Artificial Natural

[Can we be classed as artificial?]

Mother earth ‘as the giver & sustainer of life’[1] has allowed us to explore, create, learn and play within her nurtering arms. However as time and technology have progressed we have become witness to our ecological footprint, and its consequences are becoming more apparent to the naked eye. It is obvious that the “Earth’s ecosystem cannot sustain current levels of economic activity and material consumption”[2]. It begins to pose questions of what is natural and whats not, and where that divide lies.

The boundaries between the artificial and the natural are becoming increasingly undistinguishable. This division is continually challenged to question what is organic in comparison to that which has been tampered and played with. What is natural and what is artificial. An example of this can be identified if Klara Orosz’s work.

The Gallery ‘Ternderpixel’ which launched on the 15th of September showcased Orosz’s most recent work from graduating at Goldsmiths. It ‘invited spectators to sit, touch and play while blurring the natural and artificial boundaries’[3]. The installation used a combination of wood and faux grass to create a network of sofas which allowed people to interact with the material used. It was designed to question the contrast between the natural and artificial boundaries, and also the natural within the artificial.

With this subject in mind it can be questioned whether man itself could be classed as artificial. Le Mettrie’s once stated “Man himself is a machine”, which could be illustrated by the developments in technology and the mechanized drive behind our constant desire for what’s ‘new’ or ‘fashionable’. It also reminds us of the concept of Stelarc’s extra ear, which asks the question- at what point we as humans become artificial? Is it by those objects that we consume, or by those that we depend on? Are we simply turning into a collection of commodities?


[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Earth
[2] Wackernagel, M and Rees, W. (1996) Our Ecological Footprint. New Society Publishers, Canada
[3] http://www.tenderpixel.com/october.html

Image: http://www.tenderpixel.com/october.html