The Earth is crumbling before us and while people may see this as an invisible threat, the monumental and irreversible damage is catastrophic. If we don’t take action in cleaning and protecting our planet, life as we know it could disappear.  

To protect our planet we need like-minded individuals who simply care about the future. I decided to try and embody mother nature for this project, I did this to symbolize that like me the earth is alive. I created a crown to represent the power of nature, no matter how much humans destroy the planet it continues to try and heal itself. 

Global Warming is a major issue facing the world right now. This is caused by greenhouse gases and CO2 admissions which spread radiation into outer space. Usually, once something goes into space it would escape however the gases get trapped for years as they heat up and make the planet warmer.  I created a vizor in front of the crown so that nature could be protected from this heat. The cans are also metal so they can deflect the sun. (recycled cans)

Water pollution affects everything. Toxins go into our water source and kill our aquatic animals. To protect mother nature from this I have created netted boxing gloves and a face mask to filter out dumping, fertilizers, and much more. For the body piece, I sowed a bathing suit so she would be able to swim as flooding and global temperatures increase. 

Last but not least the solution. A lot of times when we think about how drastic of a problem the environmental crisis really is, it’s very overwhelming, but don’t worry. There are ways to protect and heal the planet if we take steps today individually and locally. For my handpiece, I have created a magic wand. As a poisonous frog warns predators with its colors this wand should warn off humans from trying to disturb her peace. But like dual swordsmen, the wand always is a flower that can harvest trees. Deforestation is one more of the top 5 issues the environment is facing.

The direction that I took with this project was different from the rest. I wanted to play with the medium before I had a more concrete idea. The objective was to make an abstract piece.

Every day the reefs become more of a graveyard as pollution kills the coral of Earth. When I look at this I see how this could represent this issue. 

Two of the most important animals on this earth are bees and ants. These small and sometimes seemingly insignificant creatures contribute to the balance of the Earth. Without ants, rainwater would not be able to circulate through the Earth as quickly. By turning the soil they help progress decomposition. Similar to bees ants help create food, when the ants carry their food, seeds are dropped like bread crumbs allowing for new plants to arise. Bees also play a significant role in every living being’s life. Most plants require pollen to be able to be harvested so without them there would not be enough food to feed animals or people. 

For this project, we had to create a new species of bug by conjoining multiple different insects and adding some creativity. I decided to use an ant and bee as my first two choices because of their importance on earth. I also used a dragonfly for reference as well since they are beautiful. 

Connecting with nature has helped me nurture a better relationship with myself while learning how to understand and respect things that are outside of myself. That is why I decided to choose plants for this particular project. At that time, I realized the healing benefits that holistic options offered. It made me feel better to use what I believe mother nature has provided for us to use in these medicinal ways. Rather than feeding into corporations that monopolize medicine, we need to take a look at options that aren’t always commercialized. Not that I don’t think pharmaceutical products genuinely work, because I do. However, there are ways to save, use healthier products, and connect with our roots by substituting chemicals for the earth.