Blood Sun, Body Leaves, is an attempt to present the theme of interdependence in an accessible and new way by depicting a world where systems are visually identifiable. I focus specifically on relating technological and ecological systems to the body. The subject sits in a world where flowers bloom alongside geometric structures. In this world, technology, organic nature and the human body overlap and coexist. I employ the theme of interdependence in both the final imagery as well as in my use of materials. I use a smooth application of acrylic paint to incorporate the flatness of digital aesthetics into the piece. This forms the geometric shapes that represent technology and human-made structures. I contrast the structures with the texture of the body, created by layering oil paint on top of the acrylic background. I replicate the same technique and colors in the large leaves. Throughout the piece, each style of painting interacts and overlaps as shown in the flat pieces of structure underneath the subject’s skin and in the ways the leaves interact with the geometric structures. I combine all three physical representations in order to call attention to their ability to exist interdependently. I encourage viewers to resist visions of a world where human bodies and technology have destroyed the planet and instead envision a world where all three operate collaboratively. I address ideological binaries and argue that despite the lack of widespread recognition of interconnectedness, all of our Earthly systems exist at once and can be operationalized in a positive manner in order to mitigate the impending crisis. However, I leave the subject worried in her warming surroundings. Her world is hot, her sun a deep red that imbeds itself into her skin. She is still afraid, still existing in reality, and remains subject to the uncertainty of the future.

Recognition of the systemic nature of climate change is crucial to effective climate action. Transdisciplinary collaboration is also crucial to effective climate action. Whether it is accomplished through new ideas of the future, sensory experiences or systems thinking, art has the profound ability to open up new ways of imagining collective change. Art provides a platform for pushing the collective climate imaginary towards consistent recognition of the interdependence between social, economic, cultural, and natural systems. Whether art calls attention to these systems in a literal manner or replicates them via collective engagement, artistic experiences open up a space where knowledge can be formed and reformed based on the inherent connections between human and non-human entities.

The above writing is an excerpt from my master’s capstone, Art, Peacebuilding, and Reimagining the Climate Crisis. Feel free to read the full piece here.