Burning World

Burning World

Bennett, Gavin

This piece confronts the consequences of humanity’s impact on the planet. At its center, the globe represents Earth: fragile, finite, and increasingly threatened. At the base, a vibrant array of florals, and surrounding it, rising rings and mixed media symbolize smoke, drifting upwards as the world burns. These circles represent both atmospheric pollution and the nature of environmental destruction, reminding us that the impact of human actions does not disappear, but circulates.

Outside of florals, this piece is made up of reusable materials, depicting the ephemerality of our planet. The florals encapsulate the globe in a fiery, saturated color scheme with reds, oranges, and yellows. The bright roses, golden sunflowers, and abstract birds of paradise elicit a passionate scene against the greenery. The flowers, usually representing life, become a visual representation of wildfire, climate crisis, and ecological instability.

Within the smoke, fragments of leaves and landscape appear like warnings, shifting into a glimpse of ecosystems disrupted, habitats disappearing, and communities displaced. Created from raffia and grasses, the organic framework suggests that nature is trying to persist but is overwhelmed by human negligence.

As artists and plant scientists, we use floriculture as a medium to speak about environmental responsibility. Burning World asks viewers to confront uncomfortable truths: human progress often comes at nature’s expense, and our planet is showing signs of irreversible damage. This piece serves as a call to action, urging reflection on how individual choices shape global outcomes and challenging us to reconsider our roles as stewards of Earth.

2026