Face It: No coal

Students create body paint images for anti-coal contest

Posted by Edward Mazria (Guest Contributor) at 1:13 PM on 10 Mar 2008

Read more about: energy | coal | art | education

Emily Bibler.

Photo: Architecture 2030.

Architecture and design students across the country were challenged by Architecture 2030, Metropolis Magazine, the USGBC and the AIAStudents to face it, literally. Students competed to produce the best body- and face-paint image that conveyed a "no coal" message.

Emily Bibler of ~~Ohio~~ Iowa State won the Face Color Award, Jackie Fabella of Cal Poly Pomona won the Face B+W Award, and Miles Courtney of Pratt Institute won the Body Award. Jackie Fabella's image will be featured in a full-page ad in the March issue of Metropolis magazine titled "Choose." These and other images will be used throughout the year to spread the word. A student's comment to Metropolis:

The entries varied in meaning: some depicting strong political messages about health and environmental impacts, while others took a positive approach by displaying a set of alternatives to coal.

See all the entries at Architecture2030.

Jackie Fabella.

Photo: Architecture 2030.

Miles Courtney.

Photo: Architecture 2030.

For story: Face It: No coal
7 Comments | Post a Comment

Less Clubbing

I suggest they conserve energy by eschewing late night clubbing in Soho.

All those strobe lights...

Texeme.Construct(function(x)=Participation(x))

by jabailo at 3:11 PM on 10 Mar 2008

But what does "coal" mean?

These are fine images of body art. But they seem very retro, with regard to coal, identifying it as a gray-black industrial-age source of foul and dusty air, but not as a GW-age source of CO2. Miles Courtney comes closest to recognizing global warming, with his reference to solar energy.

Emily Bibler's face is very strong. I think I would have written "no coal" in smaller letters on the white cheek, and scraped out a death's head on the black cheek.

Jackie Fabella's costume project is terrific. I love how the words "no coal" written on her closed eyelids make it look as though her eyes are open and staring. Presumably the falling flowers symbolize the death of nature, which is a nice touch. But does the gas mask fit, meaningfully?

The colors and general design in Miles Courtney's model's wall-like back are lovely. But the power-cord imagery strikes me as weak.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 2:27 AM on 11 Mar 2008

Alternatives

Canis, I have to disagree with you on the power cords. Part of the strength of this entry (compared to the B&W one) is that a choice is clearly presented. I also like the asymmetry of the up/down cords. Maybe it's because I'm a Pisces.

by mihan at 12:20 PM on 11 Mar 2008

There's the power

Anybody who doesn't believe that women have significant power should have a private talk with Eliot Spitzer.

When women decide, really decide to do whatever it takes to save the planet it will be an avalanche. Today, judging by attendance at green events vs. nail salons they don't think it's that important.

Put the Carbon Back

by Pangolin at 12:35 PM on 11 Mar 2008

Correction

Hi! I'm Emily Bibler, the designer of the Face Color photo. Thanks for the comments on my work! I just wanted to point out that I'm a student at Iowa State University, NOT Ohio.

by ebibler at 10:33 PM on 18 Mar 2008

Thanks Emily.

Fixed.

grist.org

by David Roberts at 12:16 AM on 19 Mar 2008

Spread what word?

Fabella's piece is hopelessly misleading - we don't face a choice between flowers and breathable air. Courtney offers an equally simplistic dualism which fails to represent the realities of the energy equation - solar power is not and v=never can be a straight substitute for fossil energy. It is not helpful to pretend that these are the choices and issues we face in making the case against coal.

I 'll be the sourpuss and comment that I thought the general standard of the entries was disappointingly low, which I'll take as a disturbing indicator that this subject is not attracting the best talent of the new generation. I'd be impressed with this work as output of the local middle school rather than a national competition for design students - you'd hardly think this was drawing from the same talent pool that produced Maya Lin's breathtaking Vietnam Memorial.

The framing of the competition may be partly to blame as the entrants seem to have been required to include the "no coal" phrase in their composition, a limitation which may have cramped their style and their imagination. Courtney's entry is one of the very few to omit the phrase. Bibler's piece is the outstanding exception to a pretty dull field: it would be improved by removing the text from the blackened cheek (where it makes no sense) and typesetting it below, leaving the face to stand alone as a very compelling graphic image.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

by spaceshaper at 5:10 AM on 19 Mar 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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