Cost of Adventure

A comment on adventure as a commodity. Will there soon be speed limits on freefalling?

Source: Outside Magazine, "Parting Shot," July 2008.

John

What a Treat!?

I am continuously awed by the artwork in Real Simple. Each section is much like a chapter in a book; it has a page defines what is to come with objects made from paper. These ice cream cones were perfect as a summer treat. My media remix is mainly the Earth's natural resources. The first cone is made of water, air, and bricks. I think it is more of a flame than a cone. The next cone is made of stone, skin, and corduroy. It reminds me of Medusa's hair. The cone of the third ice cream is erected by a building and netting. The final cone is just something that wraps up summer: beautiful colors, music, and fashion. My cones stand on a road map going anywhere they choose.

Source: Real Simple Magazine, June 2008.

Stephanie L.

Time Is Running Out

The original image exemplifies the growing problem of enough water for all of the earth's inhabitants. Providing adequate water is a challenge in today's society. Severe droughts in the United States as well as in underdeveloped and developing countries, plus an ever expanding population, create increased demand. We consume water for drinking, hygiene and growing food, but also power for electricity and industrial use. The remix image indicates to the observer that we are running out of time to clean up our oceans and rivers for future generations. The earth is not recyclable. There is no hidden lifeboat. Take a stand, lend a hand. What is clean water worth? Join a clean water coalition/organization in your neighborhood.

Source: Unknown

Meg

"Dyson Sucks Dirt"

Originally this add repulsed me. These cleaning devices cost way too much and I feel they are totally overrated. This advertisement was from the December/January 2008 issue of Dwell Magazine: Suburbs with Attitude.

After really looking at the advertisement and looking for an environmental issue to remix the image; I came up with this remixed image.

I looked for collaged images that depicted dirt, war, inhumanity and trash. The vacuum is supposed to be "sucking" the dirt and spitting out fresh and clean air and a new greener earth. I wanted to show that if you were to buy such an expensive vacuum, it not only should be able to clean your house, but it should be able to clean the environment as well. There is so much money being wasted on producing and purchasing devices like this; money that could be well spent somewhere else, i.e., contributions to clean area waterways, forests, etc.

Source: Dwell Magazine, [Advertisement for Dyson Vacuum Cleaner], Dec/Jan 2008.

Phi Nguyen

Angel standing by me

The original image is an imprint of an angel in a white substance appearing to be snow or possibly sand. This fossil or imprint indicates that there was an angel there once, but no longer exists.

The transformed image is the return of the angel that left the imprint. The background of skies, water, a tree and rose petals is suppose to give it a sense of vitality.

The meaning of the remix is to infer that there is hope and spirituality in every situation.

Source: Unknown
Lisa

"No Child Left Inside" ~ Creating Environmental Stewards

This image represents lost opportunities in childhood. Technology, mass media and consumerism have transformed our world into a two-dimensional experience where electronic connetions are made to passive viewers and purchase power is sold as the elixer of life. Opportunties to physically interact with the environment have become accidental and limited, and are framed by fear of the unknown and unexperienced.

So, join my remixed image, turn off the electronics and leave the mall behind. Go outside and see what mother nature has to share. Find a worm, follow an ant, collect leaves, stomp in mud puddles, and come to know yourself by the nature-based experiences that shape you.

Source: Dwell Magazine, [Small Paul Advertisement], July 2008.

Kerri Schmidt

Clean Waters

Through this image I wanted to portray the transformation of a polluted body of water into one that is clean, vibrant, alive. With the presence of the sign, it is clear that this river is not only clean, but cared for, protected. A public awareness is present and respected. I used the original image of the trash-filled river as the background of the sign to acknowledge what can happen when we turn our backs on our great responsibility to our environment. The sign represents the active choice to personally own the health of our natural world.

Source: Unknown.

Grace

McDonalds vs. MrHealthy

The moment I looked at this image I was incredulous. How could the fast food joint, McDonalds be the official restaurant of the Olympics? Of course corporations had a role, but does anyone find this ironic? I mean french fries, barely meat greasy burgers and browning ice-berg lettuces can't be considered nearly edible for most- let alone hard-working professional athletes! They would be suffering from mal-nutrition, dehydration (you know those super-size sodas), and in the middle of competition would probably have to run to the toilet!
To help remedy this issue I transformed McD's into a more of an ideal Olympic restaurant; if it's going to be fast food at least make it healthier! Mr. Healthy includes fresh fruit, vegetables, grains and lentils to provide essential nutrients to the accomplished athletes representing our world.
- Kyle

"Green-ifying" the Urban Sprawl

The image I chose to remix is a sprawling urban landscape. This image is meaningful to me because it reminds me of many cities I've visited. The area outside the city used to have many fields and meadows. As time passed, the land changed. All of the beautiful, open meadows and fields were purchased and transformed into the sprawling urban developments, just like the one in the image, where there is no open space at all. My goal was to change the image from the sprawling cityscape to a city that has some open green space. I also want to get a message across to people who are developing open spaces. I hope they would develop wisely and keep some open spaces available for all people to enjoy.

Source: National Geographic Magazine, [City at Night], 2008. Washington DC: National Geographic Society. Vol 213 (5): 52.

Amy

Dusty to Lush

I chose this image because I had a visceral reaction to it. An exposed Egyptian ruin with its bone like structure breaking down before our eyes. I imagined the experience of being in the hot sun looking on at this eroding beauty; the dust in the dry air collecting on every surface. This kind of exposure to the elements is both frightening and exhiliarating. An extreme climate always reminds me of my limits.

I simply wanted to add some life; some green. The lushness might shield us from the reality that the forces of nature are stronger than we are. We can look on from a safe distance while the overgrowth provides us with a sense of protection. However, in and of itself the greenery can grow out of control and become unruly, thereby shaking our sense of security, again.

Is it me or do you hear the sound of a lawn-mower starting up?

Source: Unknown

-Raye

Bridging Two Worlds

The academic life of college students is exemplified in this first image of floating students, ungrounded and with books as a primary focus. In the second image, I have integrated the surroundings of nature and the life of the city in technology in order to bridge both worlds. The digital remix attempts to support the physical, intellectual, spiritual and emotional life of the characters represented. The city; it's technology and the beauty of nature connect the students learning through all levels of functioning.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, [Digital image from Admissions Brochure], Summer 2008, p. 4.

Terri

Death of a Flamingo

The original image of the dead flamingo is disturbing because it is an unnatural occurrence. It is not uncommon to have large deaths of flamingos over several years because of natural population control, but this flamingo died because of humans. The pesticides and factory pollution have poisoned the waters where the flamingo lives, thus causing their unnatural deaths by sickening them and killing their food supply. In the original image, the flamingo is bright and the landscape is dark. In my remix, I chose to do the opposite. The human world is represented by the bright swirling colors and the flamingo/animal world is represented by black electric lights. The idea is to show how the human world is swallowing the flamingo/animal world and extinguishing their light. The woman figure is representational of Mother Nature. She is also brightly colored because humans need to help Mother Nature in order to stop useless dying of flamingos and other animals due to unnatural causes and pollution by man.

Source: National Geographic [Failing Flamingos], April 2007, p. 23

Erin

Eco-Culturalism

Its striking that there is a direct correlation between health and ethnic identity here in the United States. Many studies have shown that non-white ethnic groups in America have a higher risk of developing diabetes, cancer, heart disease and a lot more preventable diseases. When people come to America and change their diets to accommodate the mainstream, something deep about them is lost. "Eco-Culturalism" is a term I invented based on some ideas I have been thinking about while taking this Art & Environment class. The act of being and living an ethnic identity is a wholistic embodied kind of experience, and to attain more wholistic health, people need to eat natural foods and home-prepared meals from their own ethic and cultural origins however this may be defined by them. The herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables and combination of ingredients that make up a traditional cultural recipe contain the wisdom of many generations. Being someone of multiple ethnic heritages, I often try to combine the flavors, smells, spices and ingredients of my various ethnic heritages into each meal as a way to celebrate who I am and to give my body what it needs since it is a combination of a variety of ethnicities. I think preparing and eating these meals is an “art”: “Environmental Art” because it is a kind of meal-preparing and eating that respects the wisdom of ancestral recipies, is conscious of the value of the cultural relationship between the eater and the food, and the need to be nourished everyday with foods originally from the ancestral lands. I chose to remix the original image of herbs and added the cultural and political message because food is not just food after all, it is much more.

Source: Unknown

Diem Dangers

Artist Lynne Hull

Lynne Hull, Twist, an osprey nesting platform, wood, 30' tall, 1993, Green River Greenbelt, Wyoming. Photo courtesy of the artist

Artist Lynne Hull believes that “the creativity of artists can be applied to real-world problems and can have an effect on urgent social and environmental issues” (Hull, 2003). She draws in viewers with the beautiful, balanced images that she creates, while also engaging them intellectually in thinking about how her work restores balance to the area and aids non-human species in the area. A goal is to evoke strong emotion and provide a clear call to action and awareness. Hull’s artwork always centers on the theme of making a practical solution to pressing problems in an aesthetically pleasing manner that draws a human audience.

Young

Artist Steven Siegel

Steven Siegel, Carbon #1, paper, fabric, tire, mixed media, 36”x32”x11”,
2000, Red Hook, NY, Photo by Young Song

Steven Siegel (1952- ) is a professional artist, born in New Hampshire, US and currently residing in New York. He creates large-scale outdoor artworks at sculpture parks, universities, and museums and collaborates with local volunteers. Siegel’s work is often distinguished by his style of massive works that are created by layering and carefully adding various pieces of recycled materials. His choice of materials is meant to capture the idea of continuous production and consumption that occurs every day (personal communication, May 11, 2006).
Steven Siegel’s artworks, the most enduring idea is the notion that the world is comprised of huge accumulations of very small parts. Particularly in geology, this can be represented in the form of grains of sand or silt, which together constitute sedimentary rock. With the passing of time, hundreds and thousands of layers of sedimentary rock accumulate to construct a formation (personal communication, May 11, 2006)

(This description is an excerpt from Young Song's article, published in the International Journal of the Arts in Society, vol. 2, no. 3, 2007.)

Artist Nils-Udo

Nils-Udo, Circle of Calumet Bamboo, Calumet bamboo, 1990, Reunion, Indian Ocean, Photo by Nils-Udo

Artist Nils-Udo was born in Lauf, in the region of Bavaria, Germany in 1937; he currently resides in Riedering, Germany. In making ecological art, Nils-Udo seeks to engage humans in a sensory experience, an aspect of life often overlooked in the hyper-developed technological modern world. Ecological art in which the viewer can see images, feel textures of materials, smell plants and animals nearby, and hear interactions among the elements of nature is one of the most powerful ways of connecting the viewer to the artwork and to the planet.

Young

Welcome!

Dear Class of 2008 EA & Ed!

Welcome to our Environmental Arts & Ed. Class Blog.

This course will promote understanding, appreciation, and responsible action toward the environment through hands-on arts activities — including Music, Bookmaking, Poetry Outdoors, Storytelling, Eco-Web Galleries, YouTube, and Eco-Blogs. Students will study history of environmental arts including ecological artists and their materials and processes. Students will research key environmental issues and develop lesson plans using the arts.

Dr. Young Imm Kang Song