Dedicated to critical cultural production at the intersection of art and activism.

We cover artists from around the globe whose work explores and realizes social change. Our goal is to provide a narrative about these activist efforts while simultaneously participating in them. Maintained by The Groundswell Collective since 2007.

I’d Rather Be Fishin’, by Material Exchange

Anne Elizabeth Moore wrote this post at 5:11 pm on November 10th, 2009.

(Anne Elizabeth Moore is an author, editor, artist, teacher, and Groundswell guest blogger. She divides her time between Chicago and Cambodia, where she teaches young women the art of self-publishing.)

Material Exchange's Soup Repair (2009), from Repair Shop
Material Exchange’s Soup Repair (2009)

Material Exchange, the IL artists with a project on display in Buffalo, NY called Repair Shop (alongside Adam Bobbette and InCUBATE), sat down with me for an interview a few weeks ago. Here’s an excerpt:

Calling them recyclers misses the point. Chicago-based artist’s group Material Exchange makes use of the detritus of our consumer culture, sure. But not to save you money that you can turn around and spend on other consumer goods. No: Material Exchange wants you to think about the objects you surround yourself with. What purpose do they serve now? And to what better use might they be put in the future?

Often, even the final object created is merely the start of the work—which can include a social event, permanent installation, or public resource. Last winter, as part of the touring sustainable art exhibition Beyond Green, Material Exchange built an elaborate structure in the shape of a turtle from an old boat alongside students at Northern Michigan University. The structure was then set out in the middle of the frozen lake by a group of volunteers, where it remained a static sculpture throughout the winter. In the spring, the ice melted and the sculpture sunk to the bottom of the lake. No longer an aesthetic object of admiration, nor a useful vehicle, the old boat—built to the Department of Natural Resources’ specifications—was now a fish habitat.

“We can only guess at how well it’s working,” the group’s John Preus explains.

Now, for the kicker—and I think one of the tricks with work that sits at the intersection between social change and art—check their documentation of this project.

Damn clever, innit?

Related posts:

  1. Repair Shop/Sunday Soups
  2. Mud Stencils for Prison Reform
  3. Industrial Harvest
  4. IssueLab’s Research Remix Contest: CFW
  5. The Advantage and Disadvantage of Zine


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