The 5th Cornell Biennial returns with NFT artwork and exhibition of toilets
Beginning this Sunday, Cornellians should expect to see a display of edible fruit crops emerging from six toilet seats, which will be located in the Rock Garden between Olive Tjaden Hall and Sibley Hall. This exhibition is organized and presented by the Cornell Council for the Arts as part of the Fifth Cornell Biennial.
“We often avoid conversations around the waste we generate,” CCA wrote in its event announcement. “We hope this installation helps to imagine the value of phosphorus and nitrogen for edible and nutritious plant growth in the excrement we flush away.”
This art project was put together by Matéa LeBeau ’22 and Isabella Culotta ’22 in an effort to encourage the public to realize the potential of recycling human waste and using it in food production.
“We believe an art installation centered around human waste cycling can provoke viewers to see the potential of this initiative, and envision themselves working within it, without requiring a thorough understanding of the scientific process,” the CCA wrote.
LeBeau and Culotta are two of more than 30 artists CCA is working with to put together the Cornell Biennial, featuring artwork, installations and performances. In addition to Cornell artists, the 2022 Cornell Biennial invited 22 artists from 11 countries to bring together Cornell-based art projects that touch on themes including social justice, global warming, robotics, sustainable architecture, migration and labor.
“Special to the ethos of the Cornell Biennial is its commitment to blending experimentation in the arts with the latest research developments across the disciplines and campuses of Cornell,” said Timothy Murray, Curator of the Cornell Biennial. “The Biennale not only brings to campus a range of the most innovative projects in global art, but also champions how art’s inventive discourses can inform if not reshape how we understand social relationships, ecological challenges, design recycling, engineering and biological response.”
There are some new changes and additions being implemented for this year’s biennale. Together with CCA, The Cherry Arts will sponsor a regional art competition in an effort to expand the reach of the Cornell Biennial across New York State.
In New York City, Cornell Tech is also participating in the biennial and announced its plans to collaborate with Zhang Huan and Sui Jianguo to display non-fungible token artworks.
The biennial receives its funding from the Office of the Provost and several Cornell partners. The current artworks, exhibitions and performances are available on campus from April to November.
