Hydrocarbons
From fossil fuels to plastics, hydrocarbon chains are embedded in our lives and present everywhere. How did they become so pervasive?
The Inside Story of Modern Gasoline, a propaganda film made by Standard Oil in 1946, tells a celebratory story of how fossil fuels made their way into our lives. Artist Marina Zurkow drew from this piece to highlight the out-of-control use of fossil fuels. By editing and manipulating the original film, Zurkow illuminates the claustrophobic accumulation of hydrocarbons around us.
Medium: Video
Year: 2013
Process
Team
Marina Zurkow
Artist
Marina Zurkow, a media and participatory practice artist, intertwines people with nature-culture tensions and environmental challenges, offering novel avenues for understanding, connecting, and emoting. Employing research and diverse technologies, including software, animation, and biomaterials, she cultivates intimate connections between multispecies and geophysical elements.
As a founding member of collaborative initiatives like Investing in Futures, Dear Climate, and Climoji, Zurkow has showcased her solo exhibitions at prestigious venues such as bitforms gallery, Google's Hudson River campus, Institute for Contemporary Art San Diego, and Borusan Contemporary, Istanbul. Her works have been featured globally, from Storm King Art Center in New York to the 7th Moscow Biennale and the Sundance Film Festival. Zurkow, a 2022 fellow at the Environmental Media Lab, Princeton University, has received accolades including a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship and grants from institutions like New York Film Academy, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
