  Panel DISCUSSION in conjunction with "Nature Interrupted"/Chelsea Art Museum-September 3, 2008 PANELISTS: Jon Elliot-Artist in the Nature Interrupted Exhibition Steven Holl, Architect Ana Maria Torres, Architect Elga Wimmer, Curator Nature Interrupted by Elga WimmerThe urgent and imperative message to restore health to the environment must be conveyed in every possible form of media and communication, and more so in art, for it is one of the most powerful languages humans have ever created.Even in prehistoric times, peoples sought to transform the environment, through their cave paintings, megaliths and stone circles--seeking ways to connect with the force of nature. From those early beginnings artists have been profoundly influenced by the images, colors, patterns, structures and systems of nature around them. At various times of turbulent change in our history, such as in Hellenistic Greece, medieval Japan, and Europe at the time of the great political and industrial revolutions, new art forms have emerged in order to address the changing relationship between nature and society. From the turn of the new millennium, world concern over environmental issues such as pollution and global warming, species depletion, new generic technologies and sustainability and global pandemics has increased. Artists, in turn, are responding by answering collective cultural needs and developing active and practical roles in environmental and social issues. In this exhibition, Nature Interrupted, twelve artists show very diverse aspects of their concern in painting, sculpture, photography, installation and video. Related LINKS: |
