NMA 2050

Neo Geo / Landfill Club – an exhibition created by Marina Zurkow, who collaborated with Ben Kauffman and Daniel Shiffman, displayed in the library building in the New Media Artspace sections looks pretty impressive. What really struck me about this project was the fact that it is raising awareness about the issue of producing too much waste, which unfortunately is not always recyclable. This piece of work is a prime example that art can be a perfect channel for making people pay attention to an important social or environmental issue and eventually affecting their everyday decisions which could potentially have a significant impact. 

I was unaware of the fact how much research an artist may have to perform in order to create a project such as this one. It is interesting to know that in order to make it possible, Marina Zurkow and her collaborators had to involve a person with a knowledge of a programming  wam anguage and physics, so everything would make sense visually. The drilling down and destroying different layers of soil looks pretty simple, however the amount of work put behind the animation makes me appreciate the artwork even more.

The project aims to connect with the audience on a deeper level than an ordinary artwork. By asking people to bring an object made out of a petrochemical material and fill out detailed information, it shows a direct example from our everyday lives of how popular such items have become. Whether it was a water bottle, a plastic fork or a cup – it made me more aware of how much waste we produce and how ineffective we are in recycling it. After participating in this interactive event, I plan to pay more attention to recycling and buy a reusable water bottle that I will bring with me to Baruch everyday I have classes.