Burning Down the House
Human beings now use forty percent of the energy produced by all photosynthetic organisms. Obtained through food chains, this is virtually the only energy available to living things. Humans occupy most of the arable land, and we are using more and more of all land for our own purposes. We have taken over the planet on a massive scale.
Habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, pollution, overfishing, hunting, poaching, illegal trade, accidents, our voracious appetite for stuff, for children, for land, for food, for all the energy the planet produces are reducing the ability of other species to exist. Do we really want to live without polar bears without elephants without whales without golden eagles without all the other species, both plant and animal, threatened by our actions—or inaction?
Even if we don’t care about other creatures, loss of biodiversity threatens our own existence. Our mortal bodies still need clean water, breathable air, and regular feeding. It is functioning ecosystems that furnish these things, and collapse of such ecosystems is a real possibility as the wildlife that construct them are reduced or extinguished. These animal death masks, saved, ironically, from destruction themselves, are potent reminders of the future facing animals and humans alike if we fail now to change our ways.
About the masks
The plaster death masks of elephant calf, giant anteater, and white-handed gibbon were made of animals that died in a San Jose zoo in the 1970’s. The others are of uncertain origin but the dolphin and the fur seal pup were likely to have been in the zoo also. The raccoon and the coyote could have been wild or captive. Any records were lost or discarded when the masks were disposed of by a bird and mammal museum (and I seized upon them). They were never of significant scientific value. The zoo is long closed. I present the masks without embellishment or accessory, devoid of context, to emphasize the stark finality of extinction.
Carol Selter
June, 2010
Note: The artist’s share of proceeds from the sale of these works will be donated to World Wildlife Fund.