Leaves (n) plural \'levs\
1: A lateral outgrowth from a plant stem that is typically a flattened expanded variably shaped greenish organ, consitutes a unit of the foliage, and functions primarily in food manufacture by photosythesis.
Leave (v) \'lev\
1: to go away from : depart/withdraw from 2: to put, deposit 3: to cause or allow to be or remain in a specified condition, to cause or allow to be or remain available, to fail it include or take along.
Green
1: the color.
2: to be environmentally aware.
My collection began with gathering leaves in and around my home. As I collected them I began to think of ways to associate them as a collective piece and to make a collection that was not ordinary but extraordinary. I thought about what they meant to me and the world I live in and came up with the idea of "Green Leaves". I used the play of the definition of "leave/s" as a driving force in my plan. I noticed in our society we use the word green a lot whether we know what it means and I feel it is a fad. It is important to be environmentally and I believe people have yet to realize the importance and merely act on this green philosophy because it is advertised by the media. I came up with the idea of collecting different leaves and pasting them in a shape of a mushroom cloud in a frame. The leaves will be green and as time passes they will fade to brown no longer looking like a tree but a mushroom cloud. This will represent time, life and death and what I feel is the fad of green living. Hopefully the way I attach them they could fall somehow.
Existing Collection:
Leaves
Additions to Collection:
"Green" items
Three R's- reuse, reduce, recyle
more leaves
images of plants
Materials:
Frame
leaves
paint
camera
Reproduction:
I have taken leaves from different plants and have documented each plant I have taken from by taking a picture of it. I may print them out and make a separate framed gallery of these images some way. They will represent the leaves when they were green and alive.
I may also reproduce leaves using "green" material in showing how people are so fixated by this process of reuse and recycle.
Reproduce a plant made of other materials? Still in the planning process.
Any ideas? Input would be greatly appreciated!
This project sounds really interesting and I wonder how it could be made larger... What if you took a photo of a mushroom cloud that exists and print it out at kinkos on the largest black and white scale and then place the leaves over the mushroom cloud only leaving the rest of the photo intact... I am not sure how you are going to display the photos of the original trees but I think this idea is really important! Perhaps the mushroom cloud will be framed (a cheap black plastic frame from Walmart) and then all around the large frame the photos of the trees in smaller frames... Just a thought!
ReplyDelete-Talia
Perhaps there is a way to play with the pun here: leaf, and verb: to leave. I think, Matt, you can let your sense of humor into this project somehow... What do you think?
ReplyDeletethanks for the input. I guess I didn't really articulate my plan on here but what you both said is what I have been thinking of doing. I have a frame that is 24x36" and I am painting inside it a background that would be neutral to a tree and an explosion. My hopes are that as time passes the green leaves which make the tree will turn brown and become a mushroom cloud. The play with leaves(plant type) and leave(to depart) would be that the green does not stay but with time fades. I am still iffy with addressing the whole "green" environmental awareness topic that is going on. I feel people do not take the environment seriously and are just playing along with the idea because of the media and not taking the time to educate themselves. I guess I can do something with the pictures to address this. I would like to again play with the word play with the part as well because I believe it is a trend that will wither. Society will cast off these ideas when they think they have fixed the problem only for it to come back worst. Thanks for the comments so far and please feel free to comment more! thanks.
ReplyDeleteGo for it!
ReplyDelete