More.
When I heard about Capstone, I knew it would be a really great opportunity to explore my two significant interests that are not always thought of as being symbiotic. Originally, I was researching how artists with scientific and analytical backgrounds use those backgrounds within their art. This proved to be difficult, both with deciding what qualified an artist as having a “scientific background” and with finding a large quantity of artists that fit those specifications. The focus of the project shifted slightly after the realization that I wasn’t making significant progress and was more interested in the art’s impact on environmental issues rather than how the artist’s were using their analytical backgrounds within their art. So, from that point on I researched how environmentalist artists use their art to communicate, educate, and inform about environmental issues.
Research Conclusions
My research aimed to answer the question, how do environmentalist artists use their art to communicate, educate, and inform about environmental issues? I found three major points of discovery through the process. These points being:
Beauty is more effective than gore
Inspire human emotions like empathy and curiosity
Don’t stray too far from scientific fact.
I came to these conclusions after analyzing journal articles, documentaries, podcasts, photos, various art forms, books, and interviewing professionals in both the science and art fields.
After talking with many individuals, I have realized that as much as I can try to push one message through an art piece, the viewer is going to take their own meaning out of the work depending on their personal experiences. While they may not come away with my objective of protecting the environment, to me it’s a success if they remember their own connection with the natural world.
Beauty associated with the natural world is one of the biggest things I hope to channel through my art in this project. All the artists I have researched use beauty as a major component within their art. Contrary to popular belief, lots of art depicts the gore of nature and creatures being destroyed by humans instead of its inherent beauty, so the fact that so many environmentally focused artists depict beauty is significant. Linda Gass, a California based artist, uses the beauty and mystique of waterways to pull people into her work. By using the beauty of nature instead of the ugliness that can occur when human involvement is taken into consideration, she draws an audience that finds nature to be a treasure which only makes her art more effective. The docuseries Blue Planet II explores the horrors facing the beautiful, enchanting, and biodiverse ecosystem that they take the viewer through and foster a feeling of appreciation for the beauty in those ecosystems. Michael Muller’s work has a similar effect. As a scuba diver and photographer, he has discovered the beauty in the water and has come to love the incredible creatures which are displayed through his art. Letting the subject and it’s beauty speak for itself is one of my biggest takeaways. More is not necessarily better when it comes to making impactful art.
Empathy is one of the main things that make us human. While some people may be more empathetic than others, when a certain nerve is struck impressive things can happen. Catering to empathy and human emotion are important when attempting to impact change and awareness. The majority of my research complements this notion. There needs to be a balance between creating something that people are intrigued by and want to get involved in, and the culture of involvement becoming toxic. Art is effective by influencing emotion and creating memories, which is how one visual or experience can imprint on someone. Art is also associative so feelings can be very easily accessible especially if the viewer has had an experience with the subject of the piece, which is easy if working in and with the community the art is based around. Caroline Casey, a marine biologist affiliated with UC Santa Cruz, spoke to me about the power of documentaries. The scientific community is sometimes opposed to associating human emotions with animals, but she along with others realize it’s a good way to appeal to the public and get them emotionally attached to an issue and or animal. Documentaries use this strategy as well. In both of the Blue Planet II episodes I watched, they built a story. They made the story of specific ocean dwelling creatures into a tale about love, lust, and survival. By framing the documentary in this way, it built suspense and empathy for the creatures. Artists inspire people to use their curiosity, as written about by environmental writer Kate Stanton. Curiosity is one of the main emotions Linda Gass hopes to spark in her viewers. Her artwork creates curiosity about the issues she’s passionate about, which then bring more awareness to the issue.
I spoke with Arman Shehabi, an energy researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He stressed the importance of keeping things in a fact based world yet also needing to break down information to reach a broader audience. Through interviewing him, I learned to value my creative instincts when it comes to creating art to make sometimes complex issues more accessible, while also staying in the realm of fact so that scientists will also value the artwork that may pertain to their work.
Creating love, curiosity, and empathy for the world is the way art can help fix what is broken.
CONTACT