Global Culture and Ethical Design.

This weeks lecture mainly focused around discussing how different cultures meet and interact, in terms both community and trade. We also analysed the importance of working ethically in the current climate.

---

Blog Task.

Examples of strongly politically and ethically inclined artists:

Ai Weiwei.

Weiwei is a Chinese artist whose most prominent work involves commentary on China's history, and disasters around the world.

'Straight' was created by Weiwei in response to the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. The piece was created using the rods used to hold poorly built schools during the earthquake, but due to the disaster, collapsed and became mangled. Thousands of students died during the quake, so Weiwei placed the straightened steel rods in order to display the fault points in the structure that caused so many deaths.

'Fragments' was created using pieces of 'tieli', which was Chinese ironwood collected from the demolished Qing Dynasty temples. He worked together with carpenters to create interlocking arms, that when seen from above, appear to outline the shape of China.

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/ai-weiwei-13-works-to-know

Banksy.

Banksy is a British graffiti artist, known for his polarizing artwork. In recent years he has become more and more actively involved in politics, for example, by offering a free print to those who voted against the conservative party in the general election.

In 2015, Banksy presented Dismaland, which was a temporary art installation, including multiple examples of political and social commentary, such as the filled boats seen around the park, reflecting the European migrant crisis. 
    He later sent the remains of the park to Calais to create emergency housing for the migrants residing there.

Marina DeBris.

DeBris utilises literal rubbish in her art in order to raise awareness of ocean and beach pollution. She often partners with numerous anti-pollution organisations, and is a member of the Women Environmental Artists Directory.

Marina's work is often considered 'Trashion', as she collects the plastics, and rubbish from the ocean and reinvents the debris into high fashion garments. A large amount of her models and garments were seen at the Festival of the Winds on Bondi beach.