RESEARCH ON ART AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO PEERS
We have been having a series of peer presentations about our artistic practice as part of our Research Context program this year. I was a little bit struck when hearing the presentation by Charlotte Ives, whose work has developed a concern with climate change of late. Because we both were interested in similar issues I expected to really engage with her presentation, however I felt immediately crestfallen to hear her open with slightly defeatist statement about the enormity of the climate problem and how she felt personally it was impossible to make a difference from her position. I felt like this was the wrong attitude to take, but had also been challenged previously by tutors with statements such as "do you really feel like being an artist can make a difference? would you not be better suited to a conservation or research position if you really wanted to tackle this issue?". Because of this I thought it was important to strengthen awareness of the difference art can make, especially around the climate debate, and exactly why it is such an important and viable tool.
"I believe that one of the major responsibilities of artists – and the idea that artists have responsibilities may come as a surprise to some – is to help people not only get to know and understand something with their minds but also to feel it emotionally and physically. By doing this, art can mitigate the numbing effect created by the glut of information we are faced with today, and motivate people to turn thinking into doing."
This interesting quote from an article by Olafur Eliasson which I highlighted foremost in principle for it's use of the word 'responsibility'. And indeed I think it is a surprise to some that we are all in a position of responsibility. We are incredibly lucky to be born in developed first world society where we are given powers to chose opinions, do research, learn and educate ourselves and even create for pleasure in the first place. There are so many around the world who are born without these opportunities, furthermore on a base level without even simple living rights. Because of this I think it is our responsibility as artists in this bourgouise habitat to do something with all of the opportunity we are given, and use it progressively. Opening up a climate dialogue in one's work only to immediately hold their hands up and suggest that the induvidual cannot make any notable difference is somewhat crass. Especially when art in itself is such a powerful tool for emotionally reaching audiences and inspiring change.
"One of the great challenges today is that we often feel untouched by the problems of others and by global issues like climate change, even when we could easily do something to help. We do not feel strongly enough that we are part of a global community, part of a larger we. Giving people access to data most often leaves them feeling overwhelmed and disconnected, not empowered and poised for action. This is where art can make a difference. Art does not show people what to do, yet engaging with a good work of art can connect you to your senses, body, and mind. It can make the world felt. And this felt feeling may spur thinking, engagement, and even action. "
When thinking about this excerpt it is perhaps then easier to understand Charlotte's attitude about being simply unable to make a difference to such a broad issue, as she is only one of millions around the world who feel exactly the same. However it is exactly that sense of international apathy which art is well armed to break down, resensitizing communities and people to realise there are others out there who care and, by utilising individual acts brought together in collectivity, that the tide can be turned. In the modern era many are desensitized to shock headlines promoting new harrowing researcher statistics, even if the message carried by them is of the paramount importance. Yet, they would be much more able to access the same message interpreted by a thought provoking piece of artwork.
Of course this is problematic in itself as white walled art galleries and other traditional forums are typically quite exclusionary towards the greater population, and are critiqued sometimes as echo chambers which cannot truly be effective and break out into the wider populous unaided. Particularly not the wider populous who are so often disenfranchised from the climate debate. The same suburban induviduals who do not have the time to cycle in to work in the morning or seperate materials for recycling also probably do not have the time or appreciation to attend a politically charged art exhibition. This is why street art and muralism such as I practice is perfect for this application. It takes my art and message out into the streets, beyond those who would commonly access it otherwise and also in an interventionist way which can suprise passers-by with emotive content when they least expect. In a visual world so saturated with corporate advertising and concealed vested interests, artworks which raise awareness of topics such as this progressively and without blame can be surprising and refreshing to witnesses. Furthermore they can promote solutions and suggest methods of improvement blamelessly and in a way which is found to be non patronizing or derogatory, which is something that can sometimes hold the climate debate back.
Another interesting article by David Buckland and Yasmin Ostendorf suggested interesting links between industry pairings between creatives and those in other countries affected by climate issues, sometimes for unexpected reasons. This fair and hollistic appraisal of the environmental argument departs from facts and figures and takes a closer look at the actual story and dialogue of the situation. In 2017 in an era of fake news and political corruption it is clearer than ever that facts and figures aren't enough. If we are to take back control of our environment and our impact upon it, we will need to reconnect with the emotive real life climate change stories which are happening around the world, and could hopefully drive our population to positive change.
"We have voyaged eight times into the high Arctic, once to the Andes/Amazon, and recently to the western islands of Scotland. We have evolved from bearing witness to working proactively and in collaboration with island societies already de-carbonising their lives. Nothing is simple, huge sustainable energy complexes disrupt micro island communities who are already having to adapt to current environmental change and potential irreversible damage to their habitat. We need storytellers to tease out meaning and hope. [...]
Each artist, writer, film-maker, or musician has evolved complex processes of creative production; each carries back with them the experience of expedition; and each engages with the underlying science of the destabilisation and, potentially, the destruction of our habitat. The process of making the artwork, book or film can take as little as a week or sometimes many years, and their skill hone work that moves, transforms, enlightens and hopefully inspires. Our approach gives artists the creative freedom to engage with the global challenge of climate change, articulating a human response, a narrative on the human scale, creating an emotional and powerful story."
Climate change is invisible, insidious and urgent. Can the arts help us see it?
"The technology and resources to move towards a post-carbon society are essentially all there. What we lack is a broad, civic movement to get behind the urgency – and significant opportunities – of this transition. So rather than looking darkly into a dystopian future in which we are passive victims, it is vital to make climate change relevant in the here and now – the air we breathe, the food we eat, the way we travel. Human-scale things we have agency to change. We need to find new ways to narrate and envision a fairer, cleaner future in which we can actively participate."
This is perhaps one of the best arguments for the place of art in the Climate debate. Even with the worlds research focus turned to the environment, without proper application and education on a global scale we will never reach climate targets for the future or manage to reverse any of the damage already done.
As a species we are greatly fragmented with so many divergent interests, and have put up so many geographical, political social and even emotional barriers between ourselves and each other. Because of this, true collective action as a species is almost impossible, despite what we like to think about the social level on which our society operates. We are constantly inventing new ways to minimise our environmental impact, or mitigate high impact activities yet, without collective or induvidual application in the majority of cases, these advancements cannot be implemented. This is another reason art is such an invaluable tool. The language of art goes a long way to break down these barriers, as it can speak in universal dialogues of images and emotion which can be operated by any audience irreguardless of factors such as their education, ability to read or interpret scientific data, the number of followers on their Instagram profile, their bank balance or societal upbringing. Of course their direct enterpretations will still be subject to their connotative and contextual experience of the art, and the difficulty of reaching people across the wider bredth of society, but this is where public or industry placements become paramount, making the conversation both widely paletable and accessible. As the article states;
"Artists and scientists are natural collaborators, both are explorers and storytellers, seeking out new ways of understanding, communicating (and indeed, changing) the world around them. So when it comes to the dry (or simply terrifying) language of climate science, the marriage of the two can be particularly fruitful. Artists can respond to environmental data in work that provokes real engagement. By communicating these issues in lateral, innovative ways, by using humour and humanity, these sorts of works can reach us on a more animal, cellular, level – and therefore, hopefully, demand our response."Although I never doubted the importance of art in presenting the issue of climate change, I feel I have a much greater understanding of exactly how it can be of the greatest benefit. I also feel I would have a better ability to comprehensively explain the importance of art to the climate debate, especially in the public format to which I apply my work. During my research I also scrolled through several climate based art projects and picked up on a few new interesting artists and ideas, which I also would like to go on to research. I have found this little contextual research session very useful.
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