In the field of environmentalism, irony is ever-present. We see it in people, we see it in politics, and yes, there is no shortage of seeing it in ourselves; the mighty ever-fallible self-proclaimed eco-warriors of our day. There’s even such an immense weight and seriousness worn in this work that sometimes we reach a point where it’s impossible not to laugh at ourselves. In this collaboration between myself, Em MacMillen and Michael V. Smith, we get to see a protagonist plagued by Irony, his dog, in much the same way we often plague ourselves when we want something so bad — especially in the work of environmental activism — that we can miss the obvious solutions right in front of us. In many ways, I feel like this video poem is a reflection of the conflicting nature of the many ups and downs in this work. And in many more ways, it was cathartic to be able to poke fun at myself and the conflicting ups and downs present in my own life as an environmentalist. Illustrating this so called plight of the environmentalist, we placed this poem’s protagonist in what we grew to call a “fake-real-world,” or “the void inside your apartment.” Everything in our protagonist’s world is used plastic, cheap, over-saturated, and inauthentic; he just wants so badly to be in the real world, but he can’t for he lives in fear of Irony.

Also, see more from Em MacMillen on their website.

And, see more from Michael V. Smith at www.MichaelVSmith.com.