Against The Iceberg

Based on Rebekah Myers and Tim Berg’s other work, it seems likely that the message of this piece may be an environmental one. Some of their other pieces, including Tip of the Iceberg and Against the Tide more directly related to the environment in terms of their subject matter. Tip of the Iceberg features 6 pink ceramic penguins standing packed on a white MDF iceberg, and Against the Tide portrays a ceramic polar bear with black feet standing on shipping pallets. These are blatant references to the environment and the consequences of humankind’s involvement, as represented in Against the Tide by the shipping palettes and the black stains on the bear’s feet which relates to the BP oil spill. The artists also said themselves in an interview that,

The subject matter of popsicles in general brings associations to childhood, because it is typically children who consume popsicles.The glossy, bright orange plastic texture of the popsicles calls to mind childhood toys. The title of the piece: Enjoy it… While it Lasts, is also a phrase one hears often during childhood. It’s sort a message similar to “youth is wasted on the young”. The analogy between eating a popsicle and the passage of childhood seems to break down when it comes to control, however — while a person has a certain amount control over how long a popsicle will last, it may seem like they have no control over how long childhood will last. Despite this, one also has to consider the bite marks on the popsicles. Given the title of the piece, the choice of having bitten popsicles is an interesting one. If one wants the popsicle to last longer, sucking on it is more effective than biting. Biting the popsicle might indicate a hasty or more fast-paced consumption. This may actually relate to the idea of childhood, because kids often want to grow up at a rate that adults often think of as too fast. People do not realize that they took their childhood years for granted until they are grown up. In this piece, the orange glossy popsicle represents the fun and whimsical nature of childhood, while the stick of the popsicle — which was once covered by delicious