Art and Ecology… what are they and why do they fit so well together?

13/01/2009 by James.

While I’m not going to answer that huge question all by myself, I am really interested in how more socially engaged models of arts practice can provide experiences for both the artist and the audience/participants that can be said to encourage ecological ways of being/thinking/experiencing. And I’d be really keen to get more of a discussion going on this blog, so if you have a thought about any of this, please add a comment!

The relationship between the process of making art and the experience of a connected whole, connects directly to my work in education, particularly in child-led learning where we encourage individuals to value their own creativity, lead their own creative investigations of the world around them, and develop a sense of identity as an integral part of their natural, social and cultural environment.

It also connects to my work in art and disability, where I aim to work inclusively and support others in gaining a similar awareness through making, which allows them to take control of their identity, to move beyond perceptual barriers and gain a sense of belonging through relationship with the world around them.

And lastly it relates to my own more individual work which explores landscape, place and material. Through a creative, sensory interaction with a particular place, initiated in an open responsive way, I can initiate a dialogue with the world that I am part of, with benefits for my own mental health, sense of belonging, environmental awareness, sensitivity to materials, etc

At the moment I am looking at how the different areas of my practice can in turn interlink and connect - the making, exhibiting, consulting with communities, evaluating arts and education projects, working within learning, environment and heritage - and they do, completely. Its just a question of how to relate that to others, but I suppose thats why I work as an artist in the first place.

Whether I am researching an exhibition or facilitating an educational workshop, I am aiming to support myself and others to have an experience which is subjective and inter-subjective; which allows us to experience our individuality through experiencing ourselves as a part of the world around us, and how we differ from, connect to and share experiences with others.

Now to me that’s all about Ecology, and is about not just engaging with society, but embedding oneself within society, and reaching out across barriers to support connection and dialogue. Its about encouraging an awareness of what is happening around us that comes directly through our own experience, rather than through the opinions and teaching of others, and which enable us to escape negative ways of seeing and being with the world and each other.

What do you think?

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