Scott Goss—Rise and Fall
From the artist: Throughout human civilization cities have risen out of our landscape, from simple beginnings as small villages, then evolving into complex metropolises with many people and homes, before eventually fading back into the landscape they arose from. This is evident in ancient civilizations such as Machu Picchu, Babylon, Sukhothai, and Mesa Verde, all of whom arose from the earth, before eventually fading back into it. Here in Northeast Ohio, we have seen in history our success as burgeoning big cities, successful from the industrial revolution, then receding as the industries shifted to other locations. In the last 50 years our identity of who are our cities are has also shifted, from heavy industry focused, to now healthcare and biotechnology, information technology, and aerospace and aviation. As the tide of recession and growth is seemingly shifting more upwards for northeast Ohio, this has caused me to question where our cities will be in the next 25-50 years and how long will this new identity and limited growth last. This project is an exploration of how cities grow over time, rising from simple beginnings, then eventually falling back into the landscape they originated from.
Through projected light onto found objects, this work explores themes of urban design, architecture and entropy, to create a narrative of how cities Rise and Fall over time. Using a model train, with a modified light attached to it, this project reveals an endless loop or accession and recession of human civilizations.