Swoon Creates 'Anthropocene Extinction' For ICA Boston (PHOTOS)

Swoon's enthusiasm for community projects has only grown with her profile and her newest, titled 'Anthropocene Extinction' and showing at ICA Boston, is one of her most thoughtful works yet. Her commitment to environmental issues drives her use of discarded and reclaimed materials whenever possible, but 'Extinction' delves into these issues with more depth than usual.

'Anthropocene Extinction' is a reflection on humankind's irreversible impact on Earth's environment; "anthropocene" is the unofficial term for our current geologic period. The installation begins in ICA's atrium, where a bamboo structure, fashioned to look like an ancient Chinese temple, hangs from the ceiling.

A variety of animals cut from paper spill out of the structure through the lobby and flow onto the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall, where they encounter the immense portrait of a 90-year-old woman. The woman depicted, known as Ms. Bennett, is thought to be the last Aborigine to have existed as a nomad, a lifestyle that is no longer possible. Underneath her is the repeating image of a Tibetan demon who symbolizes the human need to consume and destroy, a behavior that if left unchecked could result in global devastation.

Swoon's 'Anthropocene Extinction' will be on display at ICA Boston until December 3, 2012