recent work — Hannah Chalew

Entropical Futures
Recycled pipes, recycled electrical wire, bagasse, paper pulp, lime, oops paint, collected plastic litter, LED grow-lights, diffusers, “fertile rot” perfume, native and locally adapted Louisiana plants

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Entropical Futures explores the uncertain horizons that face us collectively in the age of the Anthropocene, the geological epoch marked by humans’ effect on our planet—in particular, in Southern Louisiana where the oil and gas industry is a major part of the state’s economy. This installation connects contemporary issues like fossil fuel extraction and plastic production with the legacies of extraction and exploitation, illustrating their impact on this landscape over time by drawing viewers into an experience that links past and present with future ecosystems that might emerge from our culture’s detritus if we fail to change course. Long after we have rendered this place uninhabitable for us, our waste and the “nature” we have tried to tame will remain and continue to commingle, inextricably woven into the ecological mesh of our planet. Viewers are invited to explore these future gardens and think about how they fit in this greater network.

As a prompt for creating a viable future, the artist has purchased a renewable energy certificate (REC) that allows electrons from Bull Creek Windfarm near Lubbock, Texas into the grid equaling the amount of electricity used for the LED lights in the installation, as well as for the shipping needs of the work.

Installation at the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
April-May 2019