Morgan Phillips - 2023

Artist's Statement

For my project, I decided to depict the negative effects of urban societies on more rural ones. I decided to paint on a thrifted vinyl record so that I would not contribute more to the waste that is created in order to do this project. I tried to show a city that is pretty but also creates a lot of pollution. The smog that is created by the city travels across the harsh line that divides the two types of land. This depicts two sides of the same coin, both existing at the same time. However, pollution would not exist without urban cities, meaning that there is causation between the two. I wanted my project to show how these things exist, and it is not possible to compartmentalize effectively and separate the two because the problems will just get worse. I decided to paint on recycled surfaces because I felt that this would help show my point better.