Artist's Statement

For the work I have been doing for many years now, I repurpose plastic car bumpers. The bumpers are symbolic of: cars being one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases; CEOs of large companies collaborating with politicians to prioritize profit at the expense of life on Earth; the need for sustainability; ubiquitous plastic and microplastics; landfills; consumerism and materialism; and robots in the workplace and their contribution to unemployment, poverty, and inequality.

I acquire the bumpers at no cost from a nearby body shop, where they would otherwise be headed for landfills. I refuse to buy materials to make art given how much society produces and then throws away.

My work currently involves building cylindrical towers with the bumpers. I was initially enticed by the large, highly designed, and engineered forms and their shiny, metallic paint. The bumper parts are neatly assembled like shingles. Their forms, sizes, and colors are attention-grabbing.

Nothing is arbitrary in the towers. The form is like the Tower of Babel. The colors together are a commentary on harmonious co-existence of races. The circular pattern of parts illustrates the idiom, "what goes around comes around." Inside the towers at the top are solar-powered lights that shine through holes and gaps in the structure and represent sustainability.

I was originally not a sculptor and never thought I'd work with car parts or plastic, but the material, industry, and product represent some of the gravest issues facing our society, democracy, and environment — and thus our survival.

Worldwide, thousands of landfills occupy enormous amounts of land and lost natural habitat. Many are at capacity and closed, while thousands more remain active. In the coming years, several U.S. states are projected to run out of landfill space.

U.S. landfills consist of about 25% food, with the next major component being plastic at around 18%. And most plastic is not biodegradable, so since it was patented in 1907, most of it still exists in one form or another. Only about 9% of plastic is recycled.

Over 100 years ago, scientists understood that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat. As the U.S. automobile industry expanded, passenger trains and trolley systems declined dramatically, increasing dependence on cars and fossil fuels. Humans depend on a relatively thin layer of breathable atmosphere, and we continually add pollution to it. The consequences of record high levels of carbon dioxide in the air are clearly seen in our climate, weather, air quality, and agriculture. And microplastics are in our soil, water, and food...and in all of us. Understanding key issues of the system on which we now depend is part of the solution. Hopefully, these repurposed plastic pieces will raise awareness in viewers of all ages. Art is not just decorative; it reflects the times.

What is encouraging is that my pieces are a tribute to mankind's ability to be innovative and imaginative. Science got us here, and it can find solutions, some of which — such as solar and wind energy — already exist.

- Monica Franciscus