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The International Center for Creation and exhibition of Art in
Nature
Persian
فارسي
Second section: Persian Gulf Environmental Art Festival
Supported by Paradise International Art Center


Application
Click Here to Download Application of
Paradise Center
"Presence of People of the Global Village in our Village"
Paradise International Art Centre has in the past few years received
many guests from countries as diverse as Germany, The Netherlands, UK,
Lebanon,
USA,
Australia, Switzerland, Ireland, ... In addition many Iranian
artists have traveled to Poloor and performed environmental art in
nature.

Dialogue
of Artists and Scientists with Nature
Dr. Ahmad Nadalian
Introduction
Now, at
the beginning of 21st century, we have made new discoveries and
advances, and acquired new abilities. But at the same time we are
encountering problems, crises, and diseases which never existed before.
In many ways, contemporary man uses or abuse nature to make life better,
yet the pollution and environmental problems can be easily seen by
almost anyone anywhere in the world.
In
societies which are fully equipped with new technology, many scientists
investigate these environmental crises. But in many societies, mostly
third world countries, we can see that many people neither have a belief
in respecting nature, nor good education in how to behave with respect
to nature.
Scientists
can provide information about the deepness and consequence of this
global disaster, but they cannot solve the entire problem alone. The
fact is that the discoveries of scientists and their specialist language
may not be comprehended by all people or individuals. A wide range of
artists have the ability and talent to make it tangible and have an
impact on societies.
On the other hand the results of
investigation and research by scientists can provide the subject matter
for works by environmental artists. There are many artists who use
visual material provided by scientists to produce art such as
installation, video art, video installation, multimedia… This virtual
education can easily travel to any part of the world.
In this paper we try to address the
environmental crisis and then we suggest the collaborative role that
scientists and artists can take to
confront this global disaster.
In order to understand ecological
and environmental art, we have to define what ecology, environment or
environmental crises are. Then we will discuss the emergence of
environmental art and say what it means. Finally discussion focuses on
the collaboration between scientists, artists and all communities, which
can enrich our culture and create a new and ideal environment.
What is Ecology?
Scientists understand and communicate
with nature through ecology, which is "the study of how living and
non-living things in an environment interact with one another. They
could be living together in peace and harmony, or they could be out to
destroy and use one another. This is part of the cycle of life." Now
the signification of ecology is changed. "Ecology is no longer just an
obscure field of scientific study practiced by a few field biologists
roaming the prairies, forests, and streams in search of truths about how
nature works."
What are environmental issues?
Likewise the meaning of
environment has expanded. "When we think about the environment and
environmental issues we each think about different things. Probably
everyone correctly recognizes oil spills, air pollution and water
pollution as being environmental issues. Other issues that come to mind
are nuclear power" ... Some other people "will point to deforestation,
desertification, over fishing and overgrazing as being environmental
issues. Are all of these environmental issues? Yes, and there are many
more". Fundamental are: "the ecosystems consist of air, water, land
and living things (biodiversity)--species of plants, animals and other
organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and so on--as all being
interrelated (including natural events)." All this makes up "the
environment." And we are in it.
Scientists also point out many other
types of environmental disasters: the greenhouse effect which is going
to cause climate change, the ozone layer disappearing, acid rain killing
our lakes and forests, exploding human population precipitating mass
starvation. "There is now broad agreement in the scientific community
that there are serious problems with the life-supporting processes of
our environment. Air, water, soil, habitats, wildlife, and other public
resources are being rapidly degraded in all countries"… "There is
clear evidence that ecosystems are breaking down"…
Such environmental destruction is now
found everywhere. Perhaps the biggest reason for developing a worldwide
effort to monitor and restrict global pollution is the fact that most
forms of pollution do not respect national boundaries. The first major
international conference on environmental issues was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 and was
sponsored by the United Nations (UN). "Environmental protection is a
rare occurrence in human history because there is no inherent mechanism
in society for protecting it. In the past, nature has survived only
because humans lacked the power to destroy it. This is no longer the
case". "Since 1880, the average global temperatures have risen
sharply, and the1980s were the warmest decade in the last hundred years.
Ozone decreases of up to twenty-five percent have been detected. An
estimated 36,500 species of plants and animals become extinct each year,
mostly because of human activities."
Polluted Water
Water is undoubtedly the most precious
natural resource that exists on our planet. Without water the life on
Earth would not exist; it is essential for everything on our planet to
grow and prosper. Although we as humans recognize this fact, we
disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans. Subsequently,
we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where organisms
are dying at a very alarming rate. In addition to innocent organisms
dying off, our drinking water has also become greatly affected, as is
our ability to use water for recreational purposes. "The pollution of
rivers and streams with chemical contaminants has become one of the most
crucial environmental problems within the 20th century. Waterborne
chemical pollution entering rivers and streams cause tremendous amounts
of destruction." "Estimates suggest that nearly 1.5 billion people lack
safe drinking water and that at least 5 million deaths per year can be
attributed to waterborne diseases. "
Clearly, the problems
associated with water pollution have the capability to disrupt life on
our planet to a great extent. "It is ultimately up to us, to be
informed, responsible and involved when it comes to the problems we face
with our water". "As we head into the 21st century, awareness and
education will most assuredly continue to be the two most important ways
to prevent water pollution. If these measures are not taken and water
pollution continues, life on earth will suffer severely".
"Environmental problems involve not only ecological issues but
political, economic, and religious ones as well."
The world today is divided by
unjustified wars and terror. These issues are expanding our problems
and as a result we will face further environmental crisis.
So we can say that environmental crises exist in many fields.
As we have seen, many
societies are fully equipped with new technology; and they are the real
force behind the environmental crisis. Many artists and scientists in
developed societies are aware of the implications of this crisis, thus
it is debated in academic and scholarly circles, and strict laws are
passed. This is not the case in developing and Third World countries,
where they are either still struggling to gain access to advanced
technology, or it has been imported already. But the sensitivity to
environmental issues that should accompany these advances is still
lacking.
It is
clear that past approaches to environmental reform will be insufficient
for future success. A new approach is clearly needed. Inappropriate
human behavior patterns and misplaced values and belief systems produced
these crises.
As we have given the
evidence we involve a deep problem. From the early stages artists shoed
sensitivity and started to reflect these crises in their works.
The Emergence of
Environmental Art
Art reflects the beauty of
nature and can help us to improve our relationship with the natural
world. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries
many artists escaped from cities and technology, to produce their art
work in nature or even in a primitive society. It is obvious that they
felt the problem and could suggest the consequence of the development of
technology. The fact is that now we cannot all escape from civilization
and forget about technology. Without the current facilities we will face
many problems too. So it is better to be reminded that nature should be
used in a correct and appropriate manner.
Generally modern art was not
interested in education and sought to escape from subject matter and any
involvement of social issues. After the 1970’s many artists started to
convey idea and engage in education. They involved the audience and
considered the surrounding space as an inseparable part of a piece of
art. Many contemporary artists are now interested in political, social
and environmental activities.
Historically the movement which we call it environmental art
emerged in the 1960's in response to the ecological movement. They try
to facilitate a "sustainable balance between human and non-human nature
through restoration, education, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Given the educational focus of environmental art, community involvement
is often central." "Much environmental art is ephemeral, designed for
a particular place (site-specific) and involves collaborations between
artists and others such as scientists, educators and community groups".
We can distinguish environmental art
from land art and earth art, though in some cases both terms can be
applied to a single work. However, some scholars say: in the broadest
sense, "environmental art also includes architecture and landscaping".
Environmental art adds to the quality of the built environment and of
planning. It enriches the environment and lends itdistinction.
Environmental art is grounded in an ethos that focuses on
interrelationships. These relationships include not only physical and
biological pathways but also the cultural, political and historical
aspects of ecological systems. (Wallen & Lerner). Through the
medium of art, the patterns of human and non-human nature can be
visualized as a dynamic and interdependent system.
Ecological
art becomes a platform for a culture that focuses not only on moral
aspects and the beauty of the mind but also on aesthetic values.
Allegory is often a key element in environmental and ecological art. The
different aspects of nature which have been unnoticed can be seen and
interpreted again.
Environmental movement and art in some cases has been a result of a
collaboration between scientists, artists and audiences.
Here I would like to classify at least
four types of environmental art. First, some environmental artists are
interested primarily in the aesthetic of their work: they use natural
elements or environment to create beauty, it seems that they are not
committed to educating the community and the people (or at least in
their works the educational message is not obvious), they don’t protest
or give awareness about losing nature, but just want to crate a peace of
art. Second, those artists whose work shows a strong ecological
message: some of this work can be regarded as social activity or part of
the green movement rather than art, and in these works the boundary
between social movement and art is not clear. Third, a type of
environmental art which shows a combination of both aspects: where we
can see beauty as well as concept or social message. Fourth, where the
artist uses virtual material and technology to produce environmental
art: in this type of work the artist may use material by other artists
or scientists, and this type of work is also often presented in museums,
galleries or other media such as the web.
Now we need to provide a
platform for further development of the environmental movement and art.
We have to use every possibility
to show the crises and ways to face this global problem. We need new
knowledge, approaches, vision and spirituality to improve ourselves and
our environment. Through education and art we can inform and educate
societies.
Artists and
scientists need to exchange ideas and thoughts, and can show each other
new horizons.
Individual artists can not
know and measure all change in environment. Scientists tell us what is
happening on the bottom of ocean, in space, or in each atom and what
will be the consequence of any change in nature. They have the ability
to examine, record, and report any transformation in environment and can
inform us of the dimension, aspect and vastness of environmental
crises. Artists may have the ability to visualize the outcome of the
scientist investigations and change the situation for better.
Conclusion
All the above mentioned
evidence shows, that there is no question about the deepness of
environmental disasters and crises. Environmental crises and diseases
are the result of many changes in nature and a lack of good behavior and
education. A pure world belongs to a pure being, but the pollution of
nature comes from the pollution of the human soul.
The vastness of
environmental crises requires global willingness, collaboration between
scientists, those who are involved in education, and finally those who
use art to express this tragedy.
Scientists increase our knowledge about
nature and provide information about its processes, but artists can feel
the environmental problem and through their art show their vision and
imagination about the environment. Scientists can perceive and prove the
contemporary crises by a logical investigation and give us a classified
report, while ecological artists can interpret nature or create artworks
which influence societies.
Collaboration between scientists and artists can make people of
environmental disaster and expand the movement. The knowledge and
information provided by scientists may inspire artists to suggest the
subject-matter of environmental art. Occasionally they use the material
provided by scientists, such as images and clips, to produce the art
works which can educate people to save environment.
The focus
of environmental and ecological art can be in clarifying the fact that
in this planet we are not alone and everything doesn't belonging to us.
All we need to learn is to stop polluting it any further.
Finally we
have to realize that we are part of "Mother Nature", so through a
dialogue with nature and our environment we can learn how to behave and
how to improve our attitude. Through this interaction we can enrich our culture, and create a new and
ideal environment.
Anyone wishing to view the works
in this village may contact the manager at +98 9121482177 or send
e-mail to :
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