I want!

Maybe because I look at virtual environments and cross sections on a daily basis, or maybe because I have a special place in my heart for recycled materials or maybe because the work is so thought provoking, I cannot get the images of Jarod Charzewski’s latest work Regeneration Gap (above) and his other piece Scarp out of my mind.

As landscapes they are magical for purely aesthetic reasons; there is a quality about them that causes me to want to wander across them. They are tactile and engaging pieces that make me a little jealous of people in the Toronto area as his latest show is up until April 25, 2009 at the Pari Nadimi Gallery.

The size of the pieces reflects the landscapes they emulate but the message of consumerism comes across in these carefully constructed spaces that are as effective in the images on his website as what I assume they would be in person. What I appreciate is the use of already existing materials to create the installation. This is not a new idea in the art world necessarily, but the fact that after the show closes, the clothes are returned to the market I think puts further pressure on artist to think about what they create and the impact that producing art has on consumerism. This is something I’m personally thinking about in my own practice as I compulsively collect stuff that I could potentially use; I now need to look at what I have and what I can use, pass on or reinvent.

I’m wondering if I leave the layers of clothes that are scattered on my floor they will eventually turn into something like Scarp(above)? Even if they don’t I appreciate the inspiration that these pieces gave me.