What does it mean to you?

[Michaela Rygrova]

I am considering the theme of sustainability and ecology in the arts nearly two years now. Over the year I am dealing with my professors at school to explain them the high importance of this all and I won one battle for theme of my MA these and I’ve got permission to write about The Ecological Behavior in The Creative Industries.

I would like to ask if you can help me a bit. I am trying to collect some opinions on this topic. What does it say to people, what does it mean to them? Is it about moral or economical impact? Is the impact important? Shouldn’t we concern more the impact of the big companies? Is this the marginal topic? Is it only trendy?

Whatever can help me and I will be happy for your commentaries

Misa

[Ian Garrett]

I think it depends on where you draw the line of ecologiy within creative industries. You've got a decently established tradition of eco-art in a public, in the environmental sense that gets lumped in with the wider ecoart idea because of it's geography in the outdoors.

That isn't going away definitely, if you thin of art as answering "where are we?" in a broad sense, as long as we inhabit this planet, the public/ecological practices within art will continue to draw attention to it.

On the other hand, the consciousness of 1st nature is more what I think you're asking. I have hope that it will continue as an imperative for years to come. We've only gotten away from the 1st nature of the natural world in the last couple of centuries with industrialization. And, even in that regard, we've only gotten to a point where we could understand our over-extension as a direct result of those changes within the last century if not less.

Previous to that, we were at some level of sanity in our presence in the natural world. If not consciously, at least through our inferiority as we still had yet to conquer it.

Now that we have conquered it and we are aware of our symbiosis within it's systems I don't think we can forget that. we'll always need to be aware of our balance with the natural world, and for that reason i think the topic is moving closer to the center and with staying power.

will it ever be the central consideration? Maybe, but in particular circumstances and in that way marginal. Beyond those instances, i don't think it can be, we can't have every piece of art be about the environment. but, for the sake of the planet, the health of artists and general operation as beings in the world i think it will always be somewhere in our minds and it's the job of those who choose to make that an easy thing to do and maintain.

[Katie Leckenbusch]

Hello Misa!
I am also writing for a thesis on Sustainability in the Arts - though mine is more of a case study on one particular theater organization and their process/sucesses/obstacles. good luck! If you ever want to bounce ideas around I would love to see what you are working on. I want to try to compile a best practices guide for others to use. From a wider view though I would like to think that art and artists have always looked to the future bravely and with a more critical eye than societal "norms" often allow.

I like your question "is it a moral or economical impact?" I would like to get to a place as a participant in the arts where my moral and personal economics were able to mesh. We have so many choices as standard consumers- products, services, forms of entertainment, etc that if your selection does not reflect your own personal morals or deeper beliefs - then I am not sure what it does reflect. If I chose to purchase a Seventh Generation laundry detergent (which costs about $4 more than a similar name brand) then has my extra $4 spent actually reflect my personal goal to use less petrol in my life? For me, and my wallet, the impact is certainly both moral and economical. Because of this relationship I do not feel that this topic is merely trendy.

[lauren raine]

Artists are the mythmakers, and often reflect the conscience, of any given civilization. Art is not a product to market, even in a capitalistic society, although people are taught to think that way - it's a way of, hopefully, raising consciousness and touching hearts and minds. It can also be a way to heal our relationship to each other, and to the Earth.

I'm not sure exactly what your question is, but perhaps this constitutes an answer for my part. I do not believe you can move people to change their relationship to the environment, or in fact to each other, with facts - you have to move them through the medium of the imagination. That's where arts of all kind, and I'm especially partial to arts that are participatory in some way, is vital.