Endless Everglades
About
What.
"Endless Everglades" is a project that uses satire and parody to shed light on the paradoxical nature of an artist's ideology and desires. It highlights how seemingly simple pursuits, like finding an affordable studio space, can inadvertently lead to the displacement of historically disenfranchised communities. Similarly, art fairs, once seen as vital for sustaining the arts industry, are now being scrutinized for their significant plastic waste footprint, raising questions about sustainability.
The project raises important questions about how the arts industry should address these issues. Should artists take responsibility for the unintended damage caused by their actions and practices? Is it their role to actively contribute to solutions? These complexities and ethical dilemmas are what "Endless Everglades" seeks to explore.
By pulling the curtain on these issues, the project aims to challenge the viewers' perspectives, encouraging them to critically examine the consequences of their own actions as artists and consumers within the arts industry. It prompts reflection on the role of art in society and how it can navigate these challenges responsibly and sustainably.
"Endless Everglades" serves as a catalyst for dialogue and introspection, fostering a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between art, society, and the environment. Through its unique approach of satire and parody, the project invites viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and contemplate meaningful ways to address these issues collectively.
How.
Endless Everglades is a concept, inspired by the success of WeWork spaces, that aims to cater to creative clients seeking affordable and guilt-free workspaces in an urban setting. The idea behind Endless Everglades stems from the growing discontent among creatives with the urban lifestyle, where the high cost of living becomes unsustainable and contributes to the displacement of historically disenfranchised communities.
While cities offer the advantage of proximity to vendors and like-minded individuals, Endless Everglades recognizes that the future holds promising changes. With the imminent possibility of drone deliveries to any location at any time and the increasing effectiveness of virtual communication, the traditional reasons for staying in an urban setting are being reevaluated.
Endless Everglades presents a better alternative. By repurposing an abandoned rocket propulsion factory in the Everglades, this visionary project offers a live-work environment tailored to the needs of all creatives. The transformation of this unique space provides an opportunity to escape the limitations of urban living, offering a guilt-free, sustainable, and affordable alternative for creative professionals.
In this haven of creativity, artists can pursue their passions without compromising their values or contributing to the displacement of marginalized communities. Endless Everglades promises a new paradigm, where creativity can flourish in harmony with nature, fostering a positive impact on both individuals and the environment.
Through this bold initiative, Endless Everglades seeks to redefine the way creatives approach their workspaces, revolutionizing the industry and providing an inspiring model for the future. It aspires to create a space where innovation and collaboration thrive, offering reason for creative minds to choose this alternative over the traditional urban setting.
Installation
Part of an ongoing body of work, Endless Everglades, an immersive sculptural installation built of furniture-grade PVC, neon green plexiglass, with video projections of footage shot in various locations in the Florida Everglades. Scaled to the dimensions of gallery space, the artifice of a working water fountain cites the miles of PVC pipes under local roads and canals that serve to run water from Lake Okeechobee into the Southern Everglades. In its closed-system of water circulation, it creates an illusion of preservation. The founding serves only to maintain the life of a single, lone Money Tree plant. Simultaneously, the pursuit is deemed likely to fail by the chaos and language that fill the empty spaces of the structure and dance across the gallery walls. It’s the illusion of movement being in a fixed state when the very life at stake cannot be sustained in such an environment. Such as those manmade roads and pathways bisect and disrupt the natural egress of water through bedrock of porous limestone from Lake Okeechobee to our homes, nothing is endless that can’t be contained.
