RAINBOW CAVE (installed at Arcadia Earth in New York)
salvaged plastic bags, salvaged fishing nets, LED lights, surround sound
dimensions variable
2019
Inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the Biblical story about the Great Flood, Rainbow Cave acknowledges how frightened people are often unwilling to change their beliefs and how, when we get too much of even a good thing, that same thing has the power to destroy us. The same way precious water turned into a destructive flood during Noah’s day, so today we are witnessing how the overflow of single-use plastics is suffocating all life on earth. The installation at Hopscotch in New York, NY is made up of approximately 44,000 upcycled bags which is the same number of bags that were used in New York State every minute before the ban on single-use plastics went into effect. The bags are held in place by salvaged fishing nets, a material that underscores the importance of containment and references an important food source that plastics are contaminating. This flood of plastic is of our own making and only we can put an end to it. It's also up to us to create our own rainbows. The rainbow lights in this space invite us to bring about the end of the great flood of plastic by shedding light on this important issue while also serving to remind us about God’s covenant with us and invitation to collaborate on the creation of a better future.
Sound by Fireberg
Special thank you to Indigo Plastics for generously donating all the salvaged bags used in this installation.
