To feed and energize 8 billion people, agriculture has taken on the role of chief in today's economy. After sugar cane, maize is the second most widely grown crop in the world. The sculpture "Agreement. Energycorn" is made of earthenware, which is classically used for industrial tableware. To create the sculpture, whole corn plants were casted in around 20 different plaster moulds. Waste from industrial agriculture such as corn leaves, roots and stalks were used in the form of ash to create a glaze. During development, the maize plant takes in various elements. Fungicides, herbicides and insecticides also influence the chemical balance of the plants, which appear in ash glaze as brown, green, red impurities. The ceramic sculpture picks up on themes such as globalization and ecology.

Agreement. Energycorn

Energycorn

Ceramic shards that deal with economic and social systems. For this project, Luse collected theoretical and visual material that showcases the dualistic nature of society and the economic system. The wet clay was placed under and pressed by a clay roller, resulting in random shapes that do not conform to a rectangular shape. The work depicts the features of capitalism, whose goals are oriented towards profit. Elements of the economic production process are visible on the ceramic plates. Through this artistic practice, Luse asks how economic and ethical aspects can be reconciled.

Added Value

The 15 casts of sugar beet roots in a sanitary ceramic glazed with sugar beet leaf ash are part of the ceramic installation "Agreement". If these non-productive production bodies represent the ideal image of a muscular fruiting body without a mouth, without limbs, without organs and without posture or expression, then the ashes in this ceramic installation play the role of a witness. Just as the excess ingested sugar can be detected in person’s body in the form of reserve fat, the brown color of the ashes also tells of the presence of copper, earth and other chemical elements and substances with which the sugar beet in the course of their live came into contact through conventional agriculture. 
  
  

Agreement. Sugarbeets

  
  
In this thought-provoking ceramic installation, nearly 300 casts of sugar beet roots, meticulously crafted from sanitary ceramic mass and glazed with sugar beet leaf ash, are purposefully arranged in a scattered pile. These non-productive production bodies, stripped of traditional features such as mouth, limbs, organs, posture, or expression, stand as an abstract representation of the idealized form of a muscular fruiting body.

Embedded within this installation, the ashes themselves become a compelling narrative device, silently bearing witness to the intricate processes of agricultural cultivation. Much like how the human body stores excess sugar as reserve fat, the brown hues of the ashes subtly reveal traces of copper, earth, and various chemical elements that the sugar beet encountered throughout its lifecycle within the framework of conventional agriculture.

By juxtaposing these elements, the installation prompts viewers to reflect deeply on the complex relationship between humanity and nature, particularly within the realms of food production and consumption. It invites contemplation on the environmental impact of agricultural practices, the interconnectedness of our choices, and the broader implications of our relationship with the natural world.

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Linda Luse