Danielle O'Malley
An Unstable Foundation, 2020
Paper Clay, Handmade Paper, Crocheted Plastic Bags (hxwxd) 4ft x 8ft x 3ft
I am severely concerned about the planet’s ecological situation. My installations and sculptures initiate conversations with viewers about how we need to preserve, nurture, and cultivate what remains of the natural environment by lowering our carbon footprints and protecting non-human species. Humanities’ dependency on single use plastic objects is just one of our many destructive tendencies that is smothering and killing our ecology. My work highlights our ecological imbalance to show that it unsustainable and that people need to work harder at coexisting with the natural world. It is civilizations’ responsibility to return to sustainable living so that non-human species may flourish once again. If we do not, we will suffer the same consequences that plants and animals are currently experiencing (population decline, endangerment, and extinction).
Danielle O'Malley
Sink or Swim, 2020
Paper Clay, Handmade Paper, Knit Fishing Line, Found Hook, Rust (hxwxd) 5ft x 5ft x 3.5ft
Sink or Swim is comprised of hand built earthen material and upcycled waste materials collected from the New England area. This material marriage is a metaphor for the complexity of the human species role in our current environmental crisis and shows the potential for cohabitation and collaboration between society and nature. Buoys are traditionally used in nautical situations as a means of warning or navigation. This installation utilizes these anthropomorphized, industrial objects in both manners. They are warning the viewer about the perils of misusing and abusing the natural world and forcing the audience to be aware of their bodily movements. Sink or Swim acknowledges the detrimental environmental condition and offers hope. It is not too late for us to turn to sustainable lifestyles, nurture the natural world, and allow the earth to regain its health so all lifeforms can have a better future.
