Cornelia Parker
Heart of Darkness, 2004. Charcoal.
Cornelia Parker took the title of this work from the Joseph Conrad novella that inspired the film Apocalypse Now. The installation uses charcoal gathered from the charred remains of a fierce forest fire in Florida, a controlled burn that became a wildfire, due to high winds. The artist has resurrected the forest, creating a three-dimensional drawing seen against white walls. She says, ‘This forest fire seemed to be a metaphor for the disastrous consequences of political tinkering. From the hanging chads in the US elections, to the cutting down of rainforests to grow biofuels to power Hummers.’
