For Immediate Release
Download a PDF Version
D.C. Artist Eric Celarier Installs Biosphere in NoMa BID Office Lobby
July 26, 2019, Washington, D.C. — The NoMa BID, as part of its ongoing activation of the lobby space at 1200 First St. NE, has commissioned a new installation from District artist Eric Celarier (ericcelarier.com). Biosphere will be available for viewing by the public when the lobby is open, weekdays from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., and will be on display through the end of October 2019.
Celarier, whose work has been an ongoing development around the theme of biological evolution as associated with human impact, describes Biosphere — 43 colorful images of various sizes and in a variety of groupings — with this statement:
What we discard can be seen as the sum total of human experience. It describes what we value including form, function, and style, while, at the same time, exposing our understanding of the world. In short, the mores of a culture can be read through its trash.
The Biosphere prints reproduce ghost-like impressions of mundane materials. Using a method adapted from Japanese fish printing, I place garbage under silk, gently tapping the surface with ink to copy its contours to generate a montage of shapes. Until recently, these works were strictly black and white, but these latest works employ cyan, magenta, and yellow to open up an array of color possibilities to unlock new viabilities for the viewer to consider.
There are ramifications for the ease at which objects move from the purposeful to the purposeless. In a world where there is little doubt that our actions are impacting the survival and adaptation of so many of its inhabitants, the production of organic-looking designs from the things we throw away makes sense. That being said, the aesthetics of such reproductions tend to withhold the nature of their creation in such a way as to initiate potentials beyond ecological readings. Bound up in our refuse is not just the thoughtlessness of our culture, but also the hopes, dreams, and desires of the human race, wherever they might lead us.
There will be a panel discussion with the artist and others in front of the artwork on September 14, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. More information, including panel participants, will be available in early September.