Title: Manure Cabbage
Material: cardboard, flour paste, dried fruits skin
Size: 16.5x 13.7 in
The sculpture, somewhat primitive, is made from objects reclaimed from the street, from bins on trash day, which are decayed and deteriorated, suggesting age and a time gone by. Material used in the sculpture consist primarily of paper, cardboard package products delivered to my homes on a daily basis and then discarded. The material, which is no longer needed and sometimes forgotten, become a starting point for something new and re-emerge into fresh compositions, given new life and meaning. Raw materials poured like manure on top of a cardboard cabbage are inspired by the positive factor that decayed, corroded, decomposed, abandoned, and work of nature. Manure improves soil fertility, tilth, and water holding capacity. Manure, the main ingredient used in most farm operations, was placed on an eco-friendly reused cardboard cabbage to reflect the recycled raw materials and cycled used as valuable soil resource. Therefore, the sculpture overlays manure, which is a natural ingredient, with cabbage made of manure, coveys the positive influence of decay and decomposition.
Comment by Linda Weintraub
You have created a very appealing sculpture with discarded biodegradable materials. However, it does not yet fulfill the Beyond Death theme of this project. That requires that you incorporate into your work the actual decomposition process that culminates in healthy compost. How can this be achieved?
Use actual cabbage leaves instead of paper.
If you use paper waste, allow the viewer to discover the source of your material. You don’t need to transform the paper into anything else. It is fine if waste paper appears as waste paper. I do not know what ‘raw materials’ you poured on top of the cardboard cabbage, but you might conduct some research to discover those that accelerate the decomposition of this material. You refer to manure. Experiment to discover how this would affect the cardboard.
Also, you could place your cabbage in the midst of conditions that make the cardboard decompose quickly. Sunlight or shadow? Moist or dry? Windy or protected? Buried or exposed to the air?
Please make your consideration of decomposition explicit in your presentation. Manure improves soil fertility, tilth, and water holding capacity. Manure, the main ingredient used in most farm operations, was placed on an eco-friendly reused cardboard cabbage to reflect the recycled raw materials and cycled used as valuable soil resource. Therefore, the sculpture overlays manure, which is a natural ingredient, with cabbage made of manure, coveys the positive influence of decay and decomposition.