Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Cindy Soler

what did you notice?

The final image of the series “what did you notice?” highlights the extractive practices required of capitalism and, in turn, consumerism. The ecological cost of our consumerist fetishes is severely damaging the Earth. The many, many moving parts required to mine, refine, fuel, manufacture, and transport our goods across all corners of the globe have reshaped landscapes and ecosystems across the Earth. Capitalism always demands more; it’s a beast that needs to constantly be fed, and it will not cease until there is nothing left to extract. I added text that reads: “SOON THERE’LL BE / NOTHING LEFT” to invite people to reflect on this phenomenon. I hope that with this series of images, people are inspired to think deeper about the choices they make. There is no way forward under capitalism. We must begin to imagine something better for ourselves, our children, and the creatures that share this planet with us.The title “what did you notice?” is a call-back to the title of the first part of the series: “look to your right”. This title asks viewers to reflect on the images and ideas they were presented with. What did they notice about their own habits? What did they notice about the people around them? What moments of change can they bring with them moving forward?[ALT TEXT]: A collage of various images on a pale yellow background. Bright red text at the bottom reads "soon there'll be nothing left".

“What if we let go of the mythology that consumption is a neutral act?”