Window To a Better Future

Salla Kim

English 101

Professor Garrett

12/03/14 – Fall 2014

Community Engagement + Art Project Reflection

The target audience of my art project are people of all ages and from all walks of life, because we all produce trash and contribute to the global waste problem. My art project includes trash that I collected from the Dockweiler State Beach during one of the “Heal the Bay” beach clean-up events. I used trash that we see every day such as “NO PARKING” sings, candy wrappers, chip bags, and bottle caps. I believe that using such familiar trash will have a greater effect on the audience, because they will have a connection to it through their own lives. 

In my artwork, translucent trash, such as the plastic in water bottles, form a stained-glass- like window in my art work, while the rest of the trash is used as a frame and platform. The stained-glass window symbolically represents a window to a better environmental future. It may be difficult to see through this window right now, but with the help of organizations and events like “Heal the Bay”, we may begin to see through it, especially if we work together towards a brighter future.

We can improve the environment through simple actions. Though we may not be able to restore it to its former glory, we can take simple steps to help keep the environment clean and prevent its further degradation. Organizations such as “Heal the Bay” do exactly that. Through their beach cleaning events, they encourage picking up trash from the beaches. It is depressing to see so much trash at a beach, a place that is supposed to be a relaxing get-away from the polluted city life. Attending “Heal the Bay” events forces one to notice all the trash left in the nature, and become very critical and aware of actions that contribute to the littering problem and other environmental offenses.

Once the audience has seen my artwork, I want them to leave with a better understanding of the effects of our careless lifestyle. I want them to go back home reflecting on how they deal with trash and become more aware of their own, everyday actions. Although we might think that a tiny bottle cap or a candy wrapper left in the nature will do no harm, the accumulation of all this trash leads to the waste problem we have on our planet. More specifically, the trash found on the beach pollutes the beach habitat and kills birds, fish, seals, and other marine populations.

I want anyone who sees my artwork to think about their lifestyle and how it affects the world we live in. If they realize that we all contribute to making our planet a cleaner, safer, and more just home to us all and become more aware of our own actions, then I believe my artwork has fulfilled its purpose.