Scott Robinson
My current series addresses the irony that looking to the future for hope in space travel is a nostalgic notion. These paintings contain no human figures onto which viewers can project themselves. Each painting exists as a situation dealt with directly by the viewer, as if they themselves had stumbled into it. I create a display, a show, rather than a permanence or a functionality. These totems display piled up waste and devalued achievements. Towers of space junk ironically reach to the heavens. They show capability under complete misdirection. The lofty ideal of living in space has been brought down, literally, on top of our current living situations and juxtaposed against it. Both are made to look absurd and with that absurdity I mock our sense of safety and security. </p>
I find space junk a useful metaphor to touch on a number of relevant topics. One might make associations with technological advancement, communication, invasion of privacy, exploration, international relations, or climate change. The metaphors are complex enough to allow viewers the opportunity for interpretation.