What does it mean to be an art activist? And why am I using the term art activism in reference to Heart Art ? There are several aspects to art activism, and to me it’s mainly about raising awareness through exposure to art. Most of us humans never get the chance to see our planet from a large distance (ie. space), but more than 550 astronauts/cosmonauts have had the experience of stepping out of Earth’s gravity field briefly between 1961 and 2018 and as I was reading this, I wondered “has anyone of them been set changed as a result of that experience?” According to an article published in 2018 in the National Geographic magazine, clearly the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ . Overall, these astronauts, after spending time orbiting the Earth, feel a strong need to protect planet Earth, and to communicate to other Earthlings what they saw and felt. Nicole Stott, one of the lucky ones, felt the urge to convey what she saw and experienced in the form of works of art portraying the immeasurable beauty of Earth. Another was motivated by images from space of asteroid impacts into making Earth’ inhabitants more aware of the dangers of asteroid impacts. Challenging people’s sometimes negative patterns and beliefs through art can give inspiration to change these patterns. The Earth is amazingly resilient and also immensely fragile. And that last sentence brings me back full circle to what motivated me to become actively involved in the global efforts to preserve and protect as much of our biosphere. Growing up, I noticed that I had a higher level of sensitivity compared to most. I could feel the pain someone must be going through, and I still have vivid memories of the despair and anguish in the eyes of the female orangutan hanging on to the last remaining vestiges of a tree left standing, amidst a landscape of utter destruction left in the wake of an army of bulldozers operated by some random guy who happened to have the skill to operate a one arm bandit and whose only claim to fame was to not have felt any remorse after one handedly having annihilated the entire jungle habitat of a bunch of “apes”. This image was obviously followed up by thousands upon thousands of other scenes of chaos, destruction and looting commandited by some of the ultra rich corporate powers of this planet bent on extracting every last penny from this Earth and calling it a neoliberal miracle, to which I would totally agree whilst stating in my disclaimer that the wealth thus generated will never trickle further than the 1 top percent so much is proven. By the Grace of God if such a force should exist, I implore you-the other 99%- to find within you - the strength and willpower to not trust those in power, for they will lie and deceive, and if my very meager productions help you to face greed and evil, then may you consider me to be an activist artist, creator of environment and nature art, and this art to be a tool in your awakening - just by looking at it- to all of Earth’s qualities which are plentiful - but also hopefully in moving you away from the fear and apathy, hopelessness, distrust and disempowerment that is occupying your present color schemes. Oh ye, lend faith to tunes of a brighter, greener and fairer future for all of Earth’s inhabitants, minus the 1% (may they rot in hell.?
Heart Art: activist art?
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