Chronic vs Acute: Adverse Effects of Environmental Manipulation
Oil on canvas · 4.5 x 2 ft · 2010
This piece began with the projection of an aerial view of a removed mountaintop. The palette was a hazy, atmospheric use of color reminiscent of old “National Geographics.” The additive layering and subtractive wiping away of paint is reminiscent of undulating layers of manipulated earth: the built-up paint is an inverse of the incised ground and cavernous valleys created from mountaintop removal. An image of a damaged lung is projected atop. This allows the viewer to draw the connection between the damage on macro and micro scales: the internal landscape of built-up scar tissue on the respiratory tract from inhalation of particulates parallels the peaks and valleys of the hacked landscape. The two images converse at the surface of the painting: in some areas the macro image sits on the spatial surface of the painting, pushing the micro image into the deeper space; in other cases, it is the inverse. This piece speaks to seemingly acute adverse health events that have chronic outcomes: the immediate acute action of blasting the earth’s surface in comparison to the slow long-term environmental repercussions and health outcomes.