Think Clean, Go Clean ECO Art Contest & Festival took place August 27 in Carson. Presented by JPy Magazine and sponsored by South Coast Air Quality Management District. Chicken in the Clouds won first place.
A collaboration by Beth Elliott, Danielle Elliott, and Amy Inouye. The piece was also displayed recently at “Art in the Streets” closing weekend.Link to Danielle's video of the installation.
“Much of my work conceptually deals with the environment and with air and water in particular. Our collaborative piece "Chicken in the Clouds" plays with the concept of looking up at the sky seeing animal forms in the clouds as we did as children and with the story of Chicken Little--"the sky is falling," a fallacy--Disney's rendition--the sky really is falling. Our rendition takes it a step further--the chicken is part of the sky as are we when we breathe it and drink the water that comes from it. We can clean it up--be carried along by it and be part of the air or we have no support--no being at all. (Plus which the medium is re-purposed packing material.)
Amy Inouye has a strong chicken icon connection since through herculean efforts she rescued the Chicken Boy statue from a chicken restaurant demolition downtown and installed it on the roof of her Future Studio Gallery in Highland Park. Her chicken head on "Chicken in the Clouds" is not only made from an afghan that her mother began but its supporting basket was left at her gallery by a homeless man who collects bottles to recycle for survival.
Danielle's sounds of rain, thunder and music greatly enhanced the power and effectiveness of the message that air, water and we are not only interdependent but are one.”
--Beth Elliott