years to biodegrade. People purchase one-time use disposable products without thinking of where all those materials will end up. Even if they are biodegradable, plastic, technological and other human-made products leach toxic chemicals into the soil and air as they decompose. Wind farms are viewed as a plausible solution to fossil fuels usage, when in fact countless turbines in the United States require a vast amount of energy to operate. Energy is used to run the various mechanisms, brakes, controllers, sensors, as well as metering and data. This consumption of energy renders wind turbines to be virtually pointless, and arguably a huge waste of time and money.

My paintings depict a desolate earth and what future apparel fashions could look like based on this toxic trend, as well as consideration for the two runner-up planets for us to live on: Venus and Mars. Venus and Mars are the two closest planets to Earth, and their depiction represents the fact that we have no other options for an alternative planet to live on. We must to start taking better care of our planet immediately, because it is the only planet that is able to realistically sustain human life. It sends chills down my spine to think that human survival could one day depend on protective casing around our bodies to protect from extreme temperatures and burdensome contraptions to filter the air, taking fashion’s role of protection to the extreme. My goal with this body of work is to inspire a sense of environmental consciousness, an awareness I believe we all must strive for in order to preserve the beautiful planet that sustains us.

 

 

Copyright © 2011 Loralee Grace All Rights Reserved.