Illustrating Nature
When I think of arts-based nature interpretation a lot of different things come to mind. So, this unit led me through a string of thoughts. First, I thought of the concepts Beck et. al (2018) explains, such as theatre. I also reflected on “At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education”. This article expressed the lack of connection today’s digital society has with real components of nature (van Boeckel, 2015). I also thought about people who have employed artistic methods to share stories of nature with the rest of the world, such as Paul Nicklen and his photography. Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer and marine biologist.
I really admire Nicklen’s photography because it centres around sharing information about the changing climate and the nature of regions most people will never visit, such as the Arctic. I think that photography like this allows us to connect with the cumulative impacts of climate change and visualize what’s happening worldwide. Photography allows us to see the Arctic melting, polar bears diminishing, and glaciers breaking. These are things we read about in science reports. However, climate change statistics and research can be really difficult to keep up with. Photography presents this in a more digestible way. We can see the science. It provides an opportunity to connect more deeply with the implications of climate change.
Check out Paul Nicklen’s website here to see what I mean! https://paulnicklen.com/
Next, I started to think about how I interpret nature through art. I can’t say that I often use art to interpret nature, but I do love to take pictures on my travels and share them with people when I get back. This unit has started to get me thinking of this as a small example of arts-based storytelling. I recently shared a photo album with some friends, and I found that all my photos had stories to go along with them. It became a big conversation about the places, people, and landscapes in the photos. It was really fun and made me feel connected to the places in the photos again.
For instance, this photo I took in Reykjavik, Iceland eventually led to a conversation about global food systems! Photography can help spark conversation and lead to all kinds of discussions!
I think visual storytelling is a really great way to connect with different areas and interpret nature in an artistic way. It’s a method of using today’s technology to bring people closer together and form a deeper understanding of the natural world.
References:
Beck, L., Cable, T.T., & Knudson, D.M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage for a Better World. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.
van Boeckel, J., (2015) At the heart of art and earth: an exploration of practices in arts-based environmental education. Environmental Education Research. 21(5), 801-802
Hi,
I really liked what you said about photography starting conversation about issues. I think that is the way with many art forms. Even art that wasn’t made with any political purpose or meaning can end up being interpreted by the observer as something different. It is, however, nice to see people taking on a activist role with their art as well. Like with the photographer you mentioned. Artists are in a unique position to draw attention to problems and issues in a way that is more accessable to the general public than scientists can. A climate scientist can argue about climate change for hours, but sometimes one picture shows more than a person could ever say, in a far more simple way. Using art politically is a unique opprotunity artists have. You don’t have to be a professional artists either, like how you’re photo started a conversation, we all have a little artist in us.
Cheers,
Michaela S.












