Stephen Dorsett
Foggy Forest
2023

About the Item

I photograph miniature landscapes made from consumer waste. Each of my landscapes starts with the gathering of materials. Boxes, fast food containers, aluminum foil, Styrofoam packaging and other types of consumer waste are never hard to find. After they've been collected, I smash, boil, burn, and pulverize them into art media. Next, I compose the miniature landscapes while looking through a camera lens since the final product of my work is a photograph. My lighting setup is low-fi, I use desk lamps for light and colored binder dividers to alter the color of the light. My work is a meditation on consumerism and the environment. As I transform consumer waste into miniature landscapes, I think about the effort and ingenuity of the people who designed and created the products, and how they allow workers to earn a living. I also think about the impact of the products on the environment. Most importantly, I think about my own role in this paradigm. How much do the consumer products I use enrich my life, how is a pristine environment of value to me personally, and how can I make better choices that will have a less detrimental impact on it? Through these artistic meditations, I try to become a more conscientious consumer and steward of the environment.

Creator:

Stephen Dorsett (American)

Creation Year:

2023

Dimensions:

Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)

Medium:

Mixed Media

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

2010-