Optimistic Warning

Augustus Dallabetta

Wooden, burlap, chia seeds

40" x 56" x 36"

NFS

Optimistic Warning aims to speak to the duality of wildfires: destruction and rebirth. Wildfires, being one of the most powerful forces possessed by mother nature, have an ability to level nearly everything in their path. On average, 7.2 million acres are burned per year worldwide, leaving a path of destruction, as we have seen locally during the Louisville fire last year where 550 homes were burned. With humans being a driver in climate change, I chose to burn a symbol of home as a part of my warning: the kitchen table, where we eat, converse, spend time with the ones we love and so much more. With the increase in frequency and severity of wildfires, the threat to humans and wildlife becomes more prevalent. Being a species that has an ability to manipulate our environment to a large degree, it begs the question, can we do anything to manage fires and other natural disasters or is it the natural course of things? Regardless, we are at a crossroads. One where we either change, or see more and more wildlife, humans and kitchen tables perish at the will of mother nature. Now, there are two sides to the coin, and I chose the word ‘optimistic’ specifically to speak to the idea that life persists. Wildfires have a unique ability to create fertile soils and spread seeds, making way for a new generation of vegetation. This is symbolised through the use of chia seeds growing on the same table which was burned. The birth of a new ecosystem that sustains life leaves me with a sense of optimism. While organisms like humans may die off and disappear, life will not. Life will continue to persist. 

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