Stephanie Murphy
Our Earth, Our Choices, 2020
Paper collage
The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Senator Gaylord Nelson is seen as the “founder” of this globally celebrated event and addressed environmental issues as a question of, “Do we want to live or die?” It was organized to raise awareness of pollution and the harm it was doing on our Earth, putting put pressure on politicians and legislators to take action. Earth Day was one of the biggest mass gatherings in history that wasn’t centrally organized and was a very important start in conservation efforts. It is also one of the many examples of the power of protest.
This collage shows the Earth split into two perspectives, the left side is dark and gloomy and the right side is bright and colorful. When looking closely, you can see that the land on the right side of the Earth is made with a repeated picture of Earth Day protestors, inspired by Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych (1962). Newspaper clippings on pollution and Earth Day articles are placed in the background to emphasize what makes both sides look the way they do. The piece as a whole is meant to show viewers what the Earth would be like if it weren’t for Earth Day and other conservation efforts in the 1970s.