Thesaurus

self contained

Stephen Eastaugh Self container, Antarctica 2007

I have lived in many cargo containers or dongas as they are called in some parts of the world like Antarctica and Australia. This painting is a line of cargo containers at McMurdo station, Ross Island, Antarctica . McMurdo is the primary American station and the largest human village in Antarctica. Roughly 1200 people stay there each summer season. A lot of stuff is needed to look after that many folks. A lot of stuff is also moved back to the States. Rubbish is removed from Antarctica and supplies brought in each year in hundreds of containers. Contained and moved.

I am to a degreee self–contained and always moving from place to place so I have a rather silly relationship with these large metal boxes. They are compact units that move a lot. Packed, secured, sealed, shipped, opened. Positioned someplace for a season then moved again and again. Finally some containers are utilized as permanent dwellings. What do I contain, when am I full and where do I finally locate myself are a few questions I toy with.