Entangled Edens

Hi Kieran, could you give us a quick introduction to yourself as an artist?

Kieran Behan, photographer, film-maker and founder of a project called Crystalmafia, based in Berlin, Germany for the past decade.

When did you start shifting towards environmentally conscious art, and what caused the shift?

Something inside of me started changing a few years ago. I realized I had lost my inner connection to the natural world. I had distinct childhood memories of lush oceans and teeming forests that felt forgotten. That shook me.

We are a part of the memories of evolution / These memories carry knowledge / These memories carry our identity / Beneath race, gender, class, age / Beneath citizen, business, state, religion / We are human beings / And these memories / Are trying to remind us / Human beings, human beings / It’s time to rise up Remember who we are - John Trudell

Once you started engaging with more of this type of subject matter, did you find that others were receptive to what you were doing? Did you find it easy to identify a community of other artists and creative people who shared similar aspirations and mentalities as you?

Naturally, as human beings we band together in groups of like-mindedness, magnetizing people around us that feel and think the same. This can be very dangerous. We float in a fog of forgetfulness. I think most of us live inside an echo chamber, perhaps we can call this a simulation of sorts. Exploring our consciousness is one crucial step in the many changes we must make on our planet if we are to find a way for the survival of our species.

What has been your most exciting project so far (in the domain of environmentalist art)?

Immersing myself in projects that shift my perspective helps me grow as a person. My times spent in the Peruvian Amazon taught me the importance of our relationship with the natural world - to respect each being because everything is so truly ALIVE. Living inside a van for two weeks on the Californian coast, shooting the music video for Somebody Is, allowed me to have patience and compassion for those who are struggling. I love to be around kiddos. Collaborations designed with children in mind become the most rewarding step in the right direction, as working with the youth activates hope for the future. We had a program in Mumbai working with 25 children between the ages of five and fifteen that was co-ordinated by the wonderful organization “Dharavi Art Room.”This experience I hold very close to my heart.

Do you find that your work leads to concrete actions and mindset shifts amongst those who engage with it?

I don’t calculate or measure the shift. Comparing myself to others just breeds fear and fear is what holds me frozen. There is a process - the steps I can take to create a safe supportive space for expression within my own work that activates an emotional response in others. I have this pull coming from a very deep place inside of myself. When I follow a humble path and fall into a “flow” then I can trust my instincts to guide me in the best way possible. As I absorb more in this lifetime, when I learn how to communicate clearly with my ancestors, I find a sort of stillness - an inner peace.

What, in your opinion, are the current issues which people need to wake up most urgently to?

Worldwide 5% of the world’s population is guarding 98% of the world’s biodiversity. There is a way we can bridge the modern and indigenous worlds, to help us remember what we have forgotten. Unconditional unification with the earth.

“The land is not a resource. It is an entity that you have a relationship with and you respect, like your grandmother, mother, and aunts. We have to be good stewards. We have to take care of the land. We have to feed her and offer her prayers. In return, we are blessed with good health. Everything comes full circle.” - words from a Lakota mother during the Standing Rock pipeline protests.

Tell us a bit about your latest film, which you shot in the Amazon.

This project is still in it’s beginning baby steps - perhaps it will become my life’s work or a series, perhaps it morphs into something further still. I hope to film a cinematic dialog within the rainforest. Without the cultural traditions and life experience of the Amazonian people, any undertaking to portray this place risks becoming inconsequential or opportunistic. My concept centers around storytelling as a vehicle - reflections of shared humanity. I want to explore individual relationships within the forest through the people and places I have met in my travels. During my scouting sessions, I have learned humility. To take my ego down a notch and refrain from judgment. To taste the whole dynamic picture.