FURNACE, 2007

acrylic, graphite on paper - $7,500 

 

KALTENBACH ANNOTATIONS:  This represents an absurd solution to our need to turn down the world's thermostat. In the annotations for 'Biosphere' I spoke of our repeated creation of environmental situations which threaten the livability of our Planet Earth. The situation is complicated by the fact that there are 'natural', that is to say non-manmade causes for some of these things. The problem is that people want to argue that we don't have to be concerned about things like Global Warming because it may be the result of natural phenomena. Why this makes some of us comfortable doing nothing is a mystery. It seems also excessively dangerous. If there are indeed increases in the amount of solar energy we are receiving, it's even more crucial that we do everything to minimize our habits that exacerbate the situation. The solution represented by 'Furnace' is actually closely allied with some strategies that have been put forward as ways to mitigate the situation created by our excessive use of fossil fuels.