Nature Speaks about the Preservation of Nature
By Kelly P. Walsh
"No problem can be solved by the consciousness that created it," is the central theme around which "Nature Speaks" is built. Created by artist Deborah Kennedy, "Nature Speaks" is an exhibition of three main installations, formed with the intent of presenting the current condition of our global environment and the gloomy future that lies ahead if the whirlwind of mass consumption and blatant disregard for the environment continues.
Kennedy's first installation, "Earth Wise," is a surrealistic, metaphoric landscape that poses the question "are we going to listen to nature?" This question is magnified by the presence of boulders, a contemporary form of sculpture known as installation work. These rock sculptures have human faces, illustrating that they are part nature and part human. The faces represent different ethnic groups, reiterating that it will take a global effort to preserve nature. Kennedy emphasizes that now is the time to change our ways and make a difference in the future.
"The current status of the global environment and its questionable future can bring about a certain feeling of helplessness," Kennedy said. "We need to recognize that we are at a turning point, and it is simply an issue of creativity and innovation that is needed to create a sustainable biocompatible manner in which to live."
The second part of this installation is called "Death of Birth," which calls our attention to the rampant extinction of species. This exhibit exemplifies the fact that human-generated extinction has been calculated at 400 times the natural rate of extinction. Illustrating this staggering statistic is the white cloth draped over the red wall in the gallery. Kennedy described the cloth as the tapestry of life becoming shredded. When the "Nature Speaks" exhibit first opened in September, there were no slashes. Since then, every time a species has become extinct Kennedy adds a slash in the cloth. An estimated 50 to 100 species become extinct every day.
Kennedy's second installation, "Project Nexus," poses an answer to the question - "where do we go from here?" by creating an interactive, functioning web of life. Bark chips cover the floor, and a soundtrack of birds chirping and twigs cracking symbolize our ability to serve as stewards to nature. Suspended from the ceiling is a "burning bush" which Kennedy created and designed. It magnifies the fact that in the biblical sense, the "burning bush" was one of the few times that a plant was used as a symbol of the Divine, but it also reflects the goal of Santa Clara University's commitment to providing an "ethical values-oriented curriculum."
Other elements within the room include a pool of water which serves as a drum, inviting us to send a song into nature. A wall of leaves are suspended from the ceiling, supported by a fine, almost invisible wire.
"The wire represents the invisible relationships between elements in nature that we tend to overlook," Kennedy said. "The leaves serve as a barrier between the mundane world and the transcendent realm."
The third and final installation of Kennedy's exhibit is "Closing the Loop." Upon conducting research for environmental concerns here on campus, students in Kennedy's Environmental Art - Theory and Practice course focused on the misuse of paper. The installation is an infinity sign with a break in the loop. Everyone is invited to help "close the loop" in an attempt to use finite resources infinitely by recycling and using recycled products. Strewn underneath the incomplete infinity sign is a river of paper from the recycling bins on campus. The back wall is covered with two repeating photographic images - on the left is a picture of the San Jose dump where all of the university's trash is taken, and on the right is a picture of a pristine forest, serving as a reminder of what we are destroying through our wasteful consumption of paper. Kennedy commented on the project and her student's contribution.
"The students were fun to work with and they truly rose to the occasion," Kennedy said. "I am extremely proud to have it as part of my museum show."
It will take commitment and vision to preserve nature, and that is the result Kennedy hopes to bring about through her exhibit. It is an interactive model through which she hopes to encourage contemplation and participation concerning the current status of our environment.
Deborah Kennedy's "Nature Speaks" will be on display at Santa Clara University's de Saisset Museum through Wednesday, March 1, closing with a student concert and reception from 4 pm to 5 pm.