PROMETHEUS

“PROMETHEUS” Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Biennial Exhibition, May 2008

Prometheus is the mythological figure who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to Man. As punishment for this crime, Prometheus was chained to a rock where his regenerating liver was eaten daily by an eagle. Some might argue that when mankind harnessed fire, his innocence was lost. What should have been a great gift of power and potential was instead a burden and cause for suffering.

The control of fire and its utilization for energy have an epic history. In 1206, Al-Jazari described a “double-acting reciprocating piston pump with a crankshaft connecting rod mechanism” in his Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices. In 1509, Leonardo da Vinci theorized a “compression-less engine” in his journals. However, it is not until 1826 when American inventor Samuel Morey received a patent for a compression-less Gas or Vapor Engine that we see the effect that this single piece of machinery has had on modern-day society. This invention, the internal combustion engine, helped the United States become the industrialized superpower that it is today.

The Bald Eagle, using its size and strength to either steal or scavenge food, is a creature of opportunity. Humans conduct business, farm, and extract resources without regard to other species or the overall health of the environment. Americans consume 20% of the world’s total resources yet inhabit only one-twentieth of its population. As our resources become limited, will we, as a nation of great influence and strength, become more like the iconic eagle in our worldviews and practices? Will we stop to consider the relationship between nature and mankind while working toward integrating our existence in an ecologically responsible manner? Will we stop to contemplate the role that our consumption plays in the global economy? Perhaps like Prometheus, we are making hasty decisions for the satisfaction of immediate gratification only to pay for these choices through incessant anguish in the future. When capitalism catches onto green technology we will all benefit from the momentum and use it to grow our own money tree.


PROMETHEUS 2008
Mixed Media Sculpture

Click here to read a review of the show where Prometheus is mentioned.
_____________________________________________________________________________________