2026-27 Capstone

Earth Poetica by Beverly Barkat

Israeli artist Beverly Barkat’s Earth Poetica, a 13-foot diameter globe made of plastic waste, highlights the issues of pollution in the world’s oceans, recycling, and sustainability. It will be installed in the lobby of 3 WTC in 2023.

This artist created what is supposed to be a representation of the earth, this giant sphere, but rather than decorate it to be more clearly a “globe”, they instead decided to transpose the obvious, and made the surface of the globe out of plastic waste. Now, I’m not certain of the source of this “plastic waste”, but when judging a piece that is meant to call out the general public’s excessive use of single use plastic, I have to acknowledge the material constructed to make this statement piece and its own environmental impacts.

In recreating this globe that is made from plastic, this material is successfully diverted from landfills. That bit of waste will no longer go on to live on the earth and contribute to this issue. However, in studying circular economies, I cannot ignore the temporary nature of this diversion. I’m not 100% sure how long this art piece will continue to live in the 3 WTC, but one day, it might be torn down, and then we have this big question: Where will the plastic go next?

Review

In review, I have mixed opinions about the material use within this piece itself and the unknown nature of where it might go one day, however, I also have a certain amount of issues with the message it is attempting to spread. I think, as I do with most “art” pieces that are meant to bring awareness to global waste, they have a tendency to be pointing into a void. In acknowledging its location, in the lobby of the 3 World Trade Center, most of the attention it will receive is in the face of individuals.

And while it’s good for individuals to be aware of this waste, by the time most individuals are adults and are probably working at this location, they are probably already developing that cynicism about material waste. Individuals, statistically, already care tremendously about the waste they produce, but the actual ability to recycle and take care of this waste is an issue of access, and they enter this cycle where they feel individual shame about being wasteful, while also not being able to do anything about it. This project, I feel, adds to this cycle, and thus, isn’t doing as much as the artist intends to do about this material waste issue.

Reference

Art of the World Trade Center. (n.d.). Beverly Barkat: Earth Poetica. https://wtc.art/artwork/beverly-barkat/

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