Interesting/Inspiring Eco Artists and Projects

The book i was looking through is called "Ecotopia". It was filled with many different environmental artists and descriptions of their work. The individual projects were very interesting to read about but i really liked learning about the intentions and ideas that the artists had behind the projects.

Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla have collaborated together on several different environmental projects. I very much liked their mindset behind their work, which was to "fuse art and activism". They talked about the importance of creating artwork that is "in the public sphere" and getting the surrounding community involved. From reading my other blog posts, you can see that community involvement is also very important to me. Much of their artwork and environmental events "rely on audience involvement" and that is something that i would love to see our Eco Art class work towards. Its the best and most positive way to get everyone involved, raise the most awareness and have fun!

Another artists that caught my eye is Doug Aitken. In particular, his piece which is entitled "Plateau". He uses FedEx boxes to create an entire city of birdhouses. I think what draws me to a project like this is the use of materials that would have normally been disposed of to create a work of art. The created bird city is huge and each structure is unique and very patiently created. The aesthetic seems clustered and loud. This could be fixed by painting solid colors onto the colors, but i think it is important for the viewer to see and recognize the FedEx logo. Some other brands that Aitken has used are IBM, Macintosh and Coca-Cola.

The other book i searched through was called "Beyond green toward a sustainable art". Many of the artists and projects in this book were fascinating, but i was particularly interested in one called "Free Soil". Many different people from many different backgrounds formed this group together in 2004. The main belief of the group is that "art can be a catalyst for social awareness and change". I agree with this statement very strongly and i think our EcoArt class could benefit from adopting this idea and applying it to our projects. Aside from the art perspective, the "Free Soil" team also raises very important questions about living sustainably in terms of the foods we buy and eat. Some of those questions include "Do you know about the people who grow the produce you are buying and eating?", "Do you know how long this produse has been off the tree/vine/etc.?", "Do you know how much CO2 is produced to get this piece of produce to you?". Those are just a few examples, and we can think about many aspects of our life in this way. I know i have mentioned in previous posts about the disconnect that occurs with people and their recycling after they drop it off in recycling bins. Asking questions like these, finding the answers and spreading the word is one of the most important important ways to positively impact your community awareness.