Founder of Trees for Life
Unsustainable lifestyles are a theme within this project. Of any response to my question of the biggest ecological problem within Scotland this has been the most common. Alan Watson of Trees for Life, which works to restore the Caledonian Forest, also identified unsustainable lifestyles as the biggest ecological problem. If everyone used the same resources as a person from Scotland we would need three planets. Since natural resources are finite our Earth cannot support unlimited growth. He spoke about the problems of cheap energy, new developments, centralized facilities instead of localized ones, depleted forests, wildlife extinction, and fish stocks depleted.
The reason for our unsustainable lifestyles he suggests is that we are divorced from the natural world and have lost touch with natural cycles. In nature there is no such thing as unlimited growth except in the case of cancer. Our unsustainable lifestyles in Scotland are negatively affecting the natural world in Scotland and also in the rest of the world, while at the same time denying the people from the South.
In terms of solutions he said they must start with the individual. What is needed is a 90% resource reduction and he said most people tinker at the edges by buying a hybrid car or composting but what is needed is major change within every aspect of ones life. Alan used his own choices as an example for the type of things normal people can do to make a difference. He has been vegan for thirty years and he spoke about the importance of buying organic local food. The UN has said that the raising of animals for livestock generates more carbon emissions than all of the transport services in the World (50). The University of Surrey conducted a study showing that the meat and dairy industries within the UK create 8% of UK carbon emissions while the airline industry creates only 2.5% (50). Researchers from the University of Chicago have calculated that an average meat-eater emits 1.5 tonnes more CO2 per year than a vegan, because it takes, for example, 7kg of feed to produce 1kg of beef. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the runoff from factory farms pollutes waterways more than all other industrial sources combined. In the U.S 70 percent of all grains, 80 percent of all agricultural land, half of all water resources, and one-third of all fossil fuels are used to raise animals for food (51).
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Wednesday 1 July 2009
Interview with Justin Prigmore
Cairngorms Biodiversity Officer
Justin Prigmore (52), Biodiversity Officer at the Cairngorm National Park said that he thinks the biggest ecological problems in Scotland today are human pressure and habitat fragmentation. Humankind has had a strong influence on shaping the land in Scotland for hundreds of years. Only one percent of the Caledonian forest still remains in remote glens, islands, steep cliffs or the edges of lochs. Time, the Iron Age, the Highland clearances and the building of empire have taken their toll. This loss of forest dramatically reduces the ability of species and ecological systems to function. For example the Twinflower, which grows in the Caledonian Forest is now endangered because the forest is so fragmented that there is not enough diversity within the gene pool. He also talked about the problem of conflicting land use. Deer and sheep eat any seedlings that grow. On grouse mores the Hen Harrier has been persecuted because it eats the grouse. Prigmore suggested that more cooperation is needed between those working the land and conservation organizations.
Prigmore also spoke about global warming. He thinks that it is important to be prepared for the potential negative consequences. Instead of spending huge sums on disaster relief, we would be better off looking at the risk areas and working to address those with natural, more cost effective systems now. For example, with global warming there is the increased threat of natural disasters such as heavy storms, which can lead to floods. Many of the rivers in Scotland are deforested around their source in the mountains. If we were to plant trees around the rivers, the roots would help to hold the water in the land, so that flooding did not occur downstream. Wetlands and bogs also help to prevent flooding and are under appreciated. Since the land is unusable for grazing and farming, bogs are often drained and destroyed. In reality they serve a valuable purpose and many think of these lush wet places as the kidneys of the Earth. The plants and microorganisms that live in bogs and wetlands clean and supply water to rivers and lochs. Bogs also store carbon in the form of peat. If drained, the carbon, which has been stored for thousands of years, is released into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. The destruction of wetlands and bogs leads to greater pollution, risk or flooding and loss of species.
Other images that Prigmore spoke about are plantation forests both growing and clear cut and new housing developments on Greenfield sites.
Justin Prigmore (52), Biodiversity Officer at the Cairngorm National Park said that he thinks the biggest ecological problems in Scotland today are human pressure and habitat fragmentation. Humankind has had a strong influence on shaping the land in Scotland for hundreds of years. Only one percent of the Caledonian forest still remains in remote glens, islands, steep cliffs or the edges of lochs. Time, the Iron Age, the Highland clearances and the building of empire have taken their toll. This loss of forest dramatically reduces the ability of species and ecological systems to function. For example the Twinflower, which grows in the Caledonian Forest is now endangered because the forest is so fragmented that there is not enough diversity within the gene pool. He also talked about the problem of conflicting land use. Deer and sheep eat any seedlings that grow. On grouse mores the Hen Harrier has been persecuted because it eats the grouse. Prigmore suggested that more cooperation is needed between those working the land and conservation organizations.
Prigmore also spoke about global warming. He thinks that it is important to be prepared for the potential negative consequences. Instead of spending huge sums on disaster relief, we would be better off looking at the risk areas and working to address those with natural, more cost effective systems now. For example, with global warming there is the increased threat of natural disasters such as heavy storms, which can lead to floods. Many of the rivers in Scotland are deforested around their source in the mountains. If we were to plant trees around the rivers, the roots would help to hold the water in the land, so that flooding did not occur downstream. Wetlands and bogs also help to prevent flooding and are under appreciated. Since the land is unusable for grazing and farming, bogs are often drained and destroyed. In reality they serve a valuable purpose and many think of these lush wet places as the kidneys of the Earth. The plants and microorganisms that live in bogs and wetlands clean and supply water to rivers and lochs. Bogs also store carbon in the form of peat. If drained, the carbon, which has been stored for thousands of years, is released into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. The destruction of wetlands and bogs leads to greater pollution, risk or flooding and loss of species.
Other images that Prigmore spoke about are plantation forests both growing and clear cut and new housing developments on Greenfield sites.
Thursday 11 June 2009
Interview with Susan Carstairs
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) National Waste Strategy Coordinator
Unsustainable lifestyles was the number one ecological problem identified by Susan Carstairs. She spoke about materialist society contributing to us overconsuming natural resources and creating excess waste. As the waste strategy coordinator for SEPA, she knows a lot about waste in Scotland. She says that we need to move towards changing our actions and values to consume less and also to recycle and compost waste. Capitalist society has created wealth and alongside waste. She talked about the problem of exporting our waste to other less industrialized countries in which it is not properly recycled and the people working are underpaid and exploited.
Images that she spoke of are dumps, she talked about the dump near Fort William and also in Aviemore. The sollution comes from compost schemes, recycling centers and community gardens.
Unsustainable lifestyles was the number one ecological problem identified by Susan Carstairs. She spoke about materialist society contributing to us overconsuming natural resources and creating excess waste. As the waste strategy coordinator for SEPA, she knows a lot about waste in Scotland. She says that we need to move towards changing our actions and values to consume less and also to recycle and compost waste. Capitalist society has created wealth and alongside waste. She talked about the problem of exporting our waste to other less industrialized countries in which it is not properly recycled and the people working are underpaid and exploited.
Images that she spoke of are dumps, she talked about the dump near Fort William and also in Aviemore. The sollution comes from compost schemes, recycling centers and community gardens.
Wednesday 3 June 2009
Interview with Dr. Gary Campbell
Dean of Faculty of Science & Technology, UHI
Dr. Gary Campbell had a slightly different perspective on my questions than previous interviewees. He identified climate change as being the biggest problem facing the world today but not specifically Scotland. He felt that in Scotland climate change may even have positive consequences, since warmer weather would be welcomed by many. He said that unless sea levels rose dramatically, Scotland did not have much to fear from climate change. When asked what he did feel was the biggest ecological problem in Scotland today, he spoke about loss of diversity. Many alpine and coastal species of plants, insects, birds and animals are endangered. When asked about solutions he talked about the importance of education, starting with the youngest children and continuing to university study. Images that he identified were the Ptarmigan and Capercaille as well as students engaged in learning about sustainability.
Dr. Gary Campbell had a slightly different perspective on my questions than previous interviewees. He identified climate change as being the biggest problem facing the world today but not specifically Scotland. He felt that in Scotland climate change may even have positive consequences, since warmer weather would be welcomed by many. He said that unless sea levels rose dramatically, Scotland did not have much to fear from climate change. When asked what he did feel was the biggest ecological problem in Scotland today, he spoke about loss of diversity. Many alpine and coastal species of plants, insects, birds and animals are endangered. When asked about solutions he talked about the importance of education, starting with the youngest children and continuing to university study. Images that he identified were the Ptarmigan and Capercaille as well as students engaged in learning about sustainability.
Tuesday 12 May 2009
Interview with Archie Prentice
Highlands and Islands Enterprise Sustainable Development and Environment Manager
Archie Prentice chose two issues to discuss during our interview. The first was global warming and the second was unsustainable use of resources. What interested me most about this interview was his use of personal imagery. He talked about the way in which ski resorts in Scotland have changed over the last ten years, and that now there is much less snow. He talked about his sadness about not being able to build a snowman with his child, despite living in Highlands of Scotland. He talked about the problems of waste disposal and local dumps in which the trash escapes from the cage and litters the landscape.
Archie Prentice chose two issues to discuss during our interview. The first was global warming and the second was unsustainable use of resources. What interested me most about this interview was his use of personal imagery. He talked about the way in which ski resorts in Scotland have changed over the last ten years, and that now there is much less snow. He talked about his sadness about not being able to build a snowman with his child, despite living in Highlands of Scotland. He talked about the problems of waste disposal and local dumps in which the trash escapes from the cage and litters the landscape.
Wednesday 6 May 2009
Interview with David Haley
Ecological Artist
“While I was sleeping, the time changed. The tense changed too. The new paradigm is here, now – ‘eco-culture’. Welcome to the future and a liberated ecological art. No longer do artists have to be prophets of doom, thinking the unthinkable, trying to change the attitudes of others and making a stand against society. The tide turned. Artists and scientists, teachers and politicians, commercialists and industrialists learned how to make the new world work – a new way of life – ‘ecopoiesis’.”
-David Haley from Watershed: a turning point in the future of art and ecology
I am intrigued by David Haley’s dream of ‘eco-culture’. During the seminar I had the opportunity to interview Haley and I asked him what eco-centric culture would be like. He responded that eco-centric culture would recognize the interconnectedness of all life and place ecological wellbeing at the forefront of culture. Instead of corporations and consumerism driving the culture, ecological harmony would be considered in all decisions. Is this science fiction? or a possible future? or even the only possible future? With the current ecological tipping points weighing the Earth towards disaster, what is clear to me is that things need to change.
David Haley is at the forefront of ecological art and his contribution to re-imagining the future and the role of art in creating connections between humanity and nature is admirable. It was exciting for me to interview Haley since I am engaged with ecological art and questioning the role of art within an ecological context. I began by asking him the same questions that I am asking participants in my latest video project. In this project I am interviewing experts and people involved in ecological work from throughout Scotland to gage the main ecological issues that are concerning them today. My intention is to create a video linking their answers with images of the problems and solutions that they mention. Finally I intend to choose one area covered in the interviews in order to delve deeper into a specific problem using photography and possibly a second video.
Through my experience I have found that asking difficult questions that require the person to take a stand are the most revealing. While I agree with Haley in his analysis that polarising life into problems and solutions is not always helpful, I think that asking questions with polarities in which the person must choose the biggest problem, greatest fear, or even describe the essence of who they are, produce fascinating answers. I asked, what do you think is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today? Why?, what can we do about it? and what images come to mind when you think about your response or when you think about the problems and the solutions? Haley’s response addressed looking at life as a whole system instead of just focusing on one issue. The problems we are facing are interrelated. He mentioned population and capitalism leading to species extinction and global warming. I enjoy this answer as I think it is clear that we must look at all of the factors that contribute to ecological instability and not just at one particular element of the puzzle. In terms of solutions he mentioned the role of art in contributing to changes in perception and in the importance of asking questions.
Instead of problem-based learning Haley is advocating question-based learning. The questions themselves can lead to interesting research. As engaged as I am with asking questions, I think that there is a danger in just focusing on the questions. It is too easy to sit on the fence or remain detached and in the intellectual world. I believe that it takes courage to address problems and come up with solutions. Perhaps instead of problem-based learning it could be called solution-based learning, since in this time the reality is there are many grave problems, social, ecological and economic, and what we need is people not just asking questions but inventing, creating and designing the future.
I come back to the place that I started and Haley’s idea of ‘eco-culture’; this is an exciting example of dreaming into the future. Artists can take liberties that other professions are not able to take. Artist’s can be imaginative, surreal, unpractical, they can think big, holistically, galactically, engaging interdisciplinary collaboration, intuition, spontaneity and freedom. From this soup there is the potential for radical new ideas to come forward. It is essential that in these times hope survives, and hope stems from new ways of thinking and imagining our place in connection with nature.
“While I was sleeping, the time changed. The tense changed too. The new paradigm is here, now – ‘eco-culture’. Welcome to the future and a liberated ecological art. No longer do artists have to be prophets of doom, thinking the unthinkable, trying to change the attitudes of others and making a stand against society. The tide turned. Artists and scientists, teachers and politicians, commercialists and industrialists learned how to make the new world work – a new way of life – ‘ecopoiesis’.”
-David Haley from Watershed: a turning point in the future of art and ecology
I am intrigued by David Haley’s dream of ‘eco-culture’. During the seminar I had the opportunity to interview Haley and I asked him what eco-centric culture would be like. He responded that eco-centric culture would recognize the interconnectedness of all life and place ecological wellbeing at the forefront of culture. Instead of corporations and consumerism driving the culture, ecological harmony would be considered in all decisions. Is this science fiction? or a possible future? or even the only possible future? With the current ecological tipping points weighing the Earth towards disaster, what is clear to me is that things need to change.
David Haley is at the forefront of ecological art and his contribution to re-imagining the future and the role of art in creating connections between humanity and nature is admirable. It was exciting for me to interview Haley since I am engaged with ecological art and questioning the role of art within an ecological context. I began by asking him the same questions that I am asking participants in my latest video project. In this project I am interviewing experts and people involved in ecological work from throughout Scotland to gage the main ecological issues that are concerning them today. My intention is to create a video linking their answers with images of the problems and solutions that they mention. Finally I intend to choose one area covered in the interviews in order to delve deeper into a specific problem using photography and possibly a second video.
Through my experience I have found that asking difficult questions that require the person to take a stand are the most revealing. While I agree with Haley in his analysis that polarising life into problems and solutions is not always helpful, I think that asking questions with polarities in which the person must choose the biggest problem, greatest fear, or even describe the essence of who they are, produce fascinating answers. I asked, what do you think is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today? Why?, what can we do about it? and what images come to mind when you think about your response or when you think about the problems and the solutions? Haley’s response addressed looking at life as a whole system instead of just focusing on one issue. The problems we are facing are interrelated. He mentioned population and capitalism leading to species extinction and global warming. I enjoy this answer as I think it is clear that we must look at all of the factors that contribute to ecological instability and not just at one particular element of the puzzle. In terms of solutions he mentioned the role of art in contributing to changes in perception and in the importance of asking questions.
Instead of problem-based learning Haley is advocating question-based learning. The questions themselves can lead to interesting research. As engaged as I am with asking questions, I think that there is a danger in just focusing on the questions. It is too easy to sit on the fence or remain detached and in the intellectual world. I believe that it takes courage to address problems and come up with solutions. Perhaps instead of problem-based learning it could be called solution-based learning, since in this time the reality is there are many grave problems, social, ecological and economic, and what we need is people not just asking questions but inventing, creating and designing the future.
I come back to the place that I started and Haley’s idea of ‘eco-culture’; this is an exciting example of dreaming into the future. Artists can take liberties that other professions are not able to take. Artist’s can be imaginative, surreal, unpractical, they can think big, holistically, galactically, engaging interdisciplinary collaboration, intuition, spontaneity and freedom. From this soup there is the potential for radical new ideas to come forward. It is essential that in these times hope survives, and hope stems from new ways of thinking and imagining our place in connection with nature.
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Interview with Gillian Mcknight
Head of Conservation at Scottish Agricultural College
Gillian Mcknight is knowledgeable about agriculture in Scotland. She is also an expert in Scottish species and those that are at risk or endangered. In response to my questions she talked about climate change and food security as being the major ecological problems in Scotland today. In a culture of cheap food and materialism it is easy not to look beneath the shiny surface to the chemicals and harmful effects. Industrialized food has high inputs in terms of chemicals. Degraded landscapes lead to loss of biodiversity as wildplants are killed off or lose their native habitat. She mentioned the decline of bee populations which will contribute to lower yields and loss of fertility. Global warming in Scotland also contributes to loss of mountain alpine habitats and therefore to the fragile species that live in these unique zones.
Gillian Mcknight is knowledgeable about agriculture in Scotland. She is also an expert in Scottish species and those that are at risk or endangered. In response to my questions she talked about climate change and food security as being the major ecological problems in Scotland today. In a culture of cheap food and materialism it is easy not to look beneath the shiny surface to the chemicals and harmful effects. Industrialized food has high inputs in terms of chemicals. Degraded landscapes lead to loss of biodiversity as wildplants are killed off or lose their native habitat. She mentioned the decline of bee populations which will contribute to lower yields and loss of fertility. Global warming in Scotland also contributes to loss of mountain alpine habitats and therefore to the fragile species that live in these unique zones.
Tuesday 14 April 2009
Interview with John Tracey
Head Teacher at Kingussie School
Materialism was the biggest ecological problem identified by John Tracey. He talked about experiences of having student exchanges between Malawi and Scotland and that the people in Malawi had much less material goods but seemed to have more joy. Material possessions do not bring happiness. The pursuit of possessions leads to long hours of work in order to earn enough money to support a rich lifestyle. This in turn leads to less quality time with friends and family or engaged in leisure activities. In purchasing new items we are also contributing to the depletion of natural resources.
The solution suggested by the head teacher at Kingussie School was education. Experiences like exchanges with people from other countries can bring perspective on what really matters.
The image of materialism that John Tracey talked about was of a family shopping on the weekend each with bags full of new items.
The positive image was of a card in which people from all over the Earth are holding hands in peace.
Materialism was the biggest ecological problem identified by John Tracey. He talked about experiences of having student exchanges between Malawi and Scotland and that the people in Malawi had much less material goods but seemed to have more joy. Material possessions do not bring happiness. The pursuit of possessions leads to long hours of work in order to earn enough money to support a rich lifestyle. This in turn leads to less quality time with friends and family or engaged in leisure activities. In purchasing new items we are also contributing to the depletion of natural resources.
The solution suggested by the head teacher at Kingussie School was education. Experiences like exchanges with people from other countries can bring perspective on what really matters.
The image of materialism that John Tracey talked about was of a family shopping on the weekend each with bags full of new items.
The positive image was of a card in which people from all over the Earth are holding hands in peace.
Friday 3 April 2009
Re-imagining Ecological Perception, a practice led enquiry through art into the relationship between self-identity and global ecological instability
Scientists warn that desertification, natural disasters, migration, loss of natural diversity and sea level rise will change our planet. Yet we live as if it is business as usual within the momentum of our industrial world. This inquiry is seeking the essence of the collision between the macro and the micro. Can artistic endeavour focus on this fulcrum of denial, disconnection, dissociation with the natural world and the hope of mitigation and the struggle of adaptation? How does art perform distinctively from other modes of address in the public sphere?
My intention is not to describe or solve environmental problems, but instead to capture and portray the emotional and intellectual complexity of how we actually experience their meaning. Through art research I aim to make vivid and lay bare the paradoxes of human responses and experiences. Science mandates an objective position, which is itself part of the problem because it tends towards detachment and disconnection from nature. Public policy aggregates experience and mediates common sense with political rhetoric. I am interested in critically exploring the possibilities and limitations of art practice including my own, to locate understanding of this issue in experience. How might an artistic approach re-imagine the connections between self, other selves, place and planet? How might artistic imagination represent and redress rupture and its consequences in practices of everyday life?
During my MFA I have developed the 'self-portrait' in a distinctive way. Instead of portraying myself, I provided the inspiration, space, equipment for others to reflect by taking their own photographic or video self-portraits and through interviews, to give voice to their reasons for choices. I asked two opposing questions - where and when do you feel your best and most in touch with who you are? And Where and when do you feel most disconnected? The person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, action and expression; hence the truth of the moment is not externally driven but instead comes from within.
Photography and video are mediums of everyday communication. How does this approach compare as a mode of address to forms of communication that surround climate change, such as the COP 15 website http://en.cop15.dk? What metaphors are commonly used and what is their intention? The COP 15 website deploys the same materials of communication as the self-portraits. What aesthetics are operating within their images of a 'Paradise Lost', of 'action against' and 'of 'combat', of 'painful reductions', 'blinkered debate' and 'irreversible tipping points'? What qualities of human relations and processes are evoked in the rhetoric of language and intention?
There is a sensory and aesthetic dimension to 'handling' change and 'shifting' ground. This research will analyse methods and their aesthetic implications in public (selected websites, pamphlets, policy docs and scientific papers) and in private (through conversation and portrayal with selected individuals across age groups, nationalities and lifestyles, adhering closely to RGU's ethics code). It will scrutinise and harness metaphor, tone of voice, mood and emotion in conceptualising and communicating attitudes and feelings (Years 1-3). It will analyze methods for 'flipping' metaphor to open up new perspectives - the poetics of critical rhetoric in the practices of relevant ecological artists (Hans Haacke, the Harrisons, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto, David Haley and Suzanne Lacy (Year 1). The research will be further informed by the philosophy of Deep Ecology and its connection to ecological perception, looking at the work of Arne Naess and Joanna Macy and explore the anatomy of rhetoric, including metaphor (Schon, Lakoff and Johnson)(Year 1).
This research will result in insights into how our imaginations, values and actions are shaped through different qualities of communication within everyday practice in relation to climate change, juxtaposing and evaluating received public modes of address with the criticality of artistic modes designed to disrupt, question, reconnect. The research will be articulated through a written thesis and related body of experimental artwork tested and disseminated through art and ecology networks (greenmuseum.org, RSA, RANE).
My intention is not to describe or solve environmental problems, but instead to capture and portray the emotional and intellectual complexity of how we actually experience their meaning. Through art research I aim to make vivid and lay bare the paradoxes of human responses and experiences. Science mandates an objective position, which is itself part of the problem because it tends towards detachment and disconnection from nature. Public policy aggregates experience and mediates common sense with political rhetoric. I am interested in critically exploring the possibilities and limitations of art practice including my own, to locate understanding of this issue in experience. How might an artistic approach re-imagine the connections between self, other selves, place and planet? How might artistic imagination represent and redress rupture and its consequences in practices of everyday life?
During my MFA I have developed the 'self-portrait' in a distinctive way. Instead of portraying myself, I provided the inspiration, space, equipment for others to reflect by taking their own photographic or video self-portraits and through interviews, to give voice to their reasons for choices. I asked two opposing questions - where and when do you feel your best and most in touch with who you are? And Where and when do you feel most disconnected? The person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, action and expression; hence the truth of the moment is not externally driven but instead comes from within.
Photography and video are mediums of everyday communication. How does this approach compare as a mode of address to forms of communication that surround climate change, such as the COP 15 website http://en.cop15.dk? What metaphors are commonly used and what is their intention? The COP 15 website deploys the same materials of communication as the self-portraits. What aesthetics are operating within their images of a 'Paradise Lost', of 'action against' and 'of 'combat', of 'painful reductions', 'blinkered debate' and 'irreversible tipping points'? What qualities of human relations and processes are evoked in the rhetoric of language and intention?
There is a sensory and aesthetic dimension to 'handling' change and 'shifting' ground. This research will analyse methods and their aesthetic implications in public (selected websites, pamphlets, policy docs and scientific papers) and in private (through conversation and portrayal with selected individuals across age groups, nationalities and lifestyles, adhering closely to RGU's ethics code). It will scrutinise and harness metaphor, tone of voice, mood and emotion in conceptualising and communicating attitudes and feelings (Years 1-3). It will analyze methods for 'flipping' metaphor to open up new perspectives - the poetics of critical rhetoric in the practices of relevant ecological artists (Hans Haacke, the Harrisons, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto, David Haley and Suzanne Lacy (Year 1). The research will be further informed by the philosophy of Deep Ecology and its connection to ecological perception, looking at the work of Arne Naess and Joanna Macy and explore the anatomy of rhetoric, including metaphor (Schon, Lakoff and Johnson)(Year 1).
This research will result in insights into how our imaginations, values and actions are shaped through different qualities of communication within everyday practice in relation to climate change, juxtaposing and evaluating received public modes of address with the criticality of artistic modes designed to disrupt, question, reconnect. The research will be articulated through a written thesis and related body of experimental artwork tested and disseminated through art and ecology networks (greenmuseum.org, RSA, RANE).
Friday 27 March 2009
Re-imagining Ecological Perception, a practice led enquiry through art into the relationship between self-identity and ecology
The way we see ourselves in relationship to the external environment affects the choices we make and contributes to how we interact with nature. Similarly the state of the environment affects our self-image and therefore sense of self-worth, and ultimately our actions. Can art practice usefully address and inform the relationship of self-identity to the external environment? What qualities of such art practice are the most relevant at this time?
We are in a great planetary dilemma. Many scientists warn that environmental change will destroy much of our way of life. Desertification, natural disasters, migration, loss of natural diversity and sea level rise will change our planet. Yet we all live as if it is business as usual within the momentum of our industrial world. Can artistic endeavour focus on this fulcrum and express the denial, the disconnection, the dissociation with the natural world, the hope of mitigation and the struggle of adaptation? Like other times of great cultural and political change, this is rich ground for the artist. It is beyond recording. It is seeking the essence of the collision between the macro and the micro and creating a body of work that is both practice led enquiry and expression.
My intention is not to describe or solve environmental problems, but instead to capture and artistically portray the relationship between the individual and global environmental issues. I aim to make vivid and lay bare the paradoxes of human responses and experiences. Science mandates an objective position, which causes detachment and disconnection from nature and therefore the possibility for ecological degradation. I am interested in exploring the possibilities of art to create a different construction of knowledge, a process that is personal, with the potential to create an emotional response and deepen connection and understanding.
During my MFA I explored the self-portrait as an artist using a new method and in a new intellectual and physical context. Instead of portraying myself, I provided the inspiration, space and equipment for other people to take their own photographic or video self-portraits. The self-portrait is unique in that the person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, action and expression; hence the truth of the moment is not externally driven but instead comes from within. I asked two opposing questions - where and when do you feel your best and most in touch with who you are? And where and when do you feel most disconnected? Photography and video are mediums of everyday perception. Collaborating with non-artists, these mediums are appropriate because of their familiarity.
For this research, I would collaborate with individuals to create an artistic expression of the essential features of their relationship with global environmental issues. Through interactions, photographs and video work, the objective would be to experience directly the lifestyle and worldview of each person. Their chosen focus might be work, home, family, travel or nature. Scenes would be created that best express their key moments of insight and expression. How are people grappling with global ecological instability and in what ways is change taking place? I would interview and collaborate with people from different geographical regions, different professions and from a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds. The output of this research will be a written thesis, and a body of artwork that engages the public through its creation and also through an art exhibition.
I am interested in dialogical practices; like those described by Grant Kester and Suzanne Lacy. In these forms of practice the artist begins from a place of listening, of generating questions and opportunities for dialogue. To expand my method of working into doctoral practice based research, I would analyse the work of other artists in the field of Ecological Art, such as Tim Collins, Reiko Goto and Basia Irland who are engaged in exploring human/ecology relationships through the lens of art. The Harrison’s use of “conversational drift” and metaphor is relevant to the language of the interview and the insight that can come from addressing local and global ecological problems through a creative artistic approach. The philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas is relevant to the concept of alterity and Paulo Freire to the process of listening and including participants in a collaborative or democratic fashion. I am interested in Lucy Lippard’s studies into the value of connecting to place and our local environment and Yale Professor Stephen Kellert’s research into Restorative Environmental Design with a strong vernacular relationship to place. Also relevant is Deep Ecology and the work of Arne Naess.
Work plan summary:
Year One - Intense analysis of relevant texts / practices with the intent to draw out the qualities that best address perception in relationship to ecology. Art Practice will inform and contribute to this research.
Year Two – Continuation of analysis and practice.
Year Three – Written thesis on how art practice can usefully address and inform the relationship of self-identity to the external environment. Exhibition of final artwork.
We are in a great planetary dilemma. Many scientists warn that environmental change will destroy much of our way of life. Desertification, natural disasters, migration, loss of natural diversity and sea level rise will change our planet. Yet we all live as if it is business as usual within the momentum of our industrial world. Can artistic endeavour focus on this fulcrum and express the denial, the disconnection, the dissociation with the natural world, the hope of mitigation and the struggle of adaptation? Like other times of great cultural and political change, this is rich ground for the artist. It is beyond recording. It is seeking the essence of the collision between the macro and the micro and creating a body of work that is both practice led enquiry and expression.
My intention is not to describe or solve environmental problems, but instead to capture and artistically portray the relationship between the individual and global environmental issues. I aim to make vivid and lay bare the paradoxes of human responses and experiences. Science mandates an objective position, which causes detachment and disconnection from nature and therefore the possibility for ecological degradation. I am interested in exploring the possibilities of art to create a different construction of knowledge, a process that is personal, with the potential to create an emotional response and deepen connection and understanding.
During my MFA I explored the self-portrait as an artist using a new method and in a new intellectual and physical context. Instead of portraying myself, I provided the inspiration, space and equipment for other people to take their own photographic or video self-portraits. The self-portrait is unique in that the person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, action and expression; hence the truth of the moment is not externally driven but instead comes from within. I asked two opposing questions - where and when do you feel your best and most in touch with who you are? And where and when do you feel most disconnected? Photography and video are mediums of everyday perception. Collaborating with non-artists, these mediums are appropriate because of their familiarity.
For this research, I would collaborate with individuals to create an artistic expression of the essential features of their relationship with global environmental issues. Through interactions, photographs and video work, the objective would be to experience directly the lifestyle and worldview of each person. Their chosen focus might be work, home, family, travel or nature. Scenes would be created that best express their key moments of insight and expression. How are people grappling with global ecological instability and in what ways is change taking place? I would interview and collaborate with people from different geographical regions, different professions and from a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds. The output of this research will be a written thesis, and a body of artwork that engages the public through its creation and also through an art exhibition.
I am interested in dialogical practices; like those described by Grant Kester and Suzanne Lacy. In these forms of practice the artist begins from a place of listening, of generating questions and opportunities for dialogue. To expand my method of working into doctoral practice based research, I would analyse the work of other artists in the field of Ecological Art, such as Tim Collins, Reiko Goto and Basia Irland who are engaged in exploring human/ecology relationships through the lens of art. The Harrison’s use of “conversational drift” and metaphor is relevant to the language of the interview and the insight that can come from addressing local and global ecological problems through a creative artistic approach. The philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas is relevant to the concept of alterity and Paulo Freire to the process of listening and including participants in a collaborative or democratic fashion. I am interested in Lucy Lippard’s studies into the value of connecting to place and our local environment and Yale Professor Stephen Kellert’s research into Restorative Environmental Design with a strong vernacular relationship to place. Also relevant is Deep Ecology and the work of Arne Naess.
Work plan summary:
Year One - Intense analysis of relevant texts / practices with the intent to draw out the qualities that best address perception in relationship to ecology. Art Practice will inform and contribute to this research.
Year Two – Continuation of analysis and practice.
Year Three – Written thesis on how art practice can usefully address and inform the relationship of self-identity to the external environment. Exhibition of final artwork.
Monday 23 March 2009
Interview with Carin Schwartz
Director of Transition Town Forres
Food supply and the way in which we grow, distribute and consume food in Scotland, are the problems that Carin Schwartz feels are the biggest. Forty years of intensive farming has changed the soil and the way people relate to food. Most people no longer grow their own food or buy from local farmers and instead they shop in huge supermarkets that import food from all over the world. The conventional agriculture methods of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are carbon intensive and pollute the soil and ground water. The chemicals also stay in the food and contribute to illness and disease.
Carin suggested that we need to support local organic farmers and grow our own food. She is working to create allotments, and a farmers market in Forres, as part of the Transition Town movement. She talked about the need to reconnect with seasonal produce and learn to enjoy the foods that grow in Scotland instead of buying exotic produce from overseas.
She spoke about the reaction of overwhelm to global warming and the public's need to learn how to make changes in thier lives. People want to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
The images that Carin spoke about are: a huge field with ten combine harvesters in a V formation using tremendous amounts of energy vs. a pasture with cows grazing outside year round without the need for extra grain.
Food supply and the way in which we grow, distribute and consume food in Scotland, are the problems that Carin Schwartz feels are the biggest. Forty years of intensive farming has changed the soil and the way people relate to food. Most people no longer grow their own food or buy from local farmers and instead they shop in huge supermarkets that import food from all over the world. The conventional agriculture methods of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are carbon intensive and pollute the soil and ground water. The chemicals also stay in the food and contribute to illness and disease.
Carin suggested that we need to support local organic farmers and grow our own food. She is working to create allotments, and a farmers market in Forres, as part of the Transition Town movement. She talked about the need to reconnect with seasonal produce and learn to enjoy the foods that grow in Scotland instead of buying exotic produce from overseas.
She spoke about the reaction of overwhelm to global warming and the public's need to learn how to make changes in thier lives. People want to be part of the solution not part of the problem.
The images that Carin spoke about are: a huge field with ten combine harvesters in a V formation using tremendous amounts of energy vs. a pasture with cows grazing outside year round without the need for extra grain.
Thursday 12 March 2009
Interview with Morag Watson
Education Policy Officer World Wildlife Fund Scotland
Morag Wilson feels that the over consumption of the Earth’s resources is the biggest ecological problem. If everyone in the world consumed like the average Scottish person we would need three planets. She identified the growth economy as contributing to our desire for more. People still judge success through the acquisition of luxury items, bigger house, fancy cars etc.. She spoke about the need to down size, that there is the potential to have a higher quality of life if we create economic and social change.
The WWF is looking at alternative economic models and she has faith in the ingenuity of humans to come up with a system that will be sustainable.
The image that Morag described is a one planet green future. She said it is important to focus on the green and not the grey.
Morag Wilson feels that the over consumption of the Earth’s resources is the biggest ecological problem. If everyone in the world consumed like the average Scottish person we would need three planets. She identified the growth economy as contributing to our desire for more. People still judge success through the acquisition of luxury items, bigger house, fancy cars etc.. She spoke about the need to down size, that there is the potential to have a higher quality of life if we create economic and social change.
The WWF is looking at alternative economic models and she has faith in the ingenuity of humans to come up with a system that will be sustainable.
The image that Morag described is a one planet green future. She said it is important to focus on the green and not the grey.
Monday 9 March 2009
Interview with Dr. Daniel Wahl
Head of Programme Development and Academic Outreach at Findhorn College
Dr. Daniel Wahl believes that the disconnect between humanity and nature is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today. Too often, he claims, we do not consider humanity to be part of nature and this lack of connection contributes to our over consumption of natural resources and polluting habits. He traced the source of this disconnection to church influences, the way in which Judeo-Christian religion saw man as having dominion over nature. The Church was also suspicious of those who knew about the healing powers of plants and burned many herbalists at the stake as witches. Science and thinkers such as Descartes furthered the disconnect with views that animals did feel pain and science encouraged a detached objective observer. Embodied sensous experiences of nature were viewed as less intelligent and acceptable.
Antidotes to this disconnect can be found in growing food and in philosophy and experience of Deep Ecology and Ecopsychology. It is necessary for our worldview and values to change in order for us to make practical changes to live more sustainable lifestyles.
The images that came to Daniel were the difference between a natural philosopher with a stick and a backpack on a mountain trail compared with a guy in a white coat in a laboratory looking at nature through a microscope. He also spoke about images of seeds sprouting through asphalt sidewalks or flowers growing through cracks in a wall.
Dr. Daniel Wahl believes that the disconnect between humanity and nature is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today. Too often, he claims, we do not consider humanity to be part of nature and this lack of connection contributes to our over consumption of natural resources and polluting habits. He traced the source of this disconnection to church influences, the way in which Judeo-Christian religion saw man as having dominion over nature. The Church was also suspicious of those who knew about the healing powers of plants and burned many herbalists at the stake as witches. Science and thinkers such as Descartes furthered the disconnect with views that animals did feel pain and science encouraged a detached objective observer. Embodied sensous experiences of nature were viewed as less intelligent and acceptable.
Antidotes to this disconnect can be found in growing food and in philosophy and experience of Deep Ecology and Ecopsychology. It is necessary for our worldview and values to change in order for us to make practical changes to live more sustainable lifestyles.
The images that came to Daniel were the difference between a natural philosopher with a stick and a backpack on a mountain trail compared with a guy in a white coat in a laboratory looking at nature through a microscope. He also spoke about images of seeds sprouting through asphalt sidewalks or flowers growing through cracks in a wall.
Monday 2 March 2009
Interview with Alex Walker
Director of Ekopia
Summary:
Alex identified the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today to be our unsustainable lifestyles. The fact that we are using more resources than the Earth can sustain, is contributing to all ecological problems. He said that Global Warming is not the main problem but instead a symptom of over-consumption of resources due to unsustainable lifestyle habits.
In response to the question, why is this happening? he spoke about the difference between this generation and his father’s generation. In his father’s time the goal was to meet basic needs and live comfortably, there was no awareness of the ecological consequences of consumption. Now that the majority of people in the UK enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, he says, we are still caught up in trying to consume more, live in bigger homes, or buy the latest gadgets. He said that there is evidence that after a certain level of prosperity, in which our needs for housing, food, clothing, leisure activities, and friendship have been met, happiness no longer increases. He said that now, instead of continuing to buy more, it is time to be satisfied with what we have.
Alex conjectured that we have most of the solutions we need to solve this problem. We have technologies to supply renewable energy and the examples of Ecovillages such as the Findhorn Foundation where the community generates more electricity from the wind than it uses. It is time to limit unnecessary spending and focus on living well within the means of the Earth.
The images that Alex spoke about was the difference between a huge mall filled with chain stores versus a farmers market or high street with unique shops selling locally produced products.
Summary:
Alex identified the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today to be our unsustainable lifestyles. The fact that we are using more resources than the Earth can sustain, is contributing to all ecological problems. He said that Global Warming is not the main problem but instead a symptom of over-consumption of resources due to unsustainable lifestyle habits.
In response to the question, why is this happening? he spoke about the difference between this generation and his father’s generation. In his father’s time the goal was to meet basic needs and live comfortably, there was no awareness of the ecological consequences of consumption. Now that the majority of people in the UK enjoy a comfortable lifestyle, he says, we are still caught up in trying to consume more, live in bigger homes, or buy the latest gadgets. He said that there is evidence that after a certain level of prosperity, in which our needs for housing, food, clothing, leisure activities, and friendship have been met, happiness no longer increases. He said that now, instead of continuing to buy more, it is time to be satisfied with what we have.
Alex conjectured that we have most of the solutions we need to solve this problem. We have technologies to supply renewable energy and the examples of Ecovillages such as the Findhorn Foundation where the community generates more electricity from the wind than it uses. It is time to limit unnecessary spending and focus on living well within the means of the Earth.
The images that Alex spoke about was the difference between a huge mall filled with chain stores versus a farmers market or high street with unique shops selling locally produced products.
Saturday 21 February 2009
An Interview with Jonathan Dawson
President of the Global Ecovillage Network
This interview is part of a larger project in which I am interviewing experts from throughout my area of Scotland on what they feel are the biggest ecological problems facing Scotland today. All interviews are on video.
Summary:
In response to my question “What do you think is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today? Jonathan responded that global warming is the biggest worldwide problem and therefore also the biggest problem for Scotland.
Why? The threats of global warming will affect all countries, as we are interdependent, and the UK could face rising sea levels, and incoming climate change refugees.
When asked what we could do about the problem, he spoke passionately about the need for political action to convince politicians to cut emissions and embrace a climate change treaty. The upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen from the 7th – 18th of December is an important event that will shape worldwide government action about climate change. In 1997 the US senate rejected the Kyoto Protocal 95-0. Many hope that Barack Obama will take a very different stance than the Bush administration. Jonathan feels that we all need to get involved spreading the message about Copenhagen, writing to polititians, protesting and creating guerrilla art.
The associated images that came to mind for Jonathan were not of the destruction of climate change but instead of people coming together to tackle the problem, and having fun in the process.
This interview is part of a larger project in which I am interviewing experts from throughout my area of Scotland on what they feel are the biggest ecological problems facing Scotland today. All interviews are on video.
Summary:
In response to my question “What do you think is the biggest ecological problem facing Scotland today? Jonathan responded that global warming is the biggest worldwide problem and therefore also the biggest problem for Scotland.
Why? The threats of global warming will affect all countries, as we are interdependent, and the UK could face rising sea levels, and incoming climate change refugees.
When asked what we could do about the problem, he spoke passionately about the need for political action to convince politicians to cut emissions and embrace a climate change treaty. The upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Copenhagen from the 7th – 18th of December is an important event that will shape worldwide government action about climate change. In 1997 the US senate rejected the Kyoto Protocal 95-0. Many hope that Barack Obama will take a very different stance than the Bush administration. Jonathan feels that we all need to get involved spreading the message about Copenhagen, writing to polititians, protesting and creating guerrilla art.
The associated images that came to mind for Jonathan were not of the destruction of climate change but instead of people coming together to tackle the problem, and having fun in the process.
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Is there a relationship between individual self-image and global environmental change?
How might methods of art production reveal and inform the relationship between self-identity and ecological instability?
The self-portrait is an artistic method with a rich history. The self-portrait can be a window into the inner life of a person or a display of vanity and narcissism. It is highly charged in that the person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, the action and the expression; hence the truth of the moment is not external but instead coming from within. I am engaged in exploring the self-portrait as an artist using a new method and in a new intellectual and physical context. Instead of portraying myself, I provide the inspiration, space, permission, and equipment for other people to take their own photographic or video self-portraits. Through the interaction, the participant is required to consider carefully their internal environment, emotion, and reaction to the stimulus, effectively to construct a human relationship with the natural world and natural resources. I aim to reveal how this is shifting as we awaken to ecological degradation.
In a climate of change, both physical and metaphorical, human alienation from the natural world is creating ecological crisis. How does the concept of “The Other” relate to the ethics of responsibility in the philosophy of Levinas (1) when “The Other” is not a person but the Biosphere? What are the ways in which we feel interconnected and the ways in which we feel separate? From the over-consumption of fossil fuels to the destruction of the equivalent of fifty football fields of rainforest every minute (2), from over-fishing, to the floating plastic garbage island the size of the USA in the middle of the Pacific (3), the disconnect between our way of life and the environmental consequences is reaching a tipping point (4). An important aspect of this tipping is evident in rising consciousness about the gravity of the problems we are facing. Scientists have been explicit about the dangers of global warming and the threats of increased natural disasters, water shortages, disease and desertification if action is not taken quickly to reduce our impact. Meanwhile the economy is also facing a crisis and through the combination of ecological and economic fear, more people are evaluating their lifestyles, habits and needs in the context of the ecological and economic impact of energy, transport, food, home, shopping and work. However, the scale of the problems is so large that it is easy to feel that whatever change we might attempt personally is too little too late. Is there a relationship between self-image and our ability to grasp global ecological instability?
I am interested to research the quality of experience of the gap between the micro and the macro. In this unique period in human history and the history of the Earth, it is important to study how people are reacting to the threats of climate change, natural disasters, and loss of diversity. Information about climate change has largely come through the field of science and is mainly interpreted through a scientific paradigm. This is clearly important but in some ways there is a disconnection between the facts and our ability to fully comprehend and tackle the issues. Using an artistic paradigm to research these issues incorporates a creative inclusive process and the artwork itself can stimulate further dialogue and deepen understanding. What are the ways in which we are attempting to reconnect with nature versus the ways in which we live in denial or fall into hopelessness, depression and addiction? I feel that examining identity through the self-portrait is a relevant process for studying consciousness shifts of ecological awareness.
In my recent work the self-portraits have taken the form of photographs in which the participant used a remote shutter release to capture themselves in the setting in which they felt best and most connected to the ephemeral essence of who they are. I also asked participants to reveal where they felt most disconnected and together we created the environment and mood for the self-portrait to be an authentic expression of disconnection. Using video, I interviewed the participants, hearing directly from them the reasons for the choices they made. In taking responsibility for the moment, the participant chooses to reveal a highly personal aspect of themselves. The art expands to encompass more than my own vision and becomes collaborative and unpredictable. This project was exhibited at Grays School of Art in September, 2008.
To expand my method of working into doctoral practice based research on the theme of the self-portrait as insight into the consciousness of ecological change, I would engage a diversity of people and environmental experts from throughout Scotland. This would involve in-depth interviews that inform the creation of self-portraits in relation to their perceptions, questions and everyday experiences of ecology. I am inspired by what Grant Kester calls “Dialogical Art” (5) and Suzanne Lacy calls “New Genre Public Art” (6). In these forms of practice the artist begins from a place of listening, of generating questions and opportunities for dialogue.
How is the self-image of someone whose livelihood is directly dependent on the natural world, (such as a crofter on Harris) different from someone living in a large city (such as an office worker in Glasgow)? How is the self-portrait of someone who’s ecological or carbon footprint is twice the size of the national average different from someone who’s footprint is half the size of the national average? The interviews and portraits would address the relationships between each person and the natural environment, energy, transport, food, home, shopping and work as mentioned before. Through these interactions, photographs and video interviews, the objective would be to experience directly the lifestyle and worldview of each person in relationship with nature. How are people in Scotland grappling with global ecological instability and in what ways is change taking place? I would interview and collaborate with people from different geographical regions in Scotland, different professions and from a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds.
I would analyze the work of other artists in the field of Ecological Art such as the Harrisons, Betsy Damon, Shai Zakai, Gavin Renwick, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto Collins and art groups including N55, Platform, Common Ground, Wochen Klauser, RANE, and Superflex. The work of the Harrisons is particularly relevant as they are among the founders of Ecological Art. Their interactive practice and use of conversational drift and metaphor is relevant to the language of the interview and the insight that can come from addressing local and global ecological problems through a creative artistic approach. My research would also build on the doctoral studies of Tim Collins and Reiko Goto Collins. The philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (7) is relevant to the concept of alterity and Paulo Freire (8) to the process of listening and including participants in a collaborative or democratic fashion as I explore the self-portraits as collaboration. I am interested in Lucy Lippard’s studies (9) into the value of connecting to place and our local environment and Yale Professor Stephen Kellert’s research into Restorative Environmental Design (10) with a strong vernacular relationship to place. Also relevant is Deep Ecology and the work of Arne Naess (11). The output of this research will be a written thesis and a body of artwork and interviews that engages the public through its creation and also through an art exhibition.
Biographical summary
I would bring relevant experience to this research as I have worked for four years as the art director for an ecological engineering company, The Ecovillage Institute. EVI designs ecological bioremediation systems as well as consulting for carbon-neutral developments and educational work. I am the tutor for the Design for Sustainability Ecology Module online, which is part of the United Nations endorsed Gaia Education programme in cooperation with the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. I will finish my Masters degree from Grays School of Art in the Autumn and my thesis is on Ecological Art. I have worked on various interdisciplinary teams bringing in an artistic sensibility to industrial and municipal projects. I feel that my research could increase the understanding of the role of the artist in relationship to ecology and in bridging the gap between the micro and the macro through an exploration of personal responses to ecological change in Scotland.
Endnotes
1. Levinas, Emmanuel, and Richard A. Cohen. Humanism of the Other. Trans. Nidra Poller. New York: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
2. Laurance, William. "A Tropical Storm." Ecologist Nov. 2008: 86.
3. Marks, Kathy, and Daniel Howden. "The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan." The Independent 5 Feb. 2008.
4. Pearce, Fred. With Speed and Violence : Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. New York: Beacon Press, 2008.
5. Kester, Grant H. Conversation Pieces - Community and Communication in Modern Art. New York: University of California Press, 2004.
6. Lacy, Suzanne, ed. Mapping the Terrain : New Genre Public Art. New York: Bay Press, 1995.
7. Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity : An Essay on Exteriority. Trans. Alphonso Lingis. New York: Duquesne University Press, 1969.
8. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. Myra B. Ramos. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1972.
9. Lippard, Lucy R. The Lure of the Local : Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New Press, 1998.
10. Kellert, Stephen R. Building for Life : Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection. New York: Island Press, 2005.
11. Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle : Outline of an Ecosophy. Trans. David Rothenberg. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Indicative Bibliography
Samuel Moyn, Origins of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas between Revelation and Ethics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005.
Bishop, Claire. Participation. New York: MIT Press, 2006.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. The Evolving Self. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
Edwards, Andres R., and David Orr. The Sustainability Revolution : Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. New York: New Society, Limited, 2005.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Heart. London: Burns & Oates, 1997.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. Myra B. Ramos. New York: Penguin Books, Limited, 1972.
Hawken, Paul. Blessed Unrest : How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being, and Why No One Saw It Coming. New York: Viking Adult, 2007.
Kellert, Stephen R. Building for Life : Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection. New York: Island Press, 2005.
Kester, Grant H. Conversation Pieces - Community and Communication in Modern Art. New York: University of California P, 2004.
Lacy, Suzanne, ed. Mapping the Terrain : New Genre Public Art. New York: Bay Press, Incorporated, 1995.
Laurance, William. "A Tropical Storm." Ecologist Nov. 2008: 86.
Levinas, Emmanuel, and Richard A. Cohen. Humanism of the Other. Trans. Nidra Poller. New York: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity : An Essay on Exteriority. Trans. Alphonso Lingis. New York: Duquesne University Press, 1969.
Lippard, Lucy R. On the Beaten Track : Tourism, Art and Place. New York: New Press, 2000.
Lippard, Lucy R. The Lure of the Local : Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New P, The, 1998.
Marks, Kathy, and Daniel Howden. "The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan." The Independent 5 Feb. 2008.
Naess, Arne, Alan R. Drengson, and Bill Devall. Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess. New York: Counterpoint Press, 2008.
Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle : Outline of an Ecosophy. Trans. David Rothenberg. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Pearce, Fred. With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. New York: Beacon Press, 2008.
Roszak, Theodore. Ecopsychology : Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. Ed. Mary E. Gomes and Allen D. Kanner. New York: University of California Press, 1995.
Sessions, George. Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century. Minneapolis:Shambhala Publications, Incorporated, 1995.
The self-portrait is an artistic method with a rich history. The self-portrait can be a window into the inner life of a person or a display of vanity and narcissism. It is highly charged in that the person creating the portrait takes responsibility for the inspiration, setting, the action and the expression; hence the truth of the moment is not external but instead coming from within. I am engaged in exploring the self-portrait as an artist using a new method and in a new intellectual and physical context. Instead of portraying myself, I provide the inspiration, space, permission, and equipment for other people to take their own photographic or video self-portraits. Through the interaction, the participant is required to consider carefully their internal environment, emotion, and reaction to the stimulus, effectively to construct a human relationship with the natural world and natural resources. I aim to reveal how this is shifting as we awaken to ecological degradation.
In a climate of change, both physical and metaphorical, human alienation from the natural world is creating ecological crisis. How does the concept of “The Other” relate to the ethics of responsibility in the philosophy of Levinas (1) when “The Other” is not a person but the Biosphere? What are the ways in which we feel interconnected and the ways in which we feel separate? From the over-consumption of fossil fuels to the destruction of the equivalent of fifty football fields of rainforest every minute (2), from over-fishing, to the floating plastic garbage island the size of the USA in the middle of the Pacific (3), the disconnect between our way of life and the environmental consequences is reaching a tipping point (4). An important aspect of this tipping is evident in rising consciousness about the gravity of the problems we are facing. Scientists have been explicit about the dangers of global warming and the threats of increased natural disasters, water shortages, disease and desertification if action is not taken quickly to reduce our impact. Meanwhile the economy is also facing a crisis and through the combination of ecological and economic fear, more people are evaluating their lifestyles, habits and needs in the context of the ecological and economic impact of energy, transport, food, home, shopping and work. However, the scale of the problems is so large that it is easy to feel that whatever change we might attempt personally is too little too late. Is there a relationship between self-image and our ability to grasp global ecological instability?
I am interested to research the quality of experience of the gap between the micro and the macro. In this unique period in human history and the history of the Earth, it is important to study how people are reacting to the threats of climate change, natural disasters, and loss of diversity. Information about climate change has largely come through the field of science and is mainly interpreted through a scientific paradigm. This is clearly important but in some ways there is a disconnection between the facts and our ability to fully comprehend and tackle the issues. Using an artistic paradigm to research these issues incorporates a creative inclusive process and the artwork itself can stimulate further dialogue and deepen understanding. What are the ways in which we are attempting to reconnect with nature versus the ways in which we live in denial or fall into hopelessness, depression and addiction? I feel that examining identity through the self-portrait is a relevant process for studying consciousness shifts of ecological awareness.
In my recent work the self-portraits have taken the form of photographs in which the participant used a remote shutter release to capture themselves in the setting in which they felt best and most connected to the ephemeral essence of who they are. I also asked participants to reveal where they felt most disconnected and together we created the environment and mood for the self-portrait to be an authentic expression of disconnection. Using video, I interviewed the participants, hearing directly from them the reasons for the choices they made. In taking responsibility for the moment, the participant chooses to reveal a highly personal aspect of themselves. The art expands to encompass more than my own vision and becomes collaborative and unpredictable. This project was exhibited at Grays School of Art in September, 2008.
To expand my method of working into doctoral practice based research on the theme of the self-portrait as insight into the consciousness of ecological change, I would engage a diversity of people and environmental experts from throughout Scotland. This would involve in-depth interviews that inform the creation of self-portraits in relation to their perceptions, questions and everyday experiences of ecology. I am inspired by what Grant Kester calls “Dialogical Art” (5) and Suzanne Lacy calls “New Genre Public Art” (6). In these forms of practice the artist begins from a place of listening, of generating questions and opportunities for dialogue.
How is the self-image of someone whose livelihood is directly dependent on the natural world, (such as a crofter on Harris) different from someone living in a large city (such as an office worker in Glasgow)? How is the self-portrait of someone who’s ecological or carbon footprint is twice the size of the national average different from someone who’s footprint is half the size of the national average? The interviews and portraits would address the relationships between each person and the natural environment, energy, transport, food, home, shopping and work as mentioned before. Through these interactions, photographs and video interviews, the objective would be to experience directly the lifestyle and worldview of each person in relationship with nature. How are people in Scotland grappling with global ecological instability and in what ways is change taking place? I would interview and collaborate with people from different geographical regions in Scotland, different professions and from a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds.
I would analyze the work of other artists in the field of Ecological Art such as the Harrisons, Betsy Damon, Shai Zakai, Gavin Renwick, Tim Collins and Reiko Goto Collins and art groups including N55, Platform, Common Ground, Wochen Klauser, RANE, and Superflex. The work of the Harrisons is particularly relevant as they are among the founders of Ecological Art. Their interactive practice and use of conversational drift and metaphor is relevant to the language of the interview and the insight that can come from addressing local and global ecological problems through a creative artistic approach. My research would also build on the doctoral studies of Tim Collins and Reiko Goto Collins. The philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (7) is relevant to the concept of alterity and Paulo Freire (8) to the process of listening and including participants in a collaborative or democratic fashion as I explore the self-portraits as collaboration. I am interested in Lucy Lippard’s studies (9) into the value of connecting to place and our local environment and Yale Professor Stephen Kellert’s research into Restorative Environmental Design (10) with a strong vernacular relationship to place. Also relevant is Deep Ecology and the work of Arne Naess (11). The output of this research will be a written thesis and a body of artwork and interviews that engages the public through its creation and also through an art exhibition.
Biographical summary
I would bring relevant experience to this research as I have worked for four years as the art director for an ecological engineering company, The Ecovillage Institute. EVI designs ecological bioremediation systems as well as consulting for carbon-neutral developments and educational work. I am the tutor for the Design for Sustainability Ecology Module online, which is part of the United Nations endorsed Gaia Education programme in cooperation with the Open University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. I will finish my Masters degree from Grays School of Art in the Autumn and my thesis is on Ecological Art. I have worked on various interdisciplinary teams bringing in an artistic sensibility to industrial and municipal projects. I feel that my research could increase the understanding of the role of the artist in relationship to ecology and in bridging the gap between the micro and the macro through an exploration of personal responses to ecological change in Scotland.
Endnotes
1. Levinas, Emmanuel, and Richard A. Cohen. Humanism of the Other. Trans. Nidra Poller. New York: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
2. Laurance, William. "A Tropical Storm." Ecologist Nov. 2008: 86.
3. Marks, Kathy, and Daniel Howden. "The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan." The Independent 5 Feb. 2008.
4. Pearce, Fred. With Speed and Violence : Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. New York: Beacon Press, 2008.
5. Kester, Grant H. Conversation Pieces - Community and Communication in Modern Art. New York: University of California Press, 2004.
6. Lacy, Suzanne, ed. Mapping the Terrain : New Genre Public Art. New York: Bay Press, 1995.
7. Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity : An Essay on Exteriority. Trans. Alphonso Lingis. New York: Duquesne University Press, 1969.
8. Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. Myra B. Ramos. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 1972.
9. Lippard, Lucy R. The Lure of the Local : Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New Press, 1998.
10. Kellert, Stephen R. Building for Life : Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection. New York: Island Press, 2005.
11. Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle : Outline of an Ecosophy. Trans. David Rothenberg. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Indicative Bibliography
Samuel Moyn, Origins of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas between Revelation and Ethics. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005.
Bishop, Claire. Participation. New York: MIT Press, 2006.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. The Evolving Self. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
Edwards, Andres R., and David Orr. The Sustainability Revolution : Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. New York: New Society, Limited, 2005.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Heart. London: Burns & Oates, 1997.
Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans. Myra B. Ramos. New York: Penguin Books, Limited, 1972.
Hawken, Paul. Blessed Unrest : How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being, and Why No One Saw It Coming. New York: Viking Adult, 2007.
Kellert, Stephen R. Building for Life : Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection. New York: Island Press, 2005.
Kester, Grant H. Conversation Pieces - Community and Communication in Modern Art. New York: University of California P, 2004.
Lacy, Suzanne, ed. Mapping the Terrain : New Genre Public Art. New York: Bay Press, Incorporated, 1995.
Laurance, William. "A Tropical Storm." Ecologist Nov. 2008: 86.
Levinas, Emmanuel, and Richard A. Cohen. Humanism of the Other. Trans. Nidra Poller. New York: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
Levinas, Emmanuel. Totality and Infinity : An Essay on Exteriority. Trans. Alphonso Lingis. New York: Duquesne University Press, 1969.
Lippard, Lucy R. On the Beaten Track : Tourism, Art and Place. New York: New Press, 2000.
Lippard, Lucy R. The Lure of the Local : Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society. New York: New P, The, 1998.
Marks, Kathy, and Daniel Howden. "The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan." The Independent 5 Feb. 2008.
Naess, Arne, Alan R. Drengson, and Bill Devall. Ecology of Wisdom: Writings by Arne Naess. New York: Counterpoint Press, 2008.
Naess, Arne. Ecology, Community and Lifestyle : Outline of an Ecosophy. Trans. David Rothenberg. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Pearce, Fred. With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change. New York: Beacon Press, 2008.
Roszak, Theodore. Ecopsychology : Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind. Ed. Mary E. Gomes and Allen D. Kanner. New York: University of California Press, 1995.
Sessions, George. Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century. Minneapolis:Shambhala Publications, Incorporated, 1995.
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