Rhona Foster has produced two video works that explore themes of ethical consumption, moral hypocrisy and powerlessness in the face of vast and complex environmental challenges.
(Just an Egg Sandwich) A Sanctimonious Man
(Video installation, 39 minutes)
A sanctimonious and thoroughly unpleasant office worker portrays himself as something of an environmental activist, quick to condemn his friends and colleagues for their actions. After he gets caught hypocritically sneaking an egg sandwich in to work for lunch, he becomes the victim of a vicious spell of online shaming, forcing him to flee the city. Out in the wilderness of Northumberland, he finds himself in the hands of a pair of environmental scientists, who push him to ask himself the question; how far is he really willing to go to ‘do the right thing’?
What Should I Have For Lunch?
(Digital video, 6 minutes)
Paying no attention during a meeting on sustainability in the workplace, a bored office worker is seen drifting off to sleep. We enter her dream, in which she is starring as the contestant in wheel-of-fortune-esque gameshow ‘What Should I Have For Lunch?’
Through a series of workshops, Rhona collaborated with adults, children and young people from Newcastle and Gateshead to develop the script and costumes for the films. The films were made with non-professional actors, including regional artists and NewBridge studio members.
Biography
Rhona Foster is a multi-media artist, using film, animation and sculpture to create fictional worlds and characters which she uses to explore political and societal topics. Originally from Edinburgh, she graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art with a BA in 2017.
This commission is part of Deep Adaptation. An ongoing programme of commissions, talks, events and workshops looking at how current social, civic and economic issues can be understood in relation to climate change.
