Legacy+of+Man's+Footprints

=Legacy of Man's Footprints= Jami Bunton

=Literary Artist Statement= "Legacy of Man's Footprints" portrays the choices man has to make in its lifetime - separately and as a whole race. The shoebox shows man's footprint moving towards technology, travel, the ability to unlock any door, and wealth. However, the cost of this progress is childhood innocence, family, and the unknown. As humans move towards increasing industrialization they may inadvertently leave things behind. Humans may forget and destroy things they saw as beautiful. Through this, their legacy - or footprint - will be the loss of innocence.

In the back of the box is a noose, and inside the noose is a star, mood ring, and baby bottle. The star represents the unknown and mysteriously inspiring. The mood ring represents emotion and family - since a ring is exchanged in weddings that begin families. The baby bottle represents babies, children, and life. But these three items are inside the noose, being hung. These ideas are being disregarded by humans because of their movement towards technology. The foot representing mankind and what they are leaving behind is facing away from the light part of the box, and moving towards the technology inside the circle of wealth. While it is still partly inside the blue part of the box, most of it is in the black, and the tip of it is draped by the necklace. Behind the foot is a horn stuffed with a fuzzy cotton ball. Horns are noise makers and when used can be heard. The horn is stuffed, making the sound unable to be heard. This blocks mankind from being reminded of childhood and innocence. The Legacy of Man's Footprints is the movement of man towards technology, and the brain washing effect it can have, as seen by the cat figure being unable to look away from the screen it is placed in front of, and being chained to the necklace.

In __Brave New World__, the human society had fully embraced technology, using it to even create humans instead of having them be born through a mother. They had also cast away beauty, literature, and childhood things. They immediately threw the children into a world of sex and drugs. While our society has not gone to the extremes of the Brave New World society, our society is also forgetting the joys of childhood. They are turning a deaf ear while being brainwashed into taking away their children's rights. Innocence becomes a victim in the movement towards technology. This mirrors the situation Victor Frankenstein's family was placed in when Frankenstein created his monster. Science and technology always take victims as mankind "progresses."

The shoebox is made from items I found in my house. While looking through my items, my group members pointed out to me that the shell I had looked like a foot. I decided to paint it to make it a foot. Then I noticed the division between my items. Some reminded me of childhood, while others reminded me of the world I live in now. This world has cars, doors that aren't always locked, and many different forms of technology. Sometimes I feel like there is too much, and it is all to brainwash you into forgetting about simple things in life. I played with the division between the items and arranged them that way. The childhood half of the shoebox is painted a light blue, giving it light, and also has an LED light that still works. But the technology half is black and dark. Despite the doors technology open for us, it still cannot beat the brilliance of innocence and is cast in shadow because of it. Man is still turning away from that innocence, and leaving its future in doubt as it moves closer to complete technology.