The Objects of Poverty + Wealth

For my collage pairing "poverty and wealth" I used a mix of found items and natural materials to symbolize some defining basic elements of poverty and wealth.

To symbolize both the empty spoons & open hands of the poor I used spoon heads with only a few seeds and beans and above a row of nails laying on a cloth bag with roll of 'rope' twine that both symbolize the infrastructure that affects the poorest nations--money spent on building but not housing or clothing for the poor.

The row of rolled tea bags below the spoons are meant to symbolize the contained bundles of the possessions of the poor. Below is a symbol of the promise of abundance and source of food as the Asian and Latin and South American poor. The Chinese money is an obvious connection to the Chinese economy owning much of the U.S. and also the disparity of Chinese impoverished and rich. The circle patterned base symbolizes he circle of life and money covered by the wasteland represented by the shredded bark and the lids of tin cans as the food cans of the poor. The row of acorn shells on the left represents both the start of new crops and also the dangers of help from other sources e.g. the U.S. helping impoverished countries to gain control. The acorn shells are pointed and look like tanks and militaristic.

Wealth incorporates elements of poverty as I believe it does in life...in the backs of the poor represented by the piled rows of tin cans reflecting both the coins next to the rows of cash envelopes and yet also the cans of food for the poor. The bundled bags here show the possessions gathered and stolen piled in the middle as a collection rather than shared or distributed.

The fur and the gold beaded bracelet represents the obvious symbols of wealth and the barometer representing that barometer & distance between the wealthy and poor and the ships that brought gold and now are owned by the rich. The crumpled papered edge by the envelopes represents the contracts that deceive and take advantage of the poor and the green bag on top symbolizing the goody bag of the wealthy and the Chinese stamp with the blood and stamp of capitalism and bureaucracy that destroys.