Ink and Gouache.
Some have asked me about the meaning behind this, so I'll dive a little deeper than what the poster represents. One thing that this also brought to light:
If there is ever anything in my work that isn't understood or communicated clearly, ask.
I absolutely don't want anything I do to remain behind some exclusive vale. I think this is a large part of the problem with contemporary art. I feel art should be universally understood. This is what clear storytelling is, and art is our most effective way to communicate information to all.
So anyway, what I really intended for this piece was to express how I feel about most of our 'environmental efforts' so far. It seems that we are stuck in mindset that in order to heal our environment and planet, we need to keep manipulating it, or help heal it, ourselves, instead of letting nature take of herself. I've been reading a fair bit about the idea of 'rewilding' in both a human and animal sense.
Rewilding is basically the idea that we need to allow the wild back into our lives in whatever way we feel best appropriate. For some it might mean simply getting out into nature more - more wilderness trips. For other it may mean depending more on our local landscape as a means of sustenance. For the hardcore, it might mean living completely off the grid in nature. It's the idea of letting go of control of some of the aspects of our lives.
So breaking it down into these images and text:
Let go of the oil
Well, it's pretty clear at this point that our culture's consumption of oil will need to be swapped out for a renewable energy source, which there seem to be plenty of these days. Check out this hilarious video describing the potential of solar roadways. Who knows. The point is - we're going to need an alternative, so we best be letting go of our dependence on oil. Disclaimer: This will be a vastly different world as we transition away from this energy source. We will depend on oil for a while more, but it's pretty clear at this point that it really should just be left in the ground.
Let go of nature
This one can be interpreted in many ways. I think I primarily meant to propose the idea (gathered from my own reading) that in order for nature to heal from the impacts of humanity, it might involve us taking a step back. I really feel that we need to give up some of the luxuries of our lives and get used to living of our local landscapes - IF possible - at all costs. Humans seem to have departed from the natural processes that have been occurring on the planet for a long time. We've created technology to overwrite some of the previous 'laws of nature' such as the fact that we can't eat kiwis in Canada. We have global trade among other things which allows us to really have anything we want. This is both incredible and dangerous, as it's allowed us to live completely independently of the land around us. I'm not convinced this is for the better on all accounts. So this is what I meant by this statement. Conversely, I think we need to hold on to nature in how it originally meant - to provide us with food, shelter, and other basic necessities. Again, as much as possible. Some things are still necessary to get from elsewhere, but again, we should be developing renewable energy systems to allow for the lowest possible environmental impact.
Let go of control
This one is really meant to tie the previous two together, as they're so intermittently linked. Throughout the past while of human history, it seems as though we've come to believe that the human being is the primary importance of the planet - we've won the nature game, and are now sitting comfortably on top to be able to do as we will. The ecological sciences have been providing data for some time now, that our wasteful patterns actually aren't at all supported by nature. It seems as though we're almost like two opposing forces, both trying to move in different directions. I feel that part of moving to a world that both works to create equanimity among the plants and the people living amidst them, we need to stop imposing our sense of power and control to try and dominate others. We need to begin listening to each other more. I was talking with my roommate the other day who suggested how important it is to be moving towards a singular goal as a planet, such as the above mentioned equanimity. If there is anything contrary to this larger, planetary goal, we should immediately question its validity.
Anyway, I thought I'd just share some thoughts about the creation of this piece.
Thanks for the input and I'd love for you to share this around. :)
Some have asked me about the meaning behind this, so I'll dive a little deeper than what the poster represents. One thing that this also brought to light:
If there is ever anything in my work that isn't understood or communicated clearly, ask.
I absolutely don't want anything I do to remain behind some exclusive vale. I think this is a large part of the problem with contemporary art. I feel art should be universally understood. This is what clear storytelling is, and art is our most effective way to communicate information to all.
So anyway, what I really intended for this piece was to express how I feel about most of our 'environmental efforts' so far. It seems that we are stuck in mindset that in order to heal our environment and planet, we need to keep manipulating it, or help heal it, ourselves, instead of letting nature take of herself. I've been reading a fair bit about the idea of 'rewilding' in both a human and animal sense.
Rewilding is basically the idea that we need to allow the wild back into our lives in whatever way we feel best appropriate. For some it might mean simply getting out into nature more - more wilderness trips. For other it may mean depending more on our local landscape as a means of sustenance. For the hardcore, it might mean living completely off the grid in nature. It's the idea of letting go of control of some of the aspects of our lives.
So breaking it down into these images and text:
Let go of the oil
Well, it's pretty clear at this point that our culture's consumption of oil will need to be swapped out for a renewable energy source, which there seem to be plenty of these days. Check out this hilarious video describing the potential of solar roadways. Who knows. The point is - we're going to need an alternative, so we best be letting go of our dependence on oil. Disclaimer: This will be a vastly different world as we transition away from this energy source. We will depend on oil for a while more, but it's pretty clear at this point that it really should just be left in the ground.
Let go of nature
This one can be interpreted in many ways. I think I primarily meant to propose the idea (gathered from my own reading) that in order for nature to heal from the impacts of humanity, it might involve us taking a step back. I really feel that we need to give up some of the luxuries of our lives and get used to living of our local landscapes - IF possible - at all costs. Humans seem to have departed from the natural processes that have been occurring on the planet for a long time. We've created technology to overwrite some of the previous 'laws of nature' such as the fact that we can't eat kiwis in Canada. We have global trade among other things which allows us to really have anything we want. This is both incredible and dangerous, as it's allowed us to live completely independently of the land around us. I'm not convinced this is for the better on all accounts. So this is what I meant by this statement. Conversely, I think we need to hold on to nature in how it originally meant - to provide us with food, shelter, and other basic necessities. Again, as much as possible. Some things are still necessary to get from elsewhere, but again, we should be developing renewable energy systems to allow for the lowest possible environmental impact.
Let go of control
This one is really meant to tie the previous two together, as they're so intermittently linked. Throughout the past while of human history, it seems as though we've come to believe that the human being is the primary importance of the planet - we've won the nature game, and are now sitting comfortably on top to be able to do as we will. The ecological sciences have been providing data for some time now, that our wasteful patterns actually aren't at all supported by nature. It seems as though we're almost like two opposing forces, both trying to move in different directions. I feel that part of moving to a world that both works to create equanimity among the plants and the people living amidst them, we need to stop imposing our sense of power and control to try and dominate others. We need to begin listening to each other more. I was talking with my roommate the other day who suggested how important it is to be moving towards a singular goal as a planet, such as the above mentioned equanimity. If there is anything contrary to this larger, planetary goal, we should immediately question its validity.
Anyway, I thought I'd just share some thoughts about the creation of this piece.
Thanks for the input and I'd love for you to share this around. :)
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