Preservation, Natalie Turcotte, 2020
Studying contemporary art at ESA has led me to experiment with a variety of mediums over the years, but I've always gravitated towards photography. I see it as a way of freezing a moment in time so that you can share messages with people that you can not connect with directly. We see images of plastic floating in oceans, or animals covered in plastic and though we recognize this as terrible and disturbing we dissociate ourselves from them, as if we are above them and therefore in less danger. The truth is that we are in just as much danger. Do we have to physically see humans suffering for us to start caring? I chose the title “Preservation” because of its ironic significance. The material used to wrap the models together is often used to protect things, it preserves them. This is ironic because plastic is one of the most commonly polluted materials and doing the exact opposite to our environment. If I can help spread awareness by creating an artwork, then my goal for this project is achieved.