WAROCENE by Liliana Cerros
"I claim the word 'Warocene' as the cause for human destruction of ecosystems, because a battle leaves an imprint on lands and alters ecosystems. Some scholars believe that war is the cause for human destruction of ecosystems, but explain that it started with nuclear warfare. I explain that although nuclear warfare has made a large impact on ecosystems it was not the starting point. The imprint of wars throughout history have always been there but because of modern technology it has escalated and made an even larger alteration on the planet. I root the problem with the first war ever, which was the Mesopotamian war between Sumer and Elam in 2700 BCE. From this war anthropologists, could discover weaponry used during this battle, which shows the imprint left behind and the alteration made in that ecosystem. This war was about claiming territory and colonizing nearby regions. War and colonization are interconnected and cannot have one without the other, and with this piece I also challenge westerners contemporary look at colonization."
"This collage shows the escalation of warfare throughout history, starting with the Mesopotamian war at the bottom right corner and ending with the Gaza war at the top left corner. It expresses the slow and painful impact war has left on this Earth for thousands of years. While also showing how modernity rapidly escalated the technologies of weaponry and created an even larger impact on ecosystems. The outline of this piece is based on the explosion of the atomic bomb as the clouds pop out near the images. The explosion like the imprint of wars throughout history shows the escalation and magnitude of how warfare has effected the planet. The atomic bomb is the deadliest weapon man has ever made and when used it has completely altered and destroyed regions. However, I place the explosion as an outline of the background to show the peak of warfare, and instead emphasize the destruction of wars left on the planet thousands of years prior."
