Greener than You?
Manor of Art
2009
The ideology of Green is an idea where we find comfort even though we have unease at the same time. Ideology is always based on the fantasy of the ideal, of course making it impossible. To be fully Green is death. We can only see parts of this ideology and hope to find satisfaction in the part we know. Or we choose to ignore parts because it’s just too much to be sometimes. It becomes a comfortable yet contentious part of us. We think of being Green as our own and forget the systemic nature of how it has become something to be. Our ideologies are usually places where we find comfort, enjoy being, and can congratulate ourselves for getting it even if we sometimes don’t. I guess that’s why we maintain them.
My thoughts regarding Greener than You?:
I’m been thinking a lot about Greener than U? and how the idea of comfort or being at peace is this newish vein in my work. I had previously been striving a bit for the uncomfortable non-win situation, but had never really gotten to what come next. Well, I guess what is next is becoming comfortable with the acknowledgment that you can’t win.
When I thinking about winning it’s primarily with ideology which is directly connected to how we formulate and thinking about ists and isms.
If I can become more comfortable or at peace with my whole contradictory self stepping firmly planting myself in opposing parts of me maybe I’ll breathe better.
I ejnoy using the ideology of green for comfort because we’re not afraid of it yet. It’s new and we still are trying figure it all out, which means we are a little more forgiving. I use green because unlike talking about racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, etc., we are more accepting of not winning. So you don’t buy local or organic, but you bike and use your own bag and your bag is from IKEA, no problem at least you’re trying, that seems to be the attitude at least. Talking about race, gender, and sexuality don’t really give us the room to see us as an oppressor, we have to find the oppressor in others. Greener than U? is a bit of a first step in seeing that we cannot be ideology fully and that is ok and part of how ideology works. To be ideology completely is death, like all other fantasy based desire.
Exhibited at Milepost 5's Manor of Art
July 2009