Chantal Bilodeau

International Women’s Day/Month 2014

Artists and Climate Change,

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

With March being #IWD month, I’ve spent several days scouring the internet for inspiring stories of creative women using their art to raise awareness about climate change.  Here are two videos — one from the west coast, one from the east coast — which highlight the important contribution that women artists are making to the global climate change conversation.

 

Australian Margaret Wertheim’s amazing TED talk describes the global hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef (CCR) project which she and her twin sister Christine created and curate through their Institute For Figuring (IFF) in Los Angeles, California. The CCR is an ongoing, experimental,  participative feminine handicraft project that re-creates coral reefs using the technique of “hyperbolic crochet“.  Below are two images from the IFF’s Crochet Coral Reef website, reprinted here with permission:

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According to the IFF website, this unique fiber arts project is “the nexus of maths, handicrafts, environmentalism, community art, feminism and science” and, simultaneously, “a testimony to the disappearing wonders of the marine world” due to climate change, notably ocean warming, acidification and pollution.

On the other side of the country, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)’ art gallery is currently hosting a  five-month exhibition called Voyage of Discovery, through 31 May 2014.  This collaborative exhibit by three Washington, D.C. artists — Michele Banks, Jessica Beels and Ellyn Weiss – provides an artistic interpretation of climate change that transports gallery visitors to a shifting polar region “where the iconic, seemingly eternal, landscape of ice and snow is in profound and rapid transition due to climate change.”

Voyage of Discovery AAAS art climate change

A lovely review of Voyage of Discovery by the Huffington Post includes several images of the diverse media used by these three artists, including these two very different works:

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According to the AAAS gallery website:  ”The artwork in Voyage of Discovery has its roots in the idea of a journey of scientific exploration, in the tradition of Darwin, Wallace, and the thousands of scientists who constantly travel the globe in search of new findings… The pieces in this show… are not strictly based on scientific data.  They reflect the artists’ responses to the transformation of land and sea – the melting of glaciers and the thawing of permafrost, the movement of previously unknown species and microbes into the region, the dramatic shifts of the color of the land from white to green to black.  The artwork takes a broad view of these changes: the artists are deeply aware of the damage done by climate change, yet intrigued by the possibilities of what lies below the ice and snow.”

Follow Joan on Twitter @CleanNergyPhoto and her renewable energy photo blog. 

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Climate Change Couture

Artists and Climate Change

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

The Aquatutu. An inflatable suit to be worn in places that often flood.

Catherine Young is a Filipina artist-scientist-designer-writer-explorer working on human perception and the environment. How did she earn the right to claim such a beautiful, multidisciplinary, hyphenated title, you might ask? By receiving a degree in molecular biology and biotechnology from Manila, fine art education from Barcelona, and an MFA in Interaction Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Smart enough for you?

Catherine is currently working on something intriguing – The Apocalypse Project – that is just as multidisciplinary as her hyphenated self, and includes the wonderful series Climate Change Couture: Haute Fashion for a Hotter Planet. It is not fashion’s only foray in the world of climate change. Recently, Francesco Fiondella and Rebecca Fowler created Climate Models, a 2014 calendar featuring climate scientists in high fashion gear against backdrops illustrating their research interests. But Climate Change Couture is concerned with another kind of fashion: What we will wear when some of the scenarios of the current climate models (the computer kinds, not the flesh kinds) become reality.

What are the different components of The Apocalypse Project?

I used to work as a journalist, so interviewing people is a big part of my practice. The first thing I did was to hold a series of Apocalypse Workshops, where I asked participants to draw their answers to the questions, “What is your apocalypse?” “What superpower would you like to have to navigate through your apocalypse?” and “What would you wear to your apocalypse?” It made me understand how people (at least those in Singapore) viewed climate change, which is an issue with a large number of opinions.

I created the series Climate Change Couture: Haute Fashion for a Hotter Planet when I realized that the question on clothing resonated with participants the most — they found it an engaging question, whether they liked to draw or not. Climate Change Couture asks the question, “What will you wear to the future we create?” I designed the clothes based on the research of the Singapore-ETH Future Cities Laboratory, who collaborated with me during my residency. I think this series really resonated with people, and there is a diversity of environmental conditions all over the world which gives me ideas for a lot more designs.

I also held a project with students from Tembusu College, National University of Singapore called Earth vs Humans: The Court Trial. There I asked the question, “What happens if Planet Earth sues us for environmental misdemeanors?” The students, who took a class in climate change and whose professors helped me refine the project, wrote the script and assembled their cast, and we filmed it in their reading room.

I think there are many other ways to look at climate change apart from workshops, fashion, photography, and theater. I look forward to creating more projects under The Apocalypse Project platform. I am currently expanding the project in the Philippines, my home country and one that was severely impacted by Typhoon Haiyan last year.

Can you describe your collaboration with Singapore-ETH Future Cities Laboratory? How did you “translate” scientific research into design? What was your process?

My work is usually interactive and my earlier work had a lot to do with human perception. When I did a residency at the National Art Studio of Korea, I did a project that involved hiking all the mountains of Seoul. There, I saw firsthand the effects of human activity on the environment. At that time, I kept running into climate change in my investigations, and this led me to being a part of the 2013 Art Science Residency Programme, in partnership with ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, Tembusu College National University of Singapore, and Singapore-ETH Future Cities Laboratory.

I was essentially an artist in the lab. I looked at their research and saw opportunities to turn them into narratives that laymen can understand and care about using the medium of fashion. I think what makes the public shy away from science is its perceived inaccessibility and dryness. But I saw ways to turn science into stories that can engage people. Once I designed the clothes, I asked the researchers to critique them so that the final clothes would be solidly grounded in science. I see the project as one of speculative fiction, as opposed to science fiction — there are no zombies in this apocalypse, for example.

I really like this process of working with scientists, as I do have a science background. One of the most fun parts of the project was getting the researchers to model the clothes, which I don’t think people expect scientists to do. They got really into it and their artistic sides came out. I believe all of us are born artists and scientists — we are all curious and have the capacity to translate this into creative and innovative things.

What are people’s reactions to your Climate Change Couture series?

They found it to have a mix of seriousness and humor. The stories that go with the clothes are also a bit tongue-in-cheek. I think they saw climate change in a different light — it certainly deviated from the usual photos of polar bears. As an interaction designer, I believe in a focus on people, and that this will make an audience find the work relatable and relevant. When I present the work, I also invite the audience to wear the clothes, and this allows them to put themselves in the stories I created. The fun and interactivity of the project was a strategy to make them interested and engaged, and hopefully, make the issue of climate change important in their own lives beyond seeing the project in the gallery or online.

What do you think is the single most important thing artists can do to address the problem of climate change?

Artists can be the emotional hook in the problem about climate change. I think people in general are weary of being told that we are a liability to the planet, that there is no hope. I like to take a more empowering stance in the climate change conversation so that people will be spurred to action.

What gives you hope?

I have hope in the creative powers of humanity. We got ourselves into this, we can get ourselves out. We don’t have much of a choice, do we?

Filed under: Design, Featured Artist

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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The Scarcity Project

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This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

To celebrate the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring when the earth’s 24 hours are split evenly between light and dark, we shared a wonderful find from Brazilian-Italian-currently-based-in-London Paulo Goldstein, a self-described “designer/maker/artist” according to his website. Incredibly talented and original, we would like to add.

So, brew yourself your favorite fair-trade beverage, sit back and let this six-minute video brighten your day.  It is a “joyful celebration of repaired objects, promoting a different narrative to scarcity by exploring and expanding the potential left behind by the anomalies of our consumer culture.”

Our favorite quote from the video:  ”Scarcity is a springboard to creativity.”

We are sure that you’ll never look at discarded rubbish in the same way again!

Thanks to Grist’s Holly Richmond for the lead.  Follow Joan on Twitter @CleanNergyPhoto or her renewable energy photo blog.

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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The 2nd heliocentric revolution

Artists and Climate Change, ,

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Melbourne, Australia:  The irreverent and provocative creators of Juice Rap News, Giordano Nanni and Hugo Farrant, have produced an outrageously audacious video spoof à la SNL called The Energy Crisis which, IMHO, could be the climate change communication solution we have all been waiting for.  This dynamic down-under duo has even included a cameo by Nicolaus Copernicus, who gently reminds us that we are “still living in the dark ages” by ignoring the most obvious heliocentric fact:  that the sun, at the center of our universe, should also be at the center of our energy strategies.  By the end of the video, we learn that the 2nd heliocentric energy revolution has already begun… solar energy will dominate our climate change future.

Copernicus heliocentric solar energy renewable climate change

Thanks to Peter Sinclair for the lead.  Follow Joan on Twitter @CleanNergyPhoto  

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Strange Weather

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This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Science Gallery Strange Weather

Dublin’s amazing Science Gallery was accepting proposals for its summer 2014 exhibition STRANGE WEATHER. The deadline for submitting proposals expired at 12 midnight on Valentines Day, 14 February 2014.  According to the submission guidelines, the curators — CoClimate and Science Gallery’s  Michael John Gorman — will bring together meteorologists, artists, climate scientists and designers in order to inform, intrigue, provoke dialogue and engage audiences directly, making the complex and emotional topic of extreme weather and climate change more relevant to everyday experiences.  This is a recurring topic here on the Artists and Climate Change site.  STRANGE WEATHER promises to challenge audiences with novel visions of a global culture adapting to extreme weather.  Good luck!

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Feeling Climate Change

Artists and Climate Change,

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Rare Tornado
RARE TORNADO | 2013
oil + charcoal on canvas | 40″ x 36″ x 1.5″
FIELD NOTES: Today there are more frequent RARE TORNADO incidents in areas of the world that are not normally hit. Tornado experts are studying whether global climate change is the cause because climate change increases levels of energy, as well as increases clashes between cold air masses and warm humid air masses. Chances are that the El Nino in 2014 will lead to a record breaking year on many weather fronts.

Danielle Nelisse is an abstract artist noted for painting large scale contemporary abstract art in oil on canvas. She also happens to be a private investigator and an immigration attorney, an unusual combination of skills and interests that gives her a unique perspective on the human condition. Her Urban Ecology | Climate Change Series was recently shown at the Encinitas Civic Center Gallery in Encinitas, California. A follow-up to her Transformative Geopolitics Series, which “was inspired by discussions in California and elsewhere about how to resolve international border issues, multiple identities, inequality, and the ways that exclusion of foreign nationals can dominate contemporary geopolitics,”

Danielle’s Climate Change Series expresses “her inner reflections about the complexities in dealing with urbanization, climate change, and natural disasters.”  Bold-colored, dynamic and complex, her work makes it impossible to intellectualize an issue we so easily (and sometimes, readily) like distance ourselves from. Instead, it invites us to deeply and courageously feel our feelings, and perhaps recognize that there is beauty even in sadness.

In addition to being an abstract painter, you are a private investigator and an immigration attorney. How do these different roles inform your work?

As a private investigator I am asked to obtain information from people in creative – but legal – ways.  As an attorney I must also gather facts about a case, apply the law, and then edit the facts down to the most relevant.  In other words, in my legal work there is a tension between facts, rules, and creativity.

As an artist, there is also a tension between structure and creativity. I express my emotions through color harmony, composition and line. Both my legal work and art work involve the same skills: creative discovery; strategic editing; thoughtful rule application; all while allowing passion and creativity.

 What was the inspiration behind your Urban Ecology | Climate Change series?

I have always felt that I have a say in my destiny and that even though I am only one person, I can make a change. My past is filled with work where I was able to champion the rights of others. The issue of climate change looms large and I am getting nervous because it does not yet seem to be considered an important global issue.

Recently I moved to a new studio in Bonita, California, which is located down by the border of Mexico in a beautiful desert area – and year round my studio is atypically warm. My clients live all over the world and provide me with firsthand accounts about their struggles with uncommon weather events, which are reinforced by media reports. Recently one of my clients was separated from her husband due to the 2013 typhoon in the Philippines. Another was waiting for weeks in the summer of 2013 for a U.S. Consulate to issue his work visa during an abnormal intense heat wave in India that resulted in continued temperatures of 110 F. I may not always be directly impacted by every weather event, but I am indirectly impacted as I experience intense emotions after observing how climate change impacts people worldwide.

Urban Oasis
URBAN OASIS | 2013
oil on canvas | 36″ x 36″ x 1.5″
FIELD NOTES: Desert cities typically record a cooler temperature than the surrounding area. Studies suggest it may be due to the URBAN OASIS effect where irrigated plants in the city help it stay cooler than the dry desert region surrounding it. Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability is studying five sub-tropical desert city region – Las Vegas, USA; Beer Sheva, Israel; Jodhpur, India; Kharga, Egypt; and Hotan/Hetian, China to measure the amount of climate change caused by urban desert cities.

What is your process? What happens between the original idea and the finished painting?

I initially set parameters for myself, such as the size of the canvas and the palette. For this series I decided upon oil paint on large scale canvas. For the most part I am not looking to paint the literal equivalent of a figure or a landscape, but in a nonrepresentational way to gradually balance formal elements such as color, light and space with psychological and conceptual issues. I alternate between gestural action painting strokes done with a large brush or piece of charcoal, and careful thick oil paint applied with a palette knife. There are many stages of editing and layering until I feel satisfied that it is balanced in composition, color and movement.

What do you think is the single most important thing artists can do to address the problem of climate change?

I think that uncertainty about climate change is causing everyone increased anxiety as our concerns accumulate over time. The situation appears to be so overwhelming and effective solutions so complex that it is easier to either avoid thinking of how to deal with it or deny climate change is happening at all. It will take massive cooperation on a global level to make changes and that sounds daunting, if not impossible. Increased discussions about our emotions and how to adapt to the new climate may reduce worry, anxiety and stress and lead to creative solutions. If artists can inspire even a single conversation about emotions caused by climate change, I believe they have made a difference.

What gives you hope?

It is very encouraging to learn about artists of all types who are expressing themselves about climate change. For a long time it felt like I was the only person concerned about it and of course that was not true. I think, just like all unpleasant issues, the more we discuss the reality of climate change and how to adapt to it, the more people will not feel so helpless or sad about the issue. I believe that heightened awareness and a sense that we are all in this together will lead people to take responsibility and stop denying there is an issue as a psychological defense mechanism. Through my art I hope to inspire creative ideas about how to cope by inducing curiosity, concern, or even skepticism – anything to keep the conversation about climate change going.

Water Vapor
WATER VAPOR | 2013
oil on canvas | 36″ x 48″ x 1.5″
FIELD NOTES: A recent study finds that WATER VAPOR is distributed at different heights in the atmosphere, causing fewer clouds to form as the climate warms. Researchers from Australia’s ARC Centre for Climate Systems Science found that 2013 levels of WATER VAPOR resulted in less clouds, which made the atmosphere far more sensitive to heat-trapping gases such as CO2.

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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The World We Made

Artists and Climate Change,

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

The World We Made

Sir Jonathon Porritt – legendary British environmentalist, campaigner, commentator, writer, broadcaster, former Green Party co-chair, sustainability advisor to corporations and individuals including the Prince of Wales, and co-founder of Forum for the Future – is currently promoting his latest book, The World We Made.

Officially classified as non-fiction by its publisher, The World We Made is a most unusual book — part speculative fiction, part road map to an exciting future — that is, according to its optimistic author, clearly within our reach if only humanity can find the courage and vision to “get a move on it without further delay.”

Set in the year 2050, The World We Made is narrated by a fictional British history teacher, Alex McKay, who recounts to his students the key historical events, technological breakthroughs and lifestyle revolutions that helped transform a world which was stuck in polarized environmental debate and climate change inertia in the early part of the 21st century into a healthier, more prosperous world that is green, fair, connected, collaborative and genuinely sustainable for all nine billion of its inhabitants by the year 2050.

According to Jonathon’s blog, “this is the biggest thing I’m working on at the moment.  We simply have to change the ‘mood music’ in terms of the way people feel about sustainability.”

The World We Made is packed with futuristic photographs, info-graphics and hand-drawn sketches that help readers visualize what it would “feel like” living in a world in which 90% of our energy comes from clean sources; where IT devices compute at the speed of human thought; where nanotechnology and 3D printing transforms manufacturing; and where personal genomics allows everyone to lead longer and healthier lives.

futuristic bridge Korea

futuristic boat

“The business community has a lot to feel excited about in terms of the opportunities between now and 2050. It is going to be just the most exciting roller coaster ride you can imagine as we move away from our dependence on fossil fuel and very wasteful economies, to renewable energy, efficiency, closed-loop production systems, new materials, nanotechnology, new manufacturing systems, more efficient transportation systems, one global currency… It’s a brave new world to say the least.”

These ideas are not science fiction, according to Jonathon. All of the projections made in the book are based on the best possible forecasts and scenarios currently available.  “What I did was to take the forecast for 2050 and backcast it – if that’s the forecast for 2050 then how do we actually get there?  It was refreshing to do it that way… if you start from (today) and you look at what’s going to happen in 2015 it’s usually so depressingly small that you think, oh my god, this is never going to get moving fast enough.”

There are, inevitably, some serious shocks to the system that humanity will encounter between now and 2050 – accelerating impacts of climate change, threats to food and water security, for example.  But Jonathan believes these shocks will actually “help jolt politicians out of their current inertia.”

By taking the technical concepts of sustainable development and climate change out of the theoretical – which clearly does not resonate with most audiences – and making them engaging, tangible and human, Jonathon has found his secret weapon – the character Alex McKay – to help make climate change more “personal”.  He tells an engaging – and surprisingly believable – tale of how humanity finally woke up from its early 21st century slumber to save itself – just in the nick of time – from the brink of climate collapse.

The World We Made is essential reading for anyone thirsty for some positive news as an antidote to the relentless onslaught of negative stories and images with which we are confronted daily.  Through a humble fictional “everyman”, Sir Jonathon seduces us with a tantalizingly realistic sense of optimism and hope for the future, inspired by many of the same cleantech revolutionary ideas that are already being developed today.  If we would just allow ourselves the pleasure of focusing beyond the stalemate of today’s international climate change negotiations, we might be able to see — even believe — that humanity may already be on the path to unprecedented transformation as described by Alex McKay.  The secret is to stay focused on the positive, to keep our eyes on the prize.  The World We Made may just be what the doctor ordered. 

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Invisible Teamwork

Artists and Climate Change,

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Bethany Bartran
Bethany Bartran

Bethany Bartran is an Oklahoma-born painter currently living in The Netherlands by way of Houston, San Diego, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Boston and Athens, Greece. She describes her work as “(r)evolving around global, cultural, scientific & political ~ communications, atmospheres, and pollutions… and not necessarily in that order.” Additionally, as an artist married to a climate scientist for more than a decade, the imagery and issues surrounding this topic have  slowly worked their way into her work (see her website and Flickr page). I am especially fascinated with how she appropriates scientific imagery we have all become familiar with, and invites us to look at it in a different way.

How did you become interested in addressing climate change in your work?

When I was younger, I didn’t have any particular focus in my work. I was just showing what was around me, my idiosyncratic take on my surroundings. For example, I’d paint my dreams, or the way the light hit the wall in a corner of my room, and blow it out of recognition, take it totally out of its context, I guess to see what remained recognizable, what remained true. But naturally, as you get older you become more conscientious about what’s happening in the world, and you become wiser. When you travel or move around a bit, like I have, sometimes the things that are the furthest away take on a sense of immediacy. Your ‘surroundings’ start including things that are further and further away, or invisible even. Climate change is something that affects you no matter where you live. I really do feel like a citizen of the world, and this is our generations’ single biggest “elephant in the room”… I suppose I like the idea that I can bring this concept into people’s hearts and minds, on to their living room walls, where they will sit back with their feet up and think about things, allow themselves to be open to acknowledging our problems, and possibly even solutions. That’s the way inspiration works, you float the idea and someone catches it and runs with it. Its sort of an invisible teamwork that we do in society. We all have a role to play.

Several of your paintings are inspired by scientific imagery. In making this imagery your own, what do you hope to communicate?

I want to be accurate, in a way. I know that must sound absurd when you’re looking at my work with a huge spill here and a splash there.. there’s nothing ‘accurate’ about it. In fact, when I’m “in the moment” it’s all feeling and no reservations… just guts. But I’m conveying a force of nature that otherwise wouldn’t be identifiable, or relatable. Science is a very handy way to look at things, everything is extremely defined and logical. There’s no second-guessing about what it ‘means’ and no room for confusion or emotional interpretation. I guess that’s my job, to bridge that gap.

 What are people’s reaction to your work? Do they immediately recognize that it is dealing with climate change issues?

Well, some do, some don’t. Everyone seems to have a different opinion! So far, it’s far from settled. I’ve gotten several comments that people disagree with their partner or spouse on which ones are their favorites. That means they’re talking about it and thinking about it, so I’d say, it’s a good reaction. We could use a similar discussion on a global scale, so I’d like to reach a lot more people. Naturally, art is always more powerful when seen in person, but I’d love to hear this group’s reactions.

track and intensity of all tropical storms
track and intensity of all tropical storms

What do you think is the single most important thing artists can do to address the problem of climate change?

Artists are very sensitive to things that many people wouldn’t account for or have time to consider in their daily lives. This sensitivity allows artists collectively to hold a mirror to society. To give something form, shape or voice is a reaction to a public need to examine our wishes and hopes, as well as our laments. I dare say, we are in changing times, not only with regard to our planet’s ability to sustain us, but we are also shaken politically, financially, technologically and morally to the core. Sometimes you just ‘know’ that something needs to be made, I often “see” a piece in my minds eye and then can’t let it go until its made, even if it takes years. Then, after it leaves the studio, art takes on a life of its own. Some pieces go very far, and see lots of attention and care, and others languish unseen and dusty in the back of a closet. The important thing for artists to do is to keep creating work that engages people, and hope that it fills a need in the society, wherever it finds itself.

What gives you hope?

That the ‘old guard’ will change. The era of industrial capitalists is on its way out, and it will usher in a new, respectful way of living and engaging with each other and our planet. I do sincerely hope it happens in my lifetime, for my kids’ sake.

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Vanishing Ice

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This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Narsaq Sound, Greenland

Narsaq Sound, Greenland by Len Jenshel

The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington is currently showing the exhibition Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775-2012. Curated by Barbara Matilsky, with an accompanying catalogue distributed by University of Washington Press, the exhibition provides a 200-year overview of artists’ responses to the enduring fascination that frigid and isolated places seem to exert on the human imagination. While climate change is, at least in the public consciousness, a relatively recent concern, our desire to conquer the poles is not. In that context, it is interesting to step back and look at the evolution of Arctic imagery, from early 18th century romantic depictions of forbidden landscapes to contemporary works highlighting the vulnerability and fragility of polar environments. Artists from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Russia, Switzerland and the United States are represented. Notable among them are Arctic veteran photographers James Balog, whose ambitious project Extreme Ice Survey was recently featured in the documentary Chasing Ice; Subhankar Banerjee, a leading voice on issues of arctic conservation, indigenous human rights, resource development and climate change; Gary Braasch and his World View of Global Warming project; and David Buckland, founder of the British organization Cape Farewell.

Other articles about the exhibition can be read here, here and here.

Filed under: Photography, Visual Arts

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Changing the Climate Conversation

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This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

Not Listening

Living Green Magazine just published Changing the Climate Conversation, an article by Kassy Holmes that contains several examples of innovative people who are reframing the climate change issue using art and/or non-formal education techniques. Several of the organizations and individuals  mentioned are listed in the blogroll here or have appeared in previous posts, including Daniel Crawford, Climarte and Cape Farewell. Among works Holmes writes about that have not been covered in this blog, Greg Johnson’s illustrated haiku are definitely worth a look.

Filed under: Climate Communication

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau 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 Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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