Lying about natural phenomena

That's what I'll do.
So the story goes for my new piece of art that will be on display February 10 here.
Two parts make the piece. The first part is a photo collage I have made of parts of puddles I photographed mostly in Bushwick and Bed-Stuy during this past summer's heatwave-- when all the hydrants opened up for a pool party in the streets.
The collage looks like a sparkly puddle or pond and is printed about 24x36" on paper. It will sit on the floor surrounded by stones I find in Brooklyn, which will gesturally contain the water.
Second part of the piece is a lil billboard with an image of what looks like a starry night sky that can sit next to the gigantore windows. The image is actually the homemade pond but super saturated and extra contrasty so it looks like nighttime sky in a place where you can see galaxies and stuff.

The project is a bunch of lies about our experience of nature here in NYC (the climate/culture of turbo environmental awareness/total inactivity). The clean and clear puddle water in the streets was caused by sweaty children. The 2d pond is preserving the idea of water as an image and an idea. The symbolic preservation of water as a resource is just a worthless ceremony.

The faux night sky billboard mocks the NYC one with invisible stars. But this more ideal sky is water.

So, the title of the show is "It isn't funny anymore." There is no confusion about sincerity in my work, it is amusingly present even when it's not funny anymore. I think the piece worries about hyper preservation of ideas with ignorance when it comes to the actual thing.

Everything in our NY experience is constructed. So now I am lying about natural phenomena too. Or just constructing my own versions. But I suppose that these homemade celestial bodies are not so much fake as they are my own.