Voil Age 58 /Between Clouds and Oceans

Voyage en toute conscience

Pour cette exposition, je propose une installation qui soulèvera un sujet de questionnement éternel : notre place en tant qu’être humain dans la nature.

J’instaurerai par le biais de ma vision d’artiste, un dialogue intime avec ce monde complexe qui nous entoure.

Au cours de mes déambulations en forêt, au milieu des arbres, mon esprit s’est mis en veille et a laissé place à mes sens. Mes yeux se sont portés sur les arbres et plus particulièrement sur les arbres morts, leur position défiant l’ordre et la verticalité de leur descendance. Ils sont là, portés, soutenus, comme un souvenir nourricier, ou abandonnés à même le sol, comme un souvenir qui laisse une trace visible, comme un fardeau que l’on doit porter. Leurs formes sinueuses, granuleuses, noueuses laissent apparaître les épreuves traversées pour grandir, s’épanouir et appartenir à cette grande société qu’est la forêt.

Découvrir ces dépouilles d’arbres, les (re) connaître, c’est quelque part appréhender la place de l’individu au sein de l’humanité. Faire le parallèle entre la forêt et l’humanité, c’est répertorier les différences mais aussi les ressemblances, afin d’appréhender la nature, le sens de la mort et de la vie dans toute sa complexité. C’est lui reconnaître également sa magie intrinsèque. Sa beauté. Son éternité.

L’arbre, tout comme l’être humain, fait partie d’un tout. Oh, bien sûr, il peut vivre indépendamment des autres et connaître croissance et prospérité et sérénité par lui-même, mais c’est lorsqu’il fait partie d’un tout, qu’il impose réellement sa diversité, sa force, sa particularité, sa singularité et son éternité. (C’est un être de contraste, au même titre que l’être humain.)

La forêt est un témoin de diversité et c’est lorsqu’on est immergés en son sein, que l’on prend toute la dimension de l’importance de sa place sur Terre.

C’est la foule qui permet l’individu. C’est la cohésion qui permet la dissolution. L’arbre, comme symbole ultime qui relie la vie à la mort, qui témoigne de l’éternité et, paradoxalement, du passage éphémère de toute vie sur Terre.

Florence Vial

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Voile-Age

Between Clouds and Oceans

How does the way we perceive water affect our self-identities? What does water teach us about treating one another and the earthly environment? Let’s behold today’s water crisis and injustice around the world through an ancient lens. The first story is about China.

Water is the root metaphor in Chinese culture that constructs how the Chinese civilization has perceived nature since ancient times. Being the most present element in daily life, water has always been a prevalent symbol in Chinese philosophy and mythology but is also where the ancient sages find peace and freedom. Moreover, water further manifests its aesthetic value through the creation of Chinese artists and architects, impeccably blending the beauty of the human world into its greater natural surroundings.

Seeing with Water The Chinese character for water, shui (⽔), in its diverse font typefaces and variants, depicts an image of a flowing stream. The ancient Chinese are perceptive observers of nature: having a profound appreciation of water’s movement and temperaments while contemplating their relationship in the cosmos.

Water is believed to be the medium through which heaven communicates its judgment to the earth. The invisible force that governs the rise and fall of water between heaven and Earth is embodied in the mythical creature, the Chinese dragon or Long. The Chinese dragon, combining the bodily features of a fish, a turtle, and a snake, is believed to be the living force that moves bodies of water. Not only is the dragon the symbol of the emperor in imperial China, but also a unique cultural, and spiritual identity of the nation.

The Chinese often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” to refer to their ethnicity. Wherever there is the presence of water, there lives the dragon, who controls rain, thunder, storms, and flood. The Dragon is both benevolent and powerful, just like the force behind water that can both cause life to flourish and kill.

Thinking with Water In contrast to the abstract western philosophical ideas, the language of Chinese philosophy is embedded in the natural environment. In ancient China, water is the model for philosophical ideas about the nature of the cosmos. Daoism is a Chinese philosophical tradition formed in the 6th century BC. The core belief of Daoism is that as humans are a part of nature, we will align ourselves with nature’s Dao (the Chinese word signifying the “way”, “principle of being”) by living in harmony with all sentient beings.

Therefore, Dao is also the social manifestation of Water, as Chapter 8 of Daode Jing describes the essence of water and how its virtue manifests in every building block of social life:

The highest virtue is like water Water nourishes myriad creatures without contending with them It flows to the low loathsome places Therefore, it comes close to the way. Live in accordance with the nature of things. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In action, watch the timing No competition, So no blame.

A clear stream of water flows from poem to poem throughout the book of Dao De Jing. Its philosophical significance and social impact are not limited to the cultural context of China but universally constructive to every person’s life just like water itself.

Feeling with Water The word landscape in Chinese, shanshui, is a union of shan (the mountain) and shui (the water). The mountain depicts stillness and the water represents change. Together, they are intimately entwined in the composition of the transience and continuity in nature.

There is no coincidence that the primary medium of Chinese art is water. The cloud, waterfalls, and rivers are ubiquitous in Chinese paintings, and sometimes water could be the sole subject of the painting. This is because Chinese art depicts feelings rather than realism. It is often said that the shanshui lives within the painter, as the artist paints, the scenery is poured out as an emotional improvisation. The position of the

tree, the composition of the mountain, and the temperament of water can all transmit feelings between the painter and the audience. Interestingly, the human figures that appeared in Chinese paintings are mostly minuscule and anonymous. The implication of such artistic presentation replicates the attitude that the human world is just a tiny fraction of the immense cosmos.

Ancient Chinese architecture has always been a harmonious piece of landscape art. Its aesthetic and engineering value have no predecessors or successors. Hongcun, a village built around the 17th century in mountainous southern Anhui, is a perfect example of the ancient architects working in harmony with nature. Hongcun is manipulated by bionic principles of an ox: the water from the mountain stream winds into the village through the intestine-like irrigation system that passes through every household, and then arrives in the pond, the ‘stomach’ at the center of the village; finally, the stream exits through the ‘belly’, the south lake outside the village. The system provides water for the entire domestic use but also adjusts the temperature of the village throughout the year.

Healing with Water The ancient Chinese had understood that water is the root of all life, thus all things from which beauty and ugliness, virtue and unworthiness, ignorance and brilliance are born of water. Humans, too, are born of water. ‘The solution for the Sage who would transform the world lies in the water.’ said Guanzhong (720–645 BC), a Chinese philosopher and politician in the Spring and Autumn period, ‘Therefore when water is uncontaminated, men’s hearts are upright. When water is pure, the people’s hearts are at ease’.

Water is like the mirror that reflects the nature of the people who form their lives around the water. It does not take a brilliant mind to see the link between the dammed, polluted river courses and the wellbeing of the people today. As modern humans, we may feel superior walking on the frontline of evolution. We continue discovering new knowledge and inventing new technologies, but on the inside, we are all lost children, failing to remember our ancestors’ story: we all come from the same cosmic fluid. Being water is to be at peace with where you are in the course of life. Being water is to be fluid in circumstances involving others. Being water is to heal life from its roots: water.

References • Book of Water and Earth – Guanzi (7th century BC), Guanzhong • Chapter 8 – Daode Jing (4th century BC), Laozi • The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue (1997), Sarah Allan • The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China (2016), Philip Ball

transform the world lies in the water.’ said Guanzhong (720–645 BC), a Chinese philosopher and politician in the Spring and Autumn period, ‘Therefore when water is uncontaminated, men’s hearts are upright. When water is pure, the people’s hearts are at ease’. Water is like the mirror that reflects the nature of the people who form their lives around the water. It does not take a brilliant mind to see the link between the dammed, polluted river courses and the wellbeing of the people today. As modern humans, we may feel superior walking on the frontline of evolution. We continue discovering new knowledge and inventing new technologies, but on the inside, we are all lost children, failing to remember our ancestors’ story: we all come from the same cosmic fluid. Being water is to be at peace with where you are in the course of life. Being water is to be fluid in circumstances involving others. Being water is to heal life from its roots: water.

About the Author:

About the Author: Charlotte Qin is a Chinese-Canadian artist based in Geneva.

References

Her journey has been meandering like Water, the personal mythology that evoked her curiosity since childhood. She has Charlotte Qin is a Chinese-Canadian artist based in Geneva. a bachelor’s degree in physics and a double master’s degree in Her journey has been meandering like Water, the personal Innovation Design Engineering. The opportunity to work with mythology that evoked her curiosity since childhood. She has a the Water Initiative and learned from the experts in water bachelor’s degree in physics and a double master’s degree in Innovation Design Engineering. The opportunity to work with policy has strengthened her mission to transform our modern perception and relationship with water through art. the Water Initiative and learned from the experts in water policy has strengthened her mission to transform our modern perception and relationship with water through art.Book of Water and Earth – Guanzi (7th century BC), Guanzhong Chapter 8 – Daode Jing (4th century BC), Laozi The Way of Water and Sprouts of Virtue (1997), Sarah Allan The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China (2016), Philip Ball

Upon returning to my hometown, the feeling of being immersed in a postapocalyptic scenario stuns me and drives me to take actions that seek to solve the problems all around me. The amount of plastic residue laying on the sand and many bottle caps and straws around beach tables caught my attention right away. It’s impossible not to remember the fable of the bird extinguishing the forest wildfire one drop of water at a time. In the same way, volunteers from various organisations collect every piece of waste they can. Yet, it seems like it is never enough. As the question continues to pop into our heads, I ask myself, where are we heading in the next few years with all the plastic polluting our oceans?

In recent years, idyllic Brazilian vistas have been suffering from marine litter. It is predominantly plastic waste of all varieties, colours, sizes, and shapes. It is comparable to a tsunami of plastic, which increasingly washes over the Brazilian ground. The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) recognizes marine plastic pollution as a rapidly increasing, serious issue of global concern that needs an urgent global response.

In 2019, I volunteered for beach clean-up actions at the coast of Bahia. The record at the time in Salvador de Bahia for products found was of plastic bottle caps for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. The waste-collection volunteers work incessantly throughout Brazil, but they see their efforts reversed by a recent wave of waste again contaminating previously cleaned-up places.

But the waste on the beaches is not only of foreign origin. Brazil is among the largest producers and consumers of plastic worldwide, as the 4th biggest plastic wastegenerating country. Globally, CIEL alerts that out of approximately 275 million metric tons of plastic waste produced annually, up to 12 million tons of it leak into oceans, wreaking havoc on livelihoods and ecosystems.

According to the Instituto Mar Urbano, annually, 325,000 tons of plastic end up in the Atlantic Ocean encircling Brazil. Around 70% of all the plastic found on Brazilian beaches is single-use plastic.

To offer readers a contextualization of the problem globally, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world in landmass. The Brazilian coast is 7,491 km long, making it the 16th longest national coastline in the world. Besides that, twenty-six states within the federation have a coastline. This fragmentation over a large territory makes the problem even more complex to legislate, requiring surgical cooperation between federal, state, and municipal laws.

We expect that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans in less than three decades. How long does humankind intend to justify the unjustifiable and not push for stricter agreements to solve this problem in the long run?

Marine plastic pollution transforms an ancient fishing tradition into an activity that is highly harmful to the local community. The incomprehensible is how a country that receives a 500% increase in tourism during the summer in the coastal region does not adopt a clear policy to combat plastic. The local and indigenous population, which often depends directly on the natural resources taken from the oceans, suffers more severely from the consequences of ingesting microplastics.

Some states in the federation passed laws banning bags, straws, and plastic cups until July 2019. Brazil has had a National Law on the National Solid Waste Policy in force for over ten years. Also in March 2019, the Ministry of the Environment launched the National Plan to Combat Garbage at Sea (PNCLM). Both laws ended up being ineffective at raising recycling rates and did not prevent this waste from reaching the beaches. It is necessary to highlight some alarming data at this point. According to the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE) data from 2018, 75% of Brazilians do not separate recyclable materials. Of these, 39% do not separate organic waste from the rest. The research also stresses that 77% of Brazilians know that plastic is recyclable. Nevertheless, the great majority of the population still don’t engage actively in household recycling.

Some of us make efforts to avoid specific plastic items. But the problem cannot be solved by individual and localized actions only. How can we stop waves of waste from other States from moving across borders? Move to other countries, and who knows, pollute beaches and coasts? How can we prevent it from being dumped in the deepsea?

There is a prominent international movement underway for an international treaty on plastics. UNEA has, over the past few years, passed resolutions despite the importance of having a binding agreement upon States in combating pollution by plastics in the oceans. The dilemma between hard law and soft law stresses the crucial role of international law. I would like to think that a solution to the crisis comes from multiple institution’s intersecting efforts.

Advocating for a legally binding agreement calls for an international responsibility upon states towards the obligations agreed. Yet let us all remind ourselves that coerciveness per se will not be the sole contributor to solving the problem. We as citizens are as much responsible for ocean plastic as the states are for committing themselves to international agreements.

Advocating for a legally binding agreement calls for an international responsibility upon states towards the obligations agreed. Yet let us all remind ourselves that coerciveness per se will not be the sole contributor to solving the problem. We as citizens are as much responsible for ocean plastic as the states are for committing themselves to international agreements.

About the Author

Laisa Branco de Almeida is a Master’s Student in About the Author International Law at the Graduate Institute in Geneva from Brazil. Her field of expertise is the Law of the Sea and the Laisa Branco de Almeida is a Environmental Law. Her love for the oceans relates to where she comes from, Salvador de Bahia. Growing up by the sea Master’s Student in International and sharing her mother's love for open water swimming Law at the Graduate Institute in made her not only passionate about water but decided to Geneva from Brazil. Her field of devote her professional life to it as well. She said that the expertise is the Law of the Sea and waves have challenged her to be a better human being. the Environmental Law. Her love for the oceans relates to where she comes from, Salvador de Bahia. Growing up by the sea and sharing her mother’s love for open water swimming made her not only passionate about water but decided to devote her professional life to it as well. She said that the waves have challenged her to be a better human being.