By Chris Meigh-Andrews

In the period between January and April 1994, while I was Artist in Residence in Digital Imaging in the School of Visual Arts, Music and Publishing at Oxford Brookes University, I developed Perpetual Motion, a gallery-based installation presenting a computer animation of a flying kite powered via a wind turbine. After its initial exhibition in Oxford, this work was subsequently exhibited at the Saw Contemporary Arts Centre in Ottawa (1994), and at the Castlefield Gallery, Manchester (1996). This early work initiated a series of installations, presented within a “white cube” gallery setting and outside in the landscape, in which renewable energy systems were integral to the themes and functioning of the work and to the ethos and concerns of my approach to working with moving image and sound technologies. Since then I have continued to work with renewable energy within gallery spaces and at outside locations as a way of establishing relationships with the natural environment and highlighting the flow and transformation of energy from one form to another.

For example, Mothlight (1998), exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in Pisa, Glass Box Gallery in Salford and at the Rich Women of Zurich, London, featured halogen lamps, solar panels and video monitors in dynamic counter-balance. Mothlight sought ways to highlight the interdependence of the elements which were at the core of the work – a repeating cycle of computer-generated fluttering moths and suspended solar-powered video screens illuminated by halogen lamps that were interconnected to form an interrelated cycle of meaning. Light was an important theme in this work; illuminating, powering, and conceptually connecting the images and objects within the work. My interest in the relationship between technology and nature was a major concern. In Mothlight the use of “renewable resources” was intended to be subversive; solar panels were not simply used to generate electricity but to act as passive conductors which were transducing light from the domestic main’s power point. In my thinking at the time, I felt that by inverting the “conventional” application of renewable energy, I was serving the poetic rather than the technological.

In 2002, my solar-powered digital video installation For William Henry Fox Talbot (The Pencil of Nature) was commissioned for “Digital Interventions” at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Electricity produced from a solar panel was harnessed to power a digital video camera focused on the large latticed window first photographed by Will Henry Fox Talbot in 1835. The image from the digital camera was composed to exactly reproduce Fox Talbot’s pioneering “photogenic drawing,” the world’s earliest surviving photograph. This digital facsimile was relayed via an ISDN phone line from Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire to the museum in London, the resultant “live” digital image presenting a full-size image of the historic window in “real time.”

In 1994, with research funding from National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), I developed Interwoven Motion, an outdoor self-powered (solar and wind) video installation for the “Foundation for Art & Creative Technology” (FACT) with support from Grizedale Arts and the UK Forestry Commission. At the edge of a wooded area, a large tree was temporarily equipped with four video cameras arranged around the trunk at the height of approximately eight meters. The images produced by the cameras were relayed via a switcher to a weatherproof LCD video display at the base of the tree. The speed and direction of the image flow was determined by the velocity and direction of the wind. The system was powered by a wind turbine extended beyond the height of the forest canopy and four solar panels mounted within the tree itself.

In 2005-2006, I produced Resurrection, a solar-powered video installation for “Digital Discourse,” in Valletta. A dead tree, complete with roots (approximately 20-feet high), was cut in half, the root end mounted in the center of the floor at one end of the gallery. The upturned tree and roots were lit by halogen lamps with forty-five individual miniature solar panels arranged irregularly on the roots. Video images of fluttering leaves were projected onto paper “leaves” arranged on the dead branches. Resurrection presented a record of a previously living existence recreated via technology. The energy used to bring the tree back to life was transformed within the gallery space from electricity to light and back again, the shimmering leaves experienced as both light reflectors and light receptors, the solar panels as both surrogate leaves and transforming technology.

In 2011, I developed SunBeam, an outdoor event featuring high-definition video images of the sun from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory projected at night onto a large solar array. My aspirations for this work were related to ideas and concerns linking it to my previous renewable energy installation projects. As Dr. Charlie Gere, professor of media theory and history at the University of Lancaster has observed, SunBeam brought me closer to my conceptual goal of producing a technological artwork which attempted to integrate the source of its energy with the images it presents, celebrating the harmonious relationship between light, energy and the fluid nature of matter in general:

In SunBeam, Meigh-Andrews now perhaps realises what the earlier works hinted at, an artwork which both represents the prodigious energy of the sun and performs its effects by using that energy to make the representation possible…That the energy harvested during the day can then be used to make an artwork possible beautifully encapsulates (Georges) Bataille’s notion of art as a form of general economy exemplified in the sun itself. The system that harnesses the sun’s extraordinary power for straightforward and restricted uses, such as supplying energy to the university and to the national grid, is ‘detourned’ to produce a work of art, or in other words something useless according to the restricted economy of reciprocity and exchange. This is, perhaps, the very definition of art itself.

— Charles Gere, “Solar: Chris Meigh-Andrews’ Sunbeam“

I have continued working with renewable energy in an ongoing series of sculptural works entitled Impossible Objects (2015-2021). Although these pieces have much in common with earlier works in that they often incorporate or feature renewable energy components in order to make connections to themes of flow and flux, they are also more directly centered on notions of “process.” They are “Impossible Objects” not because they cannot exist (as they clearly do), but because they make use of, or refer to, a process that contains a contradiction or presents an “impossible” idea. They are representations of a state or situation that cannot be achieved, except through the processes and agency of art. In this respect, I have been influenced in part by the “Mono-ha” works of the Korean artist Lee Ufan, in which there is an encounter between different materials – “a relationship of tension” in which the work is the site of the encounter. In common with my approach to the large-scale installations, all of these “Impossible Objects” are hybrid installation/sculptures made using domestic technology – temporary assemblages made using readily available materials and equipment.

(Top image: SunBeam (2011), installing the screen on solar panel.)

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Chris Meigh-Andrews is an artist, writer, and curator who has been making and exhibiting screen-based video and sculptural moving image installations since the mid-1970s. He studied fine art at Goldsmiths and completed his PhD at the Royal College of Art in 2001. He is Emeritus Professor of Electronic and Digital Art, University of Central Lancashire and was Visiting Professor at the Centre for Moving Image Research, University of the West of England, 2013-2016. He has held a number of artist’s residencies in the UK and abroad and his site-specific and commissioned installations often incorporate renewable energy systems.

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

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By Amy Brady

This month I have for you an interview with Sam Pelts, a founding organizer of EXTRACTION: Art on the Edge of the Abyss. The project’s goal is to encourage individual artists as well as museums and galleries across the country and around to the world to schedule art installations, book readings, and public programming that speak to themes of extraction. 

As explained in the project’s impressive catalogue, extractive industries have led to some of the biggest problems our planet faces, including climate change; the deterioration of land, water, and air; the devastation and displacement of vulnerable communities; and much else. The project’s participating artists and institutions make those links clear in their art.

I spoke with Sam about why he and his colleagues launched EXTRACTION, the artists involved, and his thoughts on the roles that art and writing can play in our global fight against climate change.

Tell me more about EXTRACTION: Art on the Edge of the Abyss. What is it, and what are its goals?

EXTRACTION: Art on the Edge of the Abyss is a multimedia, multi-venue, cross-border art movement which seeks to provoke change by exposing and interrogating the negative social and environmental consequences of industrialized natural resource extraction. Essentially, we are a global coalition of artists and creators committed to shining a light on all forms of extractive industry – from mining and drilling to the reckless plundering and exploitation of fresh water, fertile soil, timber, marine life, and innumerable other resources across the globe. The Extraction Project will culminate in a constellation of over fifty overlapping exhibitions, performances, installations, site-specific work, land art, street art, publications, poetry readings, and cross-media events throughout 2021 and beyond.

In effect, the project is about harnessing the power of artistic expression to raise a ruckus about one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time – the suicidal overconsumption of our planet’s resources. We’re thinking of “extractivism” as being at the root of almost every other environmental problem, including climate change. Given that the history of the extractive industry is one of untold suffering and damage inflicted on fenceline communities – disproportionately communities of color and Indigenous people – the need to include and lift up those voices is also critical to the story we’re trying to tell. The fight for the future of our planet cannot be won if it is left for scientists and policymakers alone, nor should the frontline soldiering be left to those vulnerable, disadvantaged, or disenfranchised communities who have no other choice than to resist as a matter of survival. Artists have a unique set of tools with which to engage these issues.

What is your role in the project? And how did you get involved?

The Extraction Project was started in 2017 by two old friends from Montana: Edwin Dobb, a writer and environmental journalist for National Geographic and Harper’s Weekly; and Peter Koch, a letterpress printer, book artist, and founder of the CODEX Foundation, an arts nonprofit dedicated to elevating the art of fine bookmaking. I was brought on a year later to help figure out the logistics of getting the project off the ground – things like designing and maintaining our website and organizing our crowdfunding campaign.

My role in the project shifted pretty dramatically in 2019 when Ed tragically passed away, just a few weeks after Peter had been temporarily put out of commission by cancer treatments. Suddenly I looked around and realized that if this project was really going to get off the ground, then it was more-or-less up to me to make it happen. Taking on that central role was challenging at first, but I subsequently learned that organizing and coordinating this project – which allowed me to communicate directly with hundreds of artists and learn about and promote their art – was work I greatly enjoyed doing! I also felt that the best way for me to honor Ed’s life would be to help make his vision of a global art movement in defense of the planet – our only home – a reality.

Now that the wheels are in motion, the project has become much more decentralized and the artists and exhibition spaces who are involved are free to participate and collaborate as they see fit.

Who else do you hope gets involved with this project?

Anyone who wants to participate in the Extraction Project can be a part of it. You certainly don’t have to be a famous artist to get involved! I subscribe to the belief that not everyone has to be a climate scientist for us to collectively address climate change. Maybe you’re a painter or a storyteller. Everyone has their own skills and talents, and we can all respond to environmental issues by simply doing what each one of us is already good at.

We believe artists have a crucial role to play in sounding the alarm, bearing witness, and inspiring action. For those suffering from climate grief or eco-anxiety, making art may also serve a therapeutic role. Your way of being a part of the Extraction Project could be as simple as making art that helps you come to terms with the sense of loss you’re feeling about the changes our planet is undergoing. Anyone from the amateur to the virtuoso can post their artwork on Instagram with the hashtag #ExtractionArt.

Maybe it sounds a bit overly ambitious, but I would personally like to see literally every artistic person who cares about the environment get involved in this project. The whole point of Extraction: Art on the Edge of the Abyss is to bring our voices together as one, signal boosting each other while at the same time building out a massive network and infrastructure of resources and potential like-minded collaborators.

Why is art and writing about climate change important? Can it show us something that other mediums can’t?

We recognize the unique power of artistic expression to evoke a more visceral and emotional response than, for instance, a peer-reviewed study or a set of statistics or graphs from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Most people understand the Greenhouse Effect on an intellectual level, and thus are able to recognize the logical connection between oil extraction – and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions from carbon burning – and the impact those processes have on global temperatures. But a lot of folks have not tried to come to terms with these largely invisible scientific phenomena on an emotional level. And when it hits you, it’s really intense, and can be quite motivating for many people. Young people get it, which is why they are out in the streets, striking. For some people it’s seeing polar bears stranded on icebergs, but for me, seeing aerial photographs of the Athabasca Tar Sands mines in Alberta, Canada can bring me nearly to tears.

Consider this idea of “the abyss” that’s in our project’s name – obviously a metaphor for the point of no return when it comes to acting on climate change. Science might be able to tell us the diameter of the abyss, how far away it is, and how fast we are heading toward it, but if you want to really look into the abyss and confront it with your whole being, you need art.

What are some of the themes that have emerged in the art and writing associated with the Extraction project? Did any of them surprise you?

The idea of “bearing witness” to these environmental injustices is certainly a common thread that weaves its way through many artists’ work. I was surprised to see the extent to which so many of these extraction sites are virtually invisible (except to those who know where to look), despite being close enough to cause major harm to fenceline communities. Shining a spotlight on these sites and facilities and putting them on display for everyone to see is a great way to short circuit the kind of “greenwashing” that the PR departments for extractive companies have become experts at in recent years. I mentioned the Tar Sands earlier. Just to continue with that example, I believe that if everyone on the planet was confronted with images of what tar sands mining does to the land and ecosystem of the boreal forests of Northern Canada, they would be shut down almost immediately. If everyone could see with their own eyes the massive tailings ponds, filled with enough toxic waste material to create a river of sludge 2,000 miles long, fossil fuels would be banned tomorrow.

Another theme that struck me was how much hope artists still have for the future. For every aerial photograph of an open pit mine, there is a vision for a better path forward. It’s worth remembering that while we may be dancing at the edge of the abyss, we have not yet fallen into it, and there is still a massive opportunity to change course, particularly over the next decade, which is crucial. To quote Rachel Carson: “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

What’s next for Extraction and for you personally? Anything you’d like my readers to watch for?

I’d personally like to keep the project going as long as possible. If we get enough support, maybe it will become a biennial thing. In the near term, our website has information about all the upcoming exhibitions across the country and overseas. Shows and events will be happening all throughout this year, and chances are there will be at least one Extraction exhibition within driving distance for most of your readers. Folks can learn more at www.extractionart.org. The CODEX Foundation, which supports the Extraction Project as our fiscal sponsor, is also planning a wrap-up symposium called CODEX Yellowstone, and that will take place in September of 2022 in Bozeman, Montana. If your readers have questions they can also email me at sam@codexfoundation.org.

(Top image: Garth Lenz, Tar Mine and Roads, Northern Alberta, Canada, 2010, photograph)

This article is part of the Climate Art Interviews series. It was originally published in Amy Brady’s “Burning Worlds” newsletter. Subscribe to get Amy’s newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.

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Amy Brady is the Deputy Publisher of Guernica magazine and Senior Editor of the Chicago Review of Books. Her writing about art, culture, and climate has appeared in the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, Pacific Standard, the New Republic, and other places. She is also the editor of the monthly newsletter “Burning Worlds,” which explores how artists and writers are thinking about climate change. She holds a PHD in English and is the recipient of a CLIR/Mellon Library of Congress Fellowship. Read more of her work at AmyBradyWrites.com at and follow her on Twitter at @ingredient_x.

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

Go to the Artists and Climate Change Blog

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By Peterson Toscano

Returning to the Art House is Jennie Carlisle, curator and director of the Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University, along with Laura England, senior lecturer in sustainable development. Jennie and Laura are two of three co-facilitators of ASU’s Climate Stories Collaborative. Both appeared in Episode 49 of the Art House and told us how, in the spring of 2020, they quickly adapted to the COVID global pandemic by putting their annual Student Climate Stories Showcase on Instagram. 

Some climate leaders see art as a straightforward communication tool. But art overloaded with messages about issues and politics can turn out clunky and preachy. How does an artist stay in a creative space? When producing climate art, what is more important – the process or the product?

Next month: Song leaders Annie Patterson and Peter Blood are liberal Quakers in New England who have been leading singing for over 30 years. They talk about the songs that motivate and inspire climate advocates.

If you like what you hear, you can listen to full episodes of Citizens’ Climate Radio on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, Podbean, Northern Spirit Radio, Google Play, PlayerFM, and TuneIn Radio. Also, feel free to connect with other listeners, suggest program ideas, and respond to programs in the Citizens’ Climate Radio Facebook group or on Twitter at @CitizensCRadio.

This article is part of The Art House series.

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As host of Citizens’ Climate Radio, Peterson Toscano regularly features artists who address climate change in their work. The Art House section of his program includes singer/songwriters, visual artists, comics, creative writers, and playwrights. Through a collaboration with Artists and Climate Change and Citizens’ Climate Education, each month Peterson reissues The Art House for this blog. If you have an idea for The Art House, contact Peterson: radio @ citizensclimatelobby.org

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

Go to the Artists and Climate Change Blog

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