Cyberspace, not biological space, may be eco-art’s most effective medium and venue because it is tuned to the sensibilities and habits of contemporary folk, whereas materials like compost, soil, humus, and manure are alien.

Contemporary civilization is reducing many of the sensual complexities of lived experience into data. Spaces that were once occupied by smells, temperatures, weight, and mass, and that were identified by longitude and latitude, have been relinquishing their functions to the immaterial realm of cyberspace. Cyberspace is where more and more people shop, bank, socialize, play, work, research, communicate, daydream, laugh, seek enlightenment, give advice, and receive advice. In all these ways, cyberspace is the equivalent of the great cathedrals of the Medieval period. Both are sites where the masses congregate for custom and excitement.

The cathedral served as the artistic center during the Medieval era.  Art was created for, situated within, and inspired by these places of worship. Because the cathedral was so integral to life, and art was so integral to the cathedral, an affinity prevailed between medieval artists and their audiences. Common folk understood art’s symbols, resonated with its aesthetics, agreed with its message, and appreciated its techniques. While few contemporary artists enjoy this kind of rapport with their viewers, artists creating their work with electronic hardware and software, and displaying their work in cyberspace, are not among them. Like their medieval predecessors, they are utilizing the tools and imagery that are intrinsic to their cultural context. Furthermore, these artists have selected a venue where the masses are already converging.

There is a growing legion of artists expanding art’s potential on the web. Like their Medieval predecessors, they are communicating the core issues of the time in history – not the threat of eternal damnation in Hell, but the threat of imminent environmental collapse on Earth.   

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This Spring day I collected promises of renewed life from ducks, geese, turkeys, and chickens.

I moistened the earth where kale, arugula, peas, spinach, and turnips were presenting first signs of life.

I separated and replanted the narcissus, onion, and garlic bulbs.

These simple acts were glorious reminders that immortality is inherent to the biological world. It resides in eggs, seeds, spores, nuts, roots, and bulbs.

Each triggers the continuous metamorphosis from potential to actuality and the return to potential.

Each connects known histories to future prospects that become known histories.

The only true death is extinction.

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Who is responsible for naming the eras of our planet’s history?

Whoever they are, they are neglecting their jobs.

The last named period is the Holocene Epoch. It is a grab bag period marked by the rise of humanity, the introduction of such civilizing forces as agriculture and the use of metals, and the commencement of modern times.

It was preceded by the five epochs of the Cenozoic era:

Pleistocene - large animals appear and then die out. Glaciers covered much of the earth.

Pliocene - Ocean and land life evolve.

Miocene – ice age when continents form

Oligocene – first apes appear

Eocene - primitive mammals appear and rains and grasses develop

My proposed updating….

Plastic-ene – introduction of synthetic or semisynthetic materials such as Polypropylene, Polysytrene, Polyethylene, Polythylene terephthalate, Polyster, Polycarbonate, Polyurethaneschloride, Polyvinyl which are used from food containers, appliances, car fenders, pipes, disposable plates, CDs, cassette boxes, refrigerator liners, electronic equipment cases, electronic equipment, beverage bottles, film, microwavable packaging, fibers, toothbrush bristles, fishing line, shower curtains, window frames, flooring, cushions, insulation, surface coatings, eyeglasses, riot shields, security windows, traffic lights, lenses, supermarket bags, and so forth.

The great epic of our era may not extol an unprecedented profusion of cheap material goods made possible by plastics. Regrettably, it may relay the profusion of environmental hazards associated plastic’s manufacture and disposal.

Post-Plastic-ene Era - I wonder what it will be like!  I wonder when it will begin!

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"Polyethylene Pam" and “Plastic Fantastic Lover” were popular songs by two famous rock bands from the 1960s - the Beatles and the Jefferson Airplane. Both songs revealed plastic’s association with soulless superficiality. But this ‘bad rap’ reputation has been superceded by the ‘good rap’ attributes offered by its chameleon-like molecules that can be rearranged to form polyethylene, acrylic, silicone, urethane, Plexiglas, Lucite, nylon, and so forth. Plastics are light, durable, shatterproof, and unaffected by water. They offer excellent thermal and electrical insulation properties. In addition, they are relatively energy efficient to produce. For all these reasons plastics can be used for everything from throwaway bags to combat aircraft. Plastic’s popularity is evident in the fact that it accounts for 11.3%[i] of the total volume of trash, more than glass, metals, wood, or textiles. Because of its significance in our lives and its prevalence in our refuse, our era may become known as the Plasticene Age.

Plastics are polymers, which are long chains of similar molecules. Most are manufactured from petroleum products. This fact accounts for three major environmental concerns related to the use of plastics. One involves the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources. The other is the environmental impact associated with the extraction of oil, the refining process, and the subsequent manufacturing of plastics. The third is managing plastic waste. 

Future archeologists studying the Plasticene Age are likely to discover a surplus of material artifacts. This is because no bacteria or fungi have jaws that are big enough to eat its long-chain molecules. Thus, despite the fact that they are made from the organic molecules that originated from early life forms, plastics are mostly immune to the biodegrading cycle that replenishes the earth’s supplies of nutrients. In addition, plastic’s amazing variety complicates conventional recycling programs. Different kinds of resins that demand different methods of reprocessing are utilized for peanut butter jars, milk jugs, shrink wrap, trash bags, drinking straws, and meat trays. This complicates automated sorting. To help deal with this problem, the plastics packaging industry has developed symbols to designate different kinds of resins. However, sorting is further complicated because many items are fabricated out of different sorts of plastics. Others combine plastic and non-plastic components. Recycling both kinds of items entails dismantling before reutilization can proceed.

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A Holy Grail is a metaphor for paradise-on-earth. While the Grail has been envisioned in various ways over the course of history, it always represents an era’s most elusive and most tantalizing goal. Embarking on a quest for the Holy Grail is, therefore, a heroic venture that is more often associated with quests than achievements. Such lofty pursuits often earn the elevated status of legends. They have inspired the creation of treasured masterworks in art and poetry.

The medieval quest for the Holy Grail was conducted by King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. The Grail they pursued was envisioned as the ultimate mystical experience - enlightenment. The daring adventures that enrich this legend abound with the knights’ encounters with magic cauldrons, mysterious horns of plenty, and mighty dragons.

What is the 21st century version of the Holy Grail? What quest is the most determined and the most valiant in our era? What goal is so improbable that it seems as magical, mysterious, and mighty as enlightenment?

An ideal candidate is the quest for a source of energy that is capable of fueling the needs and desires of soaring human populations in a sustainable and affordable manner. Instead of warrior knights in armor, the contemporary version of a righteous pursuit is being carried out by a global cast of scientists, engineers, technicians, physicists, chemists, astronomers, biologists all striving to discover the illusory energy savior.Many contemporary artist have joined this noble quest, contributing their very special insights and creative zeal to the laboratory rigors of their comrads from other disciplines.

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A finite stockpile of Earth resources comprises humanity’s shared inheritance with all other forms of life. What we are and all we own are fabricated out of this common pool. Even the molecules that comprise our bodies are merely on loan from the ecosystem. These molecules endure, but increasingly they endure stripped of their utility for humans and for the planet. Unwanted stuff is proliferating along with the nouns that describe them: discard, scrap, debris, rubbish, garbage, scrap, junk, litter, refuse, cast-off.

The role of trash as a source of artistic inspiration comprises a rich and compelling narrative within the vanguard movements of art the last century. As consciousness of environmental problems escalates in the current century, we are witnessing an avalanche of trash-based art. As it seeps deeper into ever more diverse art practices, it is posing a new challenge for art critics, historians, collectors, and admirers. It is becoming necessary to cultivate our powers of trash discernment and become  connoisseurs of waste.

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