The biggest environmental issue we face as humans is the rapid pollution of our planet. The effects of the non-stop consumption of humans are visible everywhere. From global warming to forest fires, we are practically watching our planet die. As humans, we are responsible for this damage, and unfortunately, only we can save ourselves and the environment we have harmed. The least we can do is start trying to save it before it is too late or else the damage will be irreversible.
There are many things we can do to accelerate this process, and raising awareness is on top of the list. One of the options to raise awareness as soon as possible is something that may not come to mind at first: art. But if you think about it, it is a tool that can reach a wide variety of people.
Awareness is the key to the solution. Without awareness, change is impossible. In order to take action and achieve concrete change informing people is a must. Humans need to know that just because the Arctic is so far away and the melting of the glaciers is not happening near them, or just because they do not see the trash that is floating on the surface of the oceans every day, doesn’t mean that it is not really happening. Education is very important for this.
Art allows people to connect on a deeper and more complex level. For centuries people have used art to convey their deeper, emotional visions about situations. Not just about the environment; it has been used on many issues that aim to reach people such as wars, protests and many more humanistic situations. As we can see throughout the history, art has been a really reliable source of deeper communication among people.
The environment being used in art started in the late 1960s under the name of environmental art (eco-art), meaning art addressing to social and political issues relating to the environment. It could be sculptures, paintings, artwork with the usage of real waste materials or anything that you can express yourself with, relating to the environment.
As the artwork provides us with insight into the artist’s point of view, we can say that we can understand what the artist wants to say, at least on some level. Since the artist’s job is to concretize their ideas and express them somehow for people to understand properly, it can be said with certainty that art is a true and definite way to convey ideas about serious issues such as the environment.
The other very important feature of art is that it makes people feel, deeply. For example, a work depicting an animal in the middle of a burning forest is nothing but an image that arouses our deepest conscience. The way it forces us to feel and think about the forgotten situations of the world is the biggest proof of why art is a very strong option for raising awareness and inspire environmental action.
“‘Wheatfield-A Confrontation’ (1982) by Agnes Denes raised awareness about the potential for urban agriculture and the need for sustainable land management practices.”
“’7000 Oaks’ by Joseph Beuys (1982-1987) inspired a global movement of tree planting (Trillion Tree Campaign, Plant-for-the-Planet) and showcased the role of art in environmental activism.”
“’The Crossroads Project’ by Chris Jordan (2009-present) encourages viewers to reflect on their own consumption patterns and advocate for more sustainable practices.”
These are real-life examples of how art affects the environmental actions, from global movements to everyday life decisions.
The environment is a very important issue for us, humans and all other creatures living on this planet. We need to get serious and take action immediately. Art is a very beautiful and effective way of doing this. We should use every facility we have to save Earth, especially art at this point.
Yazan: Derin Saraçoğlu
Resources:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/e/environmental-art
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/e/environmental-art