What now…? I doubt that I’m the only one asking this question as we head into the uncharted territories of 2021.
But, because we’re forging a fresh, new path, perhaps we get to make the rules. We can invent our new world, and make it better than before.
The flaws of the past are coming to light. Those rules may have served our ancestors well. They may have worked for many of us, as recently as 1995 or even 2005.
But, in recent years, they’ve become a game to beat. We can’t rely on civility or even common sense in all settings.
We can’t trust that laws enacted in the 1960s and 70s will be respected. Worse, their intent may have been clear to us in the hippie movement but not to others. Or perhaps others just shrugged them off. Maybe we thought we’d put things in motion and could trust them to run on auto-pilot.
Clearly, we couldn’t. And, in some cases, our decisions were made in the shadows of our parents’ and grandparents’ choices. We could see ahead to “better,” but perhaps no farther.
So, this collage has a somewhat staid background, referencing the past.
“Now is the time… to INVENT” is over a window with drawn – but sheer – curtains.
The finger points to an outspoken woman, but it might also point to the figure in a somewhat Victorian gown, with hands on hips. Is she encouraging us or stunned at how forthright we are now?
The lower part of the collage, with “THE RULES” in the text, is deliberately fractured. It represents the random pieces of the past that we’re choosing to build upon. And there’s a certain watery, fluid quality because boundaries are changing. Certainties may not be so certain, after all.
That can feel destabilizing, but it also presents us with freedom.
I like to think we’ll make better decisions now.
Size: 8.5″ x 11″
Materials: Torn magazine pages and Yes Paste on acid-free art paper.