Theoretical Texts

Natural Capital

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Does the (natural) world exist to provide ‘services’ for human beings?  Should we attempt to justify the importance of bees or trees or rivers or mountains or bacillus acidophilus in terms of an ecosystems services analysis, i.e. what services they provide to us?

Alternatively should we analyse what services we provide to ecosystems?  This question was raised by Shai Zakai recently during a discussion about ecosystem services.  It seems to focus precisely the problem with the ecosystems services approach, which is that it leaves us as the beneficiary of the services, limiting our responsibility to those we can comprehend.

For some useful background on this subject see the Arts and Environment network at CIWEM resource on Natural Capital, and in particular their introductory document From Microbes to Mountains.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Oil, photography

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Following up on Louis Helbig‘s presentation at Edinburgh College of Art comes Suzaan Boettger’s review in Brooklyn Rail of three books of photography of oil landscapes, Burtynsky’s Oil, J. Henry Fair’s The Day After Tomorrow: Images of our Earth in Crisis, and Richard Misrach and Kate Orff’s Petrochemical America.

The review addresses the approaches of the three photographers and comments on their aesthetic and art historical context.  There is a larger piece of work which would encompass, for instance, the also important books by James Marriott/PLATFORM including Next Gulf: London, Washington and the Oil Conflict in Nigeria and The Oil Road: Journeys from the Caspian Sea to the City of London.

These books provide a counterpoint because rather than focusing on the visual in the context of the industrial, they narrate the relationship between the impact on the lives of people living with the oil industry and our lives in London, or Scotland, or wherever and how we are complicit through financial investments, whether that’s JP Morgan Chase or Royal Bank of Scotland. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Eden3: Trees are the Language of Landscape

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Eden3: Trees are the language of landscape exhibition image

Exhibition – April 22 to May 25, 2013
Tent Gallery, in Art Space and Nature
Edinburgh College of Art
Evolution House (corner of Westport and Lady Lawson Street)
Edinburgh, EH1 2LE, Scotland
Phone: 0131 651 5800
Hours: Tues-Fri 12noon to 4:45PM or by appointment on Saturday.

The Collins & Goto Studio presents an on-going series of works with trees, including Eden3 an installation of trees and technology that provide an experience of photosynthesis through sound, and Caledonia: The Forest is Moving a series of expeditions and related inquiry about specific forests. The exhibition includes a brief overview of previous work from Pennsylvania and California to provide context for the current creative inquiry.

This work has evolved through collaboration with other artists, musicians, scientists and technicians. The exhibition is partially sponsored by Trilight Industries, Glasgow. Engineering support for the development of Eden3 is provided by Solutions for Research, Bedford. Special thanks to Helen de Main, Sogol Mabadi and Chris Fremantle.

Opening – Thursday April 25, 4 to 6 PM
Artist’s Talk – Thursday May 16, 4 to 6 PM
Collins and Goto will host an open discussion with friends and colleagues about their work and the role of art in relationship to a changing environment.
Space is limited please RSVP if interested in attending the artist talk rsvp@collinsandgoto.com

Eden3 Exhibition Flyer w Image

Eden3 Exhbition Press ReleaseSM

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Proposals for creative art+science, participatory and open environmental education

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Pixelache Helsinki, a transdisciplinary platform for experimental art, design, research and activism have just posted ideas for art+science, participatory and open environmental education development:

  1. Create new educational materials with participants, using creative participatory methods, for example using ‘sprint’ model, i.e. doing things fast, together, during the 2-3 days camps organised by trilateral environmental NGOs.
  2. Offer creative art-science workshops in cooperation with trilateral environmental NGOs, based on shared-interests, for example ecological, river-water basin, agriculture and renewable energy issues, etc.
  3. Educational training/mentorship for Environmental NGOs in Gulf of Finland / Baltic Sea Region to learn more about Open -Data, -Education, -Sustainability, and -GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums, ie. Culture)
  4. Make accessible previously-made educational materials in digital formats, including graphics, diagrams, texts, and other data by negotiating with makers/copyright holders. This can be a selection from over a period of years, or a particular project or publication. Can be done in stages, testing & getting feedback in the process of what is useful and needed.
  5. Contribute media (photos, videos, audio interviews and commentary) to commons-oriented repositories which promote open access, sharing and download of media materials.
  6. Investigate & implement peer-to-peer ecologically sustainable ICT solutions for sharing materials.

Access the full story here. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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What is Creative Carbon Scotland?

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What is Creative Carbon Scotland? – Creative Carbon Scotland.

Creative Carbon Scotland is a partnership of arts organisations which puts culture at the heart of a sustainable Scotland.

We provide a range of services which help the cultural sector achieve this goal. These include:

  • Training in carbon measurement and reporting;
  • Initiating special projects which engage organisations, artists and audiences in the sustainability debate and inspiring behavioural change;
  • Lobbying government, funding bodies, organisations and artists for the role of the arts in building a more sustainable Scotland.

Our work will help Scotland’s cultural sector to be at the forefront of current debate on climate change by influencing public awareness and inspiring behavioural change as well as providing practical support in carbon management and strategic planning projects.

This is in line with likely future funding requirements from Creative Scotland which will require arts organisations to report their carbon emissions in line with Scottish Government policy and following a similar move by the Arts Council England.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Louis Helbig at ECA, 4pm on 2nd April

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Helbig-poster-draft-1

ecoartscotland is pleased to announce that we will be co-hosting a talk by Louis Helbig, Canadian environmental photographer, at in the Main Boardroom (Level 5) Evolution House (corner of West Port and Lady Lawson Street), Edinburgh College of Art at 4pm on Tuesday 2nd April.  For more information, email r.maclean@ed.ac.uk.

Louis Helbig is a Canadian aerial art photographer and social commentator.  His best-known project, Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs, uses the evocative power of art to create space for viewers to reflect, imagine and think for themselves.  He depicts one of the largest industrial projects of our time.

Also ongoing is Sunken Villages about what disappeared and has re-emerged; ten communities flooded by the St Lawrence Seaway in 1958.  That industrial project was the pride of the Commonwealth in its time.

Raised in rural British Columbia, Canada, Louis Helbig’s work is informed by the eclectic.  His background includes membership of Canada’s national cross-country ski team, several academic degrees, flying bush planes, and employment with various public agencies and government departments, NGOs and education institutions.  He left Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs in 2006 to pursue art.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Dalziel + Scullion | Edinburgh Lectures

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dalziel-scullionDalziel and Scullion have been invited to give a lecture entitled Ecology of Place as part of the Edinburgh Lectures series. It takes place Monday 27th May 2013 at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh.

Other speakers in the series include the zoologist Aubrey Manning, specialist on the lynx Dr David Hetherington, Geddes expert Dr Walter Stephen, author on the arctic Ken McGoogan, marine biologist Prof Murray Roberts, natural history television producer Nigel Pope, local food advocate Lady Claire Macdonald and geologist Prof Iain Stewart. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Steep Trail Walk & Talk in St Andrews botanical garden

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Steep Trail, the ongoing art and ecology programme inspired by the life and work of John Muir, has an exhibition of work resulting from residencies in China, plus an opportunity to ‘walk and talk.’

Winter Walk & Talk, Sat 2 Mar 2013, 1.30pm, St Andrews Botanic Garden (Canongate, St Andrews). Linked to FCA&C’s exhibition Steep Trail, Nikki Macdonald will lead the walk, bringing aspects of John Muir’s work into discussions as you tour the garden. Meet at the Glass Class (wet weather alternative will be provided). Refreshments will be served in the Glass Class afterwards. Talk free but usual entry to the Garden applies – £2 (adults)/£1 (concessions/children); free to Friends of the Botanic Garden and RHS members. To book, please contact FCA&C – 01334 474610 or mail@fcac.co.uk.

Steep Trail Walk & Talk. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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An ocean of grief, MIDWAY a film by Chris Jordan

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The MIDWAY film project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, our team is witnessing the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. With photographer Chris Jordan as our guide, we walk through the fire of horror and grief, facing the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. And in this process, we find an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

We frame our story in the vividly gorgeous language of state-of-the-art high-definition digital cinematography, surrounded by millions of live birds in one of the world’s most beautiful natural sanctuaries. The viewer will experience stunning juxtapositions of beauty and horror, destruction and renewal, grief and joy, birth and death, coming out the other side with their heart broken open and their worldview shifted. Stepping outside the stylistic templates of traditional environmental or documentary films, MIDWAY will take viewers on a guided tour into the depths of their own spirits, delivering a profound message of reverence and love that is already reaching an audience of tens of millions of people around the world.

Production of the feature film “MIDWAY” continues through 2013.
Please go to midwayfilm.com for more information.

 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
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Environmental Art Festival Scotland – call for proposals and partners

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Wide Open together with Spring Fling

Landscape, Chris Fremantle

Landscape, Chris Fremantle

and The Stove have launched a call for proposals and partners for Scotland’s first Environmental Art Festival Scotland.

The deadline for all strands is Thursday 22 March 2013.

There are several strands:

Open Call for Ideas – ideas for artworks that connect aspects of land, sustainability, energy, coast, rural living, Biosphere, Dark Skies, climate change, ecosystem services, transport, etc. and are relevant or connected to Dumfries and Galloway.  These could be small or large ideas.  Proposals are invited from any discipline.

Ten ideas will be selected to receive small grants towards their development.  They will be included in the Environmental Art Festival in some form (depending on the stage of development).

Commissions – temporary installations for the duration of the festival (30 August to 2 September 2013) addressing the theme of “energy and the land”.  There is a budget of £5,000 for each commission.  Commissions can be across a wide range of media including visual art, sound, film, digital media, text based or combinations.  The Environmental Art Festival is looking to demonstrate cutting edge art practices engaged with ecology, nature or land art which is moving, meaningful and dynamic.  The

Venues, Places, Organisations – Wide Open is interested in hearing from Venues, Places or Organisations with existing or planned activity that fits with the themes of the Environmental Art Festival.

Full Call is here.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.
It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

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