ERIK HAGEN
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My work references geologic processes like sedimentation, ice-melt, and erosion to evoke 4.5 billion years of earth-history. We are usually so anchored in the present, and I enjoy visualizing time-scales that are not often considered. The ‘Coastal Cities’ maps show sea level rise in the year 2500 in U.S. coastal cities, based on optimistic assumptions about carbon emissions. The maps rely on peer-reviewed science summarized in the book “Deep Future” by paleoclimatologist Curt Stager. Outdoor installations incorporate 4,000-pound blocks of ice. As the ice disappears, the maps are drowned in melt-water. The ‘Fossils’ series represent artifacts that might appear as fossils in some future epoch, and are made of plaster, pigments, and resin on ripped cardboard or canvas. Other artifacts are preserved in an amber-like plastic resin and presented in antique picture frames. Plastic is an important element in my work, as it is a ubiquitous material common to the age of the Anthropocene. The references to plastic can be obvious, for example bits of plastic microbeads embedded in resin, or more oblique in that the map series is presented behind plastic acrylic sheets. These objects and maps represent a unique period in our Earth’s history and serve as memento mori, suggesting the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of earthly goods and pursuits. They are a reminder to appreciate the moment.
www.erikhagenstudio.com Genre: Abstract, Ephemeral |
