World View by Kait Steele
The piece World View is obviously a commentary on the old-world “Euro-centric” worldview juxtaposed with today’s modern, USA + Latino-centric view. The use of classroom materials (eraser + map) are meant to, on a basic level, evoke a child’s innocence + naivete, in this case vis a vis a child’s conception of their place in the world + role in the global culture. What seems haphazard + innocent at first, however, is actually signifying something much more sinister. The eraser, with its vertical placement + coloring, evokes nothing so much as the massive + mysterious obelisk from the beginnings of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This item, with connotations both basic + complex, is placed in the middle of Western Europe, simultaneously modernizing + “erasing” both literally + figuratively, the former world powers that used to dominate global culture + politics. This obelisk is now facing (both pointing to + shining its light on) the new powers of the Americas. Tellingly, however, the object is also separating those powers in the Southern Hemisphere from their native language (the Spanish “Nuestro Mundo” of the title). Thus, the artist is pointing out the hypocrisy that while the Americas may be the new power, English is still the world’s language.
—J.L.
The use of a flat projection of the Earth as opposed to a globe harkens to the inherent distortion in attempting to gain a true idea of this planet.
The dichotomy of the true spherical nature of the planet and the flattened way in which we as humans experience the world is echoed in the use of both English and Spanish to label the elements of the map. Kait Steele attempts to reinforce the notion of “duality of experience.” The title World View is intended to make the viewer step back and ingest the entire piece and in doing so to suppress the human desire to locate “home” and focus on one specific place in this World View.
Moving on to the choice of a laminated cover for the Earth. Not only does the laminate protect the underlying paper, similarly to our atmosphere protecting us from outer space, but also slightly obstructs our view of the paper and reminds us of the division between the viewer and the art. Instead of a porous absorbant planet we see a non-permeable protective layer which echoes the way much of humanity and capitalism views the earth as simply an object that can be abused when in fact the earth is a delicate ecosystem that absorbs and is damaged by pollution.
The dry board eraser, an eraser based on absorption not friction, represents an external force attempting to draw away, to erase, part of the planet. Whether the goal of the eraser is to remove Europe (it is placed over the continent) or to act as a symbolic vacuum of the former power European countries once exerted is unclear. What is apparent is that the eraser will, if put to use, effect no change in the underlying world, it is a useless attempt to create change.
—S.K.
