Nelson Harding - 2024

Artist's Statement

For my project I constructed a sculpture reminiscent of the Image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. My inspiration came from a handful of sources, primarily my own religious beliefs, the crisis I see the world in, and the fascination I have with symbolism and imagery sourced throughout history; specifically the Bible in this case. The description of the Image is in Daniel 2:31-35. As I said in my proposal, I decided to do a reimagining of this image with more of an emphasis on the effects of the Anthropocene on planet Earth. Many elements of my sculpture were intended to represent different ages in human history as well as the industrial developments and environmental impacts that took place.

I chose a round shaped plant, in this case a cactus, to represent the head. The Cactus is ironically prickly, possibly to represent human desire to crush and control a dangerous mother nature. Also ironically and from another biblical source, Adam and Eve when cast out of the Garden of Eden were told that they would have to deal with thorns and thistles while dwelling on Earth. Beneath the plant is a torso of rough hewn wood to generally represent the age of agricultural revolution and the harvesting and constructing of basic materials. This theme continues into the legs with metal pipe fittings serving as brass/bronze thighs, iron knees, and steel calves. These represent the Bronze age, Iron age, and Industrial revolution. The feet are made of plumbers putty, and are to broadly represent all plastics, and artificial refined goods. The figure stands in a puddle of darkly dyed water mixed with dirty engine oil to represent the total pollution of our planet as time continues.

Recalling again the Daniel account, King Nebuchadnezzar is told after the description that each succeeding age represents a further deterioration of his kingdom. Similarly, my Image represents increased industrialization and further separation from harmony with nature. Lastly and ironically, I was only able to get one picture of my image before it collapsed in a spiky, oily mess. This is a rather prophetic example of what lies in store for humanity and our Earth if we don’t make adequate changes to our systems.