As a member of the human race, I spend most of my time thinking about other humans. Yet, I still find the concept of âhumanâ difficult to define. One could take the approach of simply describing what makes a human by identifying their physical traits: âtwo arms, two legs, opposable thumbsâ and so on, but that only touches the surface. You and I both know there is an enormous amount of emotional connotations that tie in with being human. In this project I considered the affective attributes of humans, and tried to reconcile this with the growing empathy we have towards non-humans.
         So I donât confuse you, when I mention affect in the context of humans, I will be referring to an overarching sensation of empathy that is commonly felt between humans. Since I am considering affect, I decided to employ objects targeted towards humans. Specifically, I used objects created with the purpose of protecting and caring for the user. This included: a winter coat, hiking shoes, dishwashing gloves, a scarf, a sun-hat, an umbrella and a bed. To me, these objects represent the empathy, care and respect that we are innately capable of offering to humans. (For instance, rubber gloves are produced to keep hands safe from scalding temperatures and sharp blades.) Around/within these items, I placed watercolour illustrations of animals, fragments of tree branches and other plant matter. Many of the animal illustrations are of endangered species within Australia, such as: Gilberts Potorooâs (seen with the hiking shoes) or the Red tailed black cockatoo (dishwashing gloves.) (Jantos, 2014.) The curated materials made intriguing photographs, but the presence of the items themselves have a sculptural element once they have been carefully positioned.
         I was prompted to explore our changing attitudes towards ecology by a surge of social media posts about animals and the environment. There is a big push from organizations like Greenpeace or Mercy For Animals to extend the affect that we have for fellow humans to the land we live on (and its animal inhabitants.) These movements have existed for a long time, however, it is now that our planet is in an environmental crisis that the urgency of these movements have increased. (Fulton, 2015.) My curiosity was also sparked by a recent incident where I took care of my Auntieâs dog and realized how pampered it is, it is essentially treated like a person. It wear coats when the weather is cold, it is fed food advertised to be human-grade, sometimes it sleeps indoors on itâs owners bed or on itâs own cushioned basket. I donât know if you have a dog, or if you pamper it like this, but it got me thinking about how we treat non-humans, and what kind of responsibility we feel for them.
        Right now, art and design has a unique role in the shifting relationship between humans and our surrounds. It has the power to strengthen an emotional connection between the individual and ecology: The flattened photographs of Daniel Shipp, for example, which juxtapose flowers with drab, industrial backgrounds, give the viewer a grim glimpse into the potential future of nature (Reid, 2015.) Or the âEnergiesâ exhibition of Joyce Hinterding and David Haines, which offers participants a strangely intimate and memorable interaction with a rock (2015, Museum of Contemporary Art.) To a certain extent, getting a population to change their behaviour can be achieved through laws and policies. However, changing the mindset of a population is far more difficult to achieve. I believe that art and design now has the challenge of reinforcing the tenuous relationship between humans and the environment, motivating and sustaining efforts to care more about our choices and subsequent consequences.
        My objects connect aspects of daily life with broader implications of plant and animal life. Simply the experience of selecting affective human-related items from my room was an exercise in becoming aware of the privilege I afford myself. There are so many products I own that make my life more comfortable and pleasant. If we continue to extend this affect for ourselves not just to other humans, but also to our surrounds, we may be able to reduce the effects of environmental degradation.
Do you agree?
Looking forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Siobhan.
Fulton, D. (2015.) EPA Report Reinforces âUrgencyâ of Global Climate Change. Common Dreams. Retrieved from: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/06/23/epa-report-reinforces-urgency-global-climate-crisis
Jantos, J. (2014.) 10 Australian Keystone Endangered Species. Australian Geographic. Retrieved from: http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2014/09/australias-keystone-endangered-species
Reid, G. (2015.) Botanical Inquiry, an Exhibition by Daniel Shipp. The Planthunter. Retrieved from: http://theplanthunter.com.au/artdesign/botanical-inquiry-exhibition-daniel-shipp/
(2015.) Energies: Haines and Hinterding. Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Retrieved from: http://www.mca.com.au/exhibition/energies-haines-and-hinterding/Â
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