Capitalism Is Unsustainable

Capitalism Is Unsustainable

Andrew Hansen

Description

Capitalism is inherently unsustainable. As long as capitalism is the world’s main economic system, accelerated climate change will never end. It’s almost inconceivable to think of a different way to make the world work, but, if we don’t find a new system, capitalism will ultimately destroy our planet. My quilt block shows a giant dollar sign being torn apart by natural forces. A negative interpretation of this quilt block is that all of humanity’s achievements will be worthless and forgotten once capitalism causes the extinction of the human race, but Mother Earth will continue on. A more positive interpretation is that humanity will create a new sustainable system of coexisting, and the relics of capitalism will simply dissolve into the natural world, just like the ruins of other past civilizations.

I intentionally chose to create my quilt block in a more “cutesy” style because I enjoy subverting a viewer’s expectations. I believe the message is absorbed more readily once the viewer realizes what looked like a typical sweet arts-and-craft project from afar actually expresses a much more complex and somewhat uncomfortable subject matter.

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Disciplines

Art and Design | Urban Studies and Planning

Capitalism Is Unsustainable

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