The RAIDERS installation by Stephanie Syjuco is an example of how the art of the past can today be transformed into the art of the present, using modern technologies. She created two-dimensional replicas of the ancient Asian vases, utilizing the images that she found on the Internet. I believe she used materials such as wood and paper to stress that these once highly coveted objects, nowadays, no longer have their significance since they can be cheaply copied. Anyone can go to their local museum’s website and download a picture of the antic they liked, and then glue its image to a board, thus remaking it in a simplified form. This availability not only destroys the objects’ status but also opens new possibilities for modern artists to create new meanings.
To me, wood and paper symbolize sustainability, since these are versatile materials that can serve a lot of purposes and are characteristic of the modern way of life. Nowadays, many objects people use daily are made of these materials, including the ones which in the past were hardly imaginable, for example, paper cups. They are biodegradable and can be recycled to be used again for new projects when a need arises, which is their considerable advantage over, for example, plastic, which poses a threat to the planet. Of course, the production processes of these materials have certain implications for the environment, as well, namely, air pollution and deforestation, yet, these problems can be fixed using already existing practices and technologies. Thus, wood and paper are the materials that, in my opinion, have become the symbols of the present and will certainly remain relevant in the future due to their functionality.