Event 2: Maru Garcia "Vivarium"

Maru Garcia's gallery was a strange one to say the least.  Initially, as I walked in the room, I was extremely confused with what I was seeing.  There were two small domes with artificial ecosystems.  One was empty and consisted of moss, grass, mushrooms, and other shrubbery while the other had similar plants but also had a person interacting with the nature.  After walking around for several minutes, I soon began to understand what I was seeing.  The purpose of the gallery was to demonstrate the interconnectedness of humans and nature.  The point Garcia wanted to get across was that rather than working against nature, which should work with and for the betterment of nature as it is where humans originally came from and we can easily live together with it rather than causing environmental problems.

In the image above, we see a person inside the small dome with plant life inside.  The actor was eating seeds and interacting with the ecosystem during the time I spent the event.  The purpose of this is to show that humans are not separated from the natural world button fact are one in the same with it.  By interacting with the ecosystem, Garcia is attempting to highlight the connections we humans have with nature.  Personally, I felt the project emphasized the current rising issues in the world with regards to nature such as climate change and acidification of the oceans.  I find it important that we encourage people to understand the interconnectivity of people and nature and how one cannot survive without the other.

I would highly recommend this piece to anyone concerned with our interactions with nature and problems that the earth may face today.  The gallery was initially confusing but after realizing its true purpose, I thought that it was extremely interesting and thought that the way Garcia presented her thoughts was very unique.  Rather than seeing nature separated from humans and using plastics plant life whiting each artificial ecosystem, Garcia created real ecosystems and placed human life in one to show ways in which we can naturally interact with nature.  It was a strange yet effective way to show how humanity is not detached from nature but rather one with it.  Instead of trying to separate ourselves from nature, we should find ways to better interact with it.