British artist Chris Drury created this mesmerising spiral art installation using trees, coal and dirt at the University of Wyoming. Looks cool! But apparently its pissing people off so much that they’re sending veiled threats to cut University funding.
Why the fuss? Well, Drury named the installation ‘Carbon Sink’, which is not only clever name but also a direct smack against the face of Wyoming and how it earns its keep. The art piece represents how the burning of coal is changing the climate which is making the beetle population overgrow which is making them kill trees which leaves dead trees all around. You follow? Mining coal = killing trees. Clever, Drury.
But with Wyoming being one of the biggest coal mining states in the United States, the state’s politicians and mining industry are accusing the University of Wyoming of “ingratitude toward one of its main benefactors”, which some see as a veiled threat at killing funding. As of now, there aren’t any plans to uninstall the art piece and though the state Reps aren’t happy, they’ve said they would “never tinker with the University of Wyoming’s budget”.
So I guess, Carbon Sink is doing what art is supposed to do. Raise discussion! Make people mad! Look great! [Chris Drury via NY Times, This Is Colossal]
