Open Your Eyes
Watercolour, Ink and Pens on Paper
Watercolour, Ink and Pens on Paper
‘The greatest danger to our future is apathy’
- Jane Goodall
- Jane Goodall
In a lot of ways, Goodall sums up the mission of the climate justice movement that has grown and burgeoned in recent years- to incite empathy and the drive to affect and see change in our own lifetimes.
It’s disheartening to think that we have reached a moment in history where people in power- with the resources to affect great change- need to be reminded that the planet needs to be saved at least so we can be saved; anthropocentrism at its finest.
Razing forests, draining lakes, and displacing wildlife has become the calling sign of development in cities across the world. With exponential urbanization and development, there is an increased need for land and resources to sustain the urban demographic. Those of least privilege and means are inevitably scapegoats in this process: often the rural, lower and middle class, and always the planet.
It’s disheartening to think that we have reached a moment in history where people in power- with the resources to affect great change- need to be reminded that the planet needs to be saved at least so we can be saved; anthropocentrism at its finest.
Razing forests, draining lakes, and displacing wildlife has become the calling sign of development in cities across the world. With exponential urbanization and development, there is an increased need for land and resources to sustain the urban demographic. Those of least privilege and means are inevitably scapegoats in this process: often the rural, lower and middle class, and always the planet.
This piece is a reminder of the layers of this question that we need to address- How is it reasonable to expect unlimited growth on a limited planet?
Across the world, the capitalistic societies we live in have enabled a complete lack of balance which leaves some with barely anything and others with more than they could ever use.
Across the world, the capitalistic societies we live in have enabled a complete lack of balance which leaves some with barely anything and others with more than they could ever use.
This piece focuses primarily on the inequality and self destruction that is characteristic of this ‘development’. It serves as a reminder of the fact that unless we right our wrongs and work towards a more equitable and sustainable future, we risk complete annihilation no matter which way it all goes.
The nuance of the conflict between exponential growth and caring for the environment is elucidated through the visual and literal symbols used in the composition. It is a cautionary tale, serving to remind us of the urgency of an issue such as this. The snake- a classic symbol of impending doom and imminent danger- has wrapped itself around the balloon (here, a symbol for the human race). The human beings on the hot air balloon are preoccupied caring for and nurturing all that will lead to their doom. It’s ironic that a conversation about saving the planet is most effective when we place ourselves at the centre of the issue, instead of the planet. This irony has been visualized through the cacti: plants that have been assigned the metaphor of the economic prosperity and man-made growth that is killing us and the planet. They are being tended to and cared for by the unsuspecting people who don’t realize that to rise above the carnivorous plants that lie below; their balloon needs to get past the spiky cacti unscathed.
In nature, the most brightly coloured frogs and spiders are said to be dangerous as they are most likely poisonous. Playing on this, I have used vivid colours and bright tones for all symbols of doom and muted grays and blues for that of the doomed.
In essence, this piece intends to incite a sense of urgency, fear and recognition with respect to the world we have created for ourselves; to question long standing beliefs of what qualifies as resourceful and to re-evaluate our definitions of growth, development and cohabitation.
In essence, this piece intends to incite a sense of urgency, fear and recognition with respect to the world we have created for ourselves; to question long standing beliefs of what qualifies as resourceful and to re-evaluate our definitions of growth, development and cohabitation.
