Conversing With the Earth III: Pivot Point

10 hours ago2 min read

by Mary Kay Fosnacht

Overland Park, KS

24" x 32" (61 x 81 cm)

“Pivot Point” is the final piece in the three-part series, Conversing With the Earth, which seeks to explore the evolving dialogue between humanity and our planet. This fiber art piece delves into the urgent and emotional subject of climate change and the pivotal moment we have before us where our choices will define the future.

The focal point of the composition, as in the first two of the series, is a sphere symbolizing the earth. The earth has two distinct halves. The darker, bottom half represents our future as a planet if we do nothing to improve the drastic effects of global warming. In the top half, blues and greens re-appear, as in the first piece, representing an abundance of food and water, however, the shroud is removed and the brightness is retained.

The undulating ribbons represent the invisible forces we experience on the earth such as, air currents, ocean tides and human impact that bind us to the earth’s ecosystems. On the top, they are light and airy, almost in celebration of the earth returning to normalcy. The dark ribbons below evoke the weight of environmental degradation and lack of hopefulness.

Anchoring the piece is hand-written text from a United Nations document titled, “What is Goal 13 – Climate Action?” It is a two page document that begins, “Every person, in every country in every continent will be impacted in some shape or form by climate change. There is a climate cataclysm looming, and we are underprepared for what this could mean.” Read the entire document HERE.

I hope the viewers of this work will reflect on their role in this planetary conversation. It is a reminder that we stand at a crossroad and our actions today will ripple through generations to come.