Baakens Attrition 2022

Living near and observing the Baakens Valley, I have witnessed the devastation caused in our local environment. The valley’s flora and fauna are diminishing, and the habitat of the local species is being lost as a consequence of the electrical pylons that are not maintained by the municipality and the illegal dumping of waste within the area.

In these works, I  have depicted how the valley will appear in the future, creating exaggerated and apocalyptic compositions. The lack of colour used represents the lack of life in the area. The textured surface and  use of found rusted metal objects, is intended to make the degradation more tangible to the viewer. These compositions depict a nightmarish dreamscape,  show the slow degradation of the environment, and portray the reality of the deterioration and negligence within an area. These works represent a critique of the anthropocentric perspective that people hold towards nature, whereby nature exists as a resource to be exploited.

During load shedding the electricity is switched on and off, causing the pylons to surge and explode, creating destructive non-containable fires. The aftermath of these fires is a burnt wasteland, with only the pylons as the surviving and standing structures. Rusted metal that is integrated within the paintings, depicts the deterioration of the pylons. The rust represents the humans and the environment that is withering and being destroyed. The broken electrical pylons that are contrasted by the organic atmosphere, is symbolic of the lack of maintenance done to them within the valley.