”The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” Robert Swan – Explorer.
Can environmental art push ecological driven policies? Can they have a significant role in shifting perspectives on climate change? Not firm titles just thoughts.
These (more detail) installations can educate us in highlighting our ecological fragility. OE ‘s Ice watch (add detail) is an interactive installation, because of it’s size its quite confrontational, with a physical reality of climate change.
The environmental art becomes engaging, interesting, visible, and to some extent emotional. From a personal point of view I constantly worry about the speed of climate change because of our village flooding. From a general point of view I worry for the future of the next generation. There doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency to tackle this problem, which is why I understand that the ‘Stop Oil’ protesters do what they do. (a small bit about the Stop Oil protesters).
Visual experiences within environmental art can and do address climate issues in a way that feels more urgent, because they are right in front us, not on a report in a news paper. These installations can feel personal, pieces of art that are outside traditional activists circles.
Regenerative process within the art actively restores part of nature, whether it be using a ph cement for the under water sculptures of JdC or using art as a tool to heal damaged environments.
Many people struggle to connect or engage in the seriousness of complex issues of climate data with the environmental art, turning it into an experience, into something sensory, provides an imagery that isn’t complex to understand.
Hands on immersive experiences only deepen our understanding and emotional connection. Art always adds to the sometimes main stream education where this can be overlooked.
Water is beautiful, tranquil and peaceful, however its force can be unstoppable when tipped by the balance of a disrupted Mother Nature.
My practice is deeply influenced by my personal experiences of flooding and how I have this pure love of water as well as a hate with an in depth fear. Within here there is also resilience from both the land as well as the community. Loss, renewal, beauty and devastation.
Through layered textures, materials that evoke fluidity, illustrating erosion, distortion, transparency, emotion in the aftermath of the destruction.
Using rich and dull colour, incorporating the unpredictability of the medium with the loss of control, spilling and staining as we re shape after our loss.
As the water leaves it imprint on the landscape I hope to some extent my practice illustrates both the fragility and resilience of Mother Nature and the human spirit after these events.
Destruction and renewal.
Destroy and recreate.
Find beauty in what has previously been destroyed.
Written up 16th March 2025. I’ll keep adding notes.
As our art can be so personal it often communicates with our emotions, what we admire and like to what we don’t. While scientific facts educate and inform us they often can be hard to comprehend or even picture. By using visual art or physical installations, this can bring a sense of urgency to the forefront of our minds. Seeing something can be much easier to digest than hard factual data, for some people.
Environmental art breaks both cultural and language barriers. When we talk about climate change the subject can be overwhelming and difficult to grasp. When I did my Pecha Kucha I wanted to illustrate the results of some of our climate crisis by making images that were clear but also shocking. The rise in sea levels can be a difficult concept to understand, but by illustrating a house semi submerged in water brings the hard fact to the viewer.
Olafur Eliasson has a new installation in South Korea. I will research this. 22nd April 2025
References
Viv King. Level 3. BA Fine Art 