The piece by Samantha DiRosa, associate professor of art and environmental science, titled 'Latitude' is included in the themed exhibition 'Utopia/Dystopia' which opens Thursday, Feb. 2.
A work by Samantha DiRosa, associate professor of art and environmental science, will be featured in the “Utopia/Dystopia” group exhibition at Washington State University that opens Feb. 2.
Utopia may be simply interpreted as a place where current problems are resolved or transcended, or as an imaginary state of social or cultural perfection. Dystopia, conversely, may be seen as an imaginary state of pure awfulness, or perhaps the real and ultimate conclusion of our current anthropocene.
Ideas about utopias and dystopias have long been of interest to artists working across media, popularized by writers of fiction and challenged by critical theorists. Lately, utopias and dystopias are everywhere in films and on social media, as the national political and cultural landscape continues to fracture and diverge along disparate visions. Artists in this exhibit explore these themes through a variety of media and interpret the theme broadly, exploring personal, cultural or political dimensions.
The video piece by DiRosa is a meditative montage, combining original footage from Cowell Ranch Beach in California, which sits on the same latitude as the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and broadcast footage of the hydrogen explosions and subsequent meltdown that occured after the 2011 Tsunami.