critical mass
the art of planetary health
critical mass Scientists warn that we have entered the era of the Anthropocene, a period characterised by humanity’s irreversible impact on Earth’s systems (Planetary Health Alliance, 2020). The health of civilisation is intrinsically linked to the health of the environment, yet by our actions we are threatening to destabilise our life-support systems as climate change, loss of biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources are pushing our planet towards the point of collapse. Population growth, high density living and the pollution of water and food resources increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases and long-term illnesses for people across the world. In a historic move, in September 2015, 193 UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a major call for global action against climate change and poverty. With 17 development goals at its core, the agenda tackled our greatest global challenges: to protect the planet, end poverty and improve the lives and health of humanity (Pongsiri, et al., 2019). Within this context the science of Planetary Health emerged, a cross-disciplinary field of study that examines the relationships between ecological, economic and social change, exploring new
modes of living needed to restore and stabilise our planet. It aims to highlight the connections of environmental change on human health and promote a holistic approach of cross-disciplinary research to develop integrated solutions to meet the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. Based on the principles of Planetary Health, the multi-disciplinary project critical mass: the art of planetary health explores new and more sustainable practices relating to environmental living, inclusive of food, energy, and resource sharing within an Australian and local context. The participating artists, social activists and traditional owners provide reflections on ecoanxiety, yet remain hopeful for the future state of the world. Through their creative responses they examine the roles that traditional knowledge, technology, science and human ingenuity can, and must, play in stabilising our environment and developing a more equitable society. With the emergence of industrialisation humanity’s impact on the natural environment escalated exponentially. Farming and mining have grown to be amongst the world’s largest
DEAN SEWELL In the line of fire 2019, digital photograph, 80 x 102 cm, courtesy the artist
industries to meet the ever-increasing demand for food, minerals and fossil fuels. In Australia, the introduction of cattle and sheep grazing has produced a number of environmental issues such as soil deterioration, deforestation and subsequent habitat loss, salinity, and water depletion (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). Droughts have become more frequent and intense and native animals compete with livestock for water. In the early 20th century, Australian artists began documenting the impacts of drought on the continent: Hans Heysen provides a sombre impression of a flock of parched sheep seeking water in his work Drought sheep (1916-1921). Equally harrowing is Sidney Nolan’s work Drought skeleton (1953) which the artist produced after being commissioned by the Brisbane CourierMail to document drought stricken Northern Territory and Northern Queensland. Russell Drysdale’s work Walls of China (1945) is part of a well-known series by the artist that documents one of the worst droughts on record for the state of New South Wales in 1944. Australian and foreign mining companies extract the continent’s rich mineral resources and fossil fuels. In the process they destroy and compromise places of great cultural and
environmental value. Simryn Gill’s work Eyes and storms 24 (2012) comments on the ruinous effect of human intervention upon nature by mining endeavours. Her aerial photograph depicts a landscape scarred by pit mines, forever transformed and unrecognisable. Extraction and burning of fossil fuels contribute to high volume release of greenhouse gas emissions such as nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. Increasingly, methane leaking from coal seam gas and coal mines have entered our atmosphere at unprecedented rates. Central New South Wales artists Alexander Boynes & Mandy Martin urge governments to take immediate action on renewable and sustainable energy sources. Their powerful collaborative painting and video installation Blast (2015) depicts the decommissioned Wallerawang Power Station in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Sydney-based artist Louis Pratt implores us to take action and make changes while we still can. Made from coal, his work, Regret and legacy (2019) is an embodiment of our possible future as it reflects on a world of destruction and decay of our own making. As we continue to deplete and burn fossil fuels we will soon be left with nothing but regret for our complacency.
DANIEL O ’ S H A N E Aib ene Zogo Ni Pat (Aib and the Sacred Waterhole) ( d e t a i l ) 2 0 1 5 , v i n y l c u t , hand-wi p e d & h a n d - c oloured, courtesy the artist a n d C a n o p y A r t , C a i r n s
Scientists warn of biological annihilation as we enter Earth’s sixth mass extinction. In their daunting report Population losses and the sixth mass extinction G. Ceballos, P. R. Ehrlich and R. Dirzo evaluate the long-term effects that this will have on humanity: ‘Dwindling population sizes and range shrinkages amount to a massive anthropogenic erosion of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services essential to civilization’ (Ceballos, et al., 2017). Janet Laurence speaks powerfully to the fragility and disappearance of our natural environment. Her work The memory of nature (2010) presents carefully preserved remains of now extinct plants and animals in a museum-like vitrine, a memorial to nature which is now lost forever. Whilst processes of extinction and subsequent loss of biodiversity accelerate at a startling speed, we continue to exploit our planet’s natural resources in the name of economic growth. Fiona Hall addresses this tension between the preservation of our most vulnerable environments with the interests of commercial industries. Her work Fools gold (2012) was conceived during the artist’s expedition into the contested Kermadec Trench north-east of New Zealand stretching towards Tonga. The channel is an important migratory path for marine animals and abundant with mineral rich underwater vents. Its protection is continuously threatened by the commercial interests of mining and fishing industries. Joan Ross has long highlighted the disregard and destruction of Australia’s flora and fauna by large enterprises for the sake of financial profit. Her work Stocktake $ale! Now on! (2015) speaks to the fact that we readily sell off what is priceless: our land, animals and plants. The fluorescent colour employed in her work, associated with official signage, codes and regulations, alludes to the fact that the exploitation of our most precious resources is sanctioned and approved by our own government. Australia generates close to 70 million tonnes of rubbish each year. Household waste alone accounts for 540kg of waste per person annually. (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2018). Single-use packaging plays a big part in the increasing production of rubbish and, despite efforts across industries to reduce single-use plastics in their products, it remains an everpresent constant in our society. For two weeks photographer Ona Janzen collected plastic
products from her regular shopping. Her work Two weeks self-portrait (2018) shows the artist covered in the layers of accumulated household rubbish. Her work speaks powerfully to the part that we each play in the over consumption and production of waste. We have become accustomed to constant news of natural and humanitarian disasters rolling across our screens: wildfires in the US, typhoons in Africa, hurricanes in Mexico and the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, to name a few. In 2019 alone 300 natural disasters were registered with the international disaster database EMDAT (Database, n.d.). Blue Mountains-based artist Locust Jones is constantly tapping into the 24/7 news cycle, digesting the frantic pace of information in his ‘streams of consciousness’. Jones’ extensive scrolls feature multilayered drawings that depict and interweave what he hears and sees on the news everyday – an overwhelming chaos of events which he calls ‘the mass media maelstrom’. The period between late 2019 and early 2020 saw Australian bushfires reach such catastrophic levels that it was dubbed the ‘Black Summer’. In New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria alone more than 7,000,000 hectares were estimated to have burned. In the Blue Mountains ecologists fear that more than 80% of the world heritage-listed area has been destroyed and that even more has been badly damaged, heavily affecting its biodiversity and ecological integrity (Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, 2020). As a result of climate change, temperatures are steadily increasing and weather extremes occur more frequently. The bushfires are not only caused by impacts of climate change, they also add to it, creating a dangerous climate feedback loop. The 2019-2020 fires emitted 400 megatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, dramatically increasing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, further contributing to global warming and increasing the likelihood of recurring megafires (UN Environment Programme, 2020). Photographers Dean Sewell and Andrew Merry documented the raging fires as they engulfed the Blue Mountains from three sides. Their dramatic visual records of the fires appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, BBC, ABC and the Guardian, capturing the attention of the world.
In the Blue Mountains, Aboriginal communities have a strong commitment to caring for Country. Gundungurra Elder Aunty Sharyn Halls works with a range of community groups to look after Country and teach the importance of traditional cultural values. In 2013 Aunty Sharyn and archeologist Michael Jackson led a multi-day hike following Gundungurra Ancestral Pathways through the southern parts of the Blue Mountains. The walk was undertaken to celebrate the achievements of all people who have crossed the mountains throughout time and draw attention to the uniqueness and richness of Aboriginal occupation of the area (Jackson, 2013). The walk is referred to as the Bunburang Trail. Bunburang is the Gundungurra name for the Jacky Dragon Lizard that is regularly encountered in the Blue Mountains. In Gundungurra stories the Bunburang brought fire to the hearth of all people. The walk connected Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people through walking, cooking and sharing stories on Country. Photography documenting this walk is on display in the exhibition.
Discussions around bushfire prevention are increasingly turning towards the knowledge and practices of traditional owners who have managed Country through cultural burning for millennia. Based on ecological relationships, interconnectedness and kinship of plants, animals and land, cultural burning is an important way to maintain the health of people and Country. Burning practices can include fuel and fire hazard reduction, improvement of habitat for animals and plants, providing access to important pathways and to enhance and maintain biodiversity. Cultural burning is an important aspect of the maintenance and sharing of cultural knowledge and is deeply embedded in social activities, ceremony and ritual (Firesticks Alliance, 2020). National parks and fire services are increasingly working with traditional owners to learn more about holistic burning practices. In addition, important work is being undertaken by cultural burning advocates such as Firesticks Alliance who promote, teach and connect communities and organisations with elders and traditional knowledge holders to enhance understanding and respect for cultural burning practices.
Gundungurra man and bush regeneration advocate David King collaborates with a number of community groups, schools and organisations on projects that promote sustainable ways of living and caring for Country. He is the driving force behind many bush and landcare groups in the Blue Mountains. One of his many notable achievements is the Garguree Swampcare project at the Gully Aboriginal Site in Katoomba. In 2002 the Gully was recognised as an Aboriginal Place and the Garguree Swampcare group brought together the Gully Traditional Owners and Blue Mountains community to heal and restore the natural habitat of the area. This project is a beautiful example of community cross-collaboration to care for places that hold special environmental and cultural significance. Darug man Chris Tobin and Darug woman Leanne Tobin are cultural educators and artists who have a strong involvement with the community in the Blue Mountains. Through art and storytelling they connect Aboriginal and nonAboriginal people and work towards enhancing understanding and respect for the rich and beautiful culture of the Darug people. For critical mass: the art of planetary health both Chris and Leanne are activating the public spaces of the Cultural Centre through collaborative installations and workshops.
In Far North Queensland printmakers Glen Mackie (Kei Kalak) and Daniel O’Shane produce large-scale prints of intricate designs, fusing traditional symbols with contemporary patterns. Mackie (Kei Kalak) incorporates family totemic designs and his own invented geometric repeating water pattern in his work. He retells myths and legendary stories inherited from family members. His work S.O.S. (Save Our Seas) (2020) is a ‘cry for help on behalf of all marine animals and humans with a strong connection to the sea’. As Yam Island’s only practising artist he feels responsible to keep alive the sacred stories of the four brothers who travelled from the north, before memory, and settled Zenadh Kes, more commonly known as the Central and Eastern Torres Strait Islands. O’Shane has a strong sense of design and confidence in his patterning drawn from his Aboriginal and Eastern Torres Strait Islander heritage. His work Aib ene Zogo Ni Pat (Aib and the Sacred Waterhole) (2015) tells an important story of the ‘zogo ni’ (sacred water). The traditional stories re-told in O’Shane’s work are passed down to him by family members and respected Elders from Erub (Darnley) Island, home to his mother’s family. Blue Mountains artists Rachel Peachey & Paul Mosig work with ideas surrounding human/ environment relationships, in particular the study of Human Ecology which applies the principles of Ecosystems Sciences to the study of the human environment. The artists explore notions of climate grief through their work Telling the Bees (2020). As our structures and systems fail us we are grappling with the possibility of civilisation’s extinction. Societies have developed complex rituals of farewelling and grieving loved ones, providing a form of comfort and structure to deal with the pain of loss. Yet there is no such ritual in place as we are faced with the potential permanent loss of our planet and humanity itself. The artists have created a space for mourning and healing. They invite us to acknowledge the fact that change is inevitable and that old structures will give way to new possibilities if we let them.
the world. In their installation DRAWNONWARD (2020), a circle of decomposing flags, they comment on our constant need to claim and own the land we live on. The artists propose more subtle and gentle forms of living, taking hints from plants that reside without claiming the space they inhabit – leaving only decomposed matter for the next species to take over once they are gone. More than ever, the health of humanity has shifted into global focus as we navigate our way through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fundamental changes to the way we live and interact are taking place and inevitably there will be long-term implications for societies, economies and governing structures (Brannen, 2020). As we are forced to re-assess and reevaluate the systems that we have relied upon for so long, we may find opportunities to create more sustainable and holistic ways to inhabit planet Earth. Innovation and solution-based thinking can be found everywhere in Australia: from within local communities, on a national scale and across disciplines. The artists, social activists and traditional custodians in critical mass: the art of planetary health provide us with thoughtful and creative approaches as they imagine better scenarios for our planet and future generations; and they show us that First Nations knowledge and participation in the development of more viable and equitable systems is key to achieving a healthier and more sustainable environment for people and Country. With 10 years left to achieve the UN Agenda for 2030 Sustainable Development we must act holistically and collaboratively to ensure that our combined actions contribute towards one goal: the health of our planet and a more sustainable future for all people. Sabrina Roesner, Artistic Program Leader Blue Mountains City Art Gallery
Heidi Axelsen & Hugo Moline draw on tactics from art, architecture, and social processes to provide alternative scenarios of living and relating to
PREVIOUS PAGE: GUNDUNGURRA ABORIGINAL HERITAGE ASSOCIATION INC. from the series Bunburang Maroodang (Mountain dragon walking along the track) 2013-2015, (top) Stone Axe 2014, photographer Yvonne KaiserGlass, (bottom) Man in Country (detail) 2013, photographer Michael Jackson, digital photographs (Gicleé prints) on 100% cotton rag, 48 x 68 cm, collection Gundungurra Aboriginal Heritage Association Inc.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Blue Mountains Cultural Centre acknowledges that the City of the Blue Mountains is located on the traditional lands of the Darug and Gundungurra peoples. Blue Mountains City Art Gallery would like to acknowledge the participating creatives and gallerists, and the Art Gallery of NSW for their contribution to this project. Blue Mountains Cultural Centre recognises the significance of creative and cultural endeavours within the partnership between the Blue Mountains City Council, Western Sydney University and the Monash Sustainable Development Institute in the development of a sustainability model for the region based on the principles of Planetary Health. Copyright © Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, the author and the artists 2020. All rights reserved. bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au Published in conjunction with the exhibition critical mass: the art of planetary health 3 October – 6 December 2020 A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition curated by Sabrina Roesner
EXHIBITING ARTISTS Heidi Axelsen & Hugo Moline • Alexander Boynes & Mandy Martin • Russell Drysdale • Simryn Gill • Gundungurra Aboriginal Heritage Association Inc. Fiona Hall • Hans Heysen • Ona Janzen • Locust Jones • Janet Laurence Glen Mackie (Kei Kalak) • Andrew Merry • Sidney Nolan • Daniel O’Shane Rachel Peachey & Paul Mosig • Louis Pratt • Joan Ross • Dean Sewell
IMAGE CREDITS BACK CO V E R : O N A J A N Z EN Two weeks self-portrait ( d e t a i l ) 2 0 1 7 , p h o t o g r a p h i c p r i n t o n c o t t o n photo-r a g , 1 4 0 x 9 0 cm, courtesy private collecti o n FRONT C O V E R : A N D R E W MERRY Empty supermarket shelves, pasta and rice aisle, Katoomba 2 0 2 0 , pigment p r i n t , 3 8 x 51 cm, courtesy the artist INSIDE R I G H T F O L D : J ANET LAURENCE The memory of nature ( d e t a i l ) 2 0 1 0 , a c r y l i c , s c i e n t i f i c glass, d r i e d p l a n t s , seeds, sulphur, salt, amethy s t , t a x i d e r m i e d o w l s , s h e l l a c , t u l l e , wood, b u r n t b o n e s , h and bones, hand-blown glass, o i l p a i n t , m i r r o r s , 1 8 0 . 5 x 3 0 0 . 5 x 170.3 c m , c o l l e c t i o n Art Gallery of New South Wal e s . P u r c h a s e d w i t h f u n d s p r o v i d e d b y t h e Art Gal l e r y S o c i e t y of New South Wales Contempo G r o u p a n d t h e C o n t e m p o r a r y C o l l e c t i o n Benefac t o r s w i t h t h e generous assistance of Geoff A i n s w o r t h A M , P e t e r B r a i t h w a i t e , S a l l y Breen, A n d r e w & C a t h y Cameron, Ginny & Leslie Gre e n , M i c h e l l e H o b b s , R a y W i l s o n O A M 2 0 1 2