just a thought

I feel like I have been living in a bubble, and perhaps I was. This maybe the case, but through the research I have been doing for both the Blood Diamonds project and now the Materials project presented in the Metalsmithing class, I am being opened up to countless social, economical and environmental problems and issues that I previously had no idea about. If I had no ideas about some of these issues I wonder how many others were also in the dark.

With out knowing and understanding information and situations outside our lives how can change come about. The first step needs to be discovering this knowledge. Perhaps more effort should be put on getting the information out into the world, into the consumers hands so they can take an active part to end or improves some of these issues.

That’s not to say that someone will no longer buy diamonds or gold after reading about blood diamonds, or the damages to the earth caused my mining, but it will make them more aware of situations going on outside of their world. And perhaps at some level affect the way they think about the things they purchase. Even making someone stop and think about what they are doing is a step in the right direction.

With all the things going on in the world, all the problems and the social injustice that are taking place, it is hard to see a solution. Uncovering all this information about people who have been affected by materials that I use in the studio on a daily basis is hard for me to swallow. I wont stop making objects with these materials, but I will be more conscious of the materials I use from now on, where they come from and the affect they have on the environment.

I have to believe that over all people are good and that things will change. Other wise we can give up where we stand and let things remain the same, live in our bubble of comfort and be glad we were born on the privileged side of the spectrum.