In the last twenty years new forms of socially engaged art have globally emerged aiming to address the impellent environmental perils. Contemporary Japan, where the belief in an ancient harmonious...Show moreIn the last twenty years new forms of socially engaged art have globally emerged aiming to address the impellent environmental perils. Contemporary Japan, where the belief in an ancient harmonious human-nature cohesion is presented as an authentic heritage, provides an intriguing starting point for investigating the emergence of such ecologically committed art forms. How are contemporary art initiatives attempting to sensitize the public to sounder relational and “ecosystemic” ways of living? What are the proposals that are currently being set forth? The comparison and contrast of two initiatives, the Echigo-tsumari Art Field and the Tokyo-based teamLab project, will allow me to move towards the central hypothesis of this thesis, that is, that self-consciously labelling certain artistic practices as “eco”, can sometimes be a pretext for a variety of economic, social and cultural purposes rather than just an artistic concern. The Japanese conception of nature (shizenkan), which inspires both initiatives will be proposed here as a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it can be exploited to market and sell a static, fictionalized idea of nature, but it also has the potential to become a valuable representational idea from which to depart to develop something new.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
In the age of the Anthropocene, we are faced with unprecedented challenges; we have realized we are exploiting the Earth’s resources, society is becoming more complex, and urbanization is...Show moreIn the age of the Anthropocene, we are faced with unprecedented challenges; we have realized we are exploiting the Earth’s resources, society is becoming more complex, and urbanization is increasing at a rate never before witnessed. Understanding these challenges is loaded with uncertainty, both in defining the problems and how humanity should respond. One response is that of urban sustainability. Primarily addressed from the perspective of urban planning, urban sustainability focuses on infrastructural and technological solutions. This thesis posits that questions of sustainability in cities however cannot be disconnected from the cultural dimension. Using a comparative case study of two festivals – Burning Man and DGTL Amsterdam – the relationship between humans and their surroundings is explored. The analysis of the festivals focuses on the manifestation of ‘sustainability’ as a set of values through the artworks presented on the festival terrain and the framing of the festival experience. Political ecology theories are used as tools to explore the relationship between humans and their environment. Urban experimentation acts as a theoretical lens to understand the festival as a ‘microcosm’, a breeding ground for creativity and culture, and likening it to the city. The thesis presents a reading of urban festivals that outlines how culture can be introduced to urban sustainability research in response to questions to test political ecology in practice. In doing so, the thesis brings together the once disparate categories of human and nature.Show less
