Fever Pitch, Homage to Jerry Lee Lewis

‘Fever Pitch, Homage to Jerry Lee Lewis’, Aluminum Dye Sublimation, 100 X 150 cm (40 X 60 inches), 2019.

The environmental effects of global warming are broad and far-reaching and include effects on the oceans, ice and weather as well as on human systems such as food and water, health and security and industry and infrastructures to name a few. Global warming has led to decades of shrinking and thinning of the Arctic sea ice, making it vulnerable to atmospheric anomalies. The reduction of snow cover and sea ice in the Arctic reduces the albedo of the Earth's surface. More of the sun's energy is now absorbed in these regions, contributing to polar amplification which has caused Arctic temperatures to increase at more than twice the rate of the rest of the world. Yet, the global warming damages are still a long way from reaching the center of the public consciousness the world over, public that should better understand and realize the various effects of the climate changes on our day to day life.

In order to set this crucial topic as the focal point of the public awareness on Earth, its consequences should be amplified and broadcast time and again. With ‘Fever Pitch, Homage to Jerry Lee Lewis’ I humbly try to contribute my small share to this important effort. A black grand piano which is located in the heart of the white Arctic ice wilderness definitely attracts attention and even more so, when it is set on fire. The outcomes are easily seen: not only the piano collapses and commences sinking underwater, the fire covers the atmosphere and the sky above us with smoke. The implications are clearly inferred: a similar fate awaits all of humanity… unless actions are immediately taken.

Jerry Lee Lewis, an American musician and one of my childhood heroes, was among the rock and roll genre pioneers during the 1950s and the 1960s. He earned his fame for his vocal power, his virtuosic and wild boogie piano playing as well as for his energetic performances on stage, which at times included setting his piano on fire. This might have been a reason for him to record in 1957 one of his greatest hits - “Great Balls of Fire”. Thus, Jerry Lee Lewis together with the global warming crisis are the two inspirations that pushed me to create the present artwork.