Artistic perceptions on the state and significance of the natural environment

Abstract

The scope of this research is primarily to better understand our perception of the natural environment and the issues it faces, with special focus on how this cognition of environmental issues can be presented, reflected, and interpreted through art in order to raise awareness about the importance of nature in everyday life. The devastating environmental disaster occurring worldwide raise personal questions regarding our relationship with the natural world, and more significantly on our perception of the environment. Seeing a garden in the neighborhood that had formed a part of my own personal memories, destroyed, prompted me to dedicate to and focus this project on the environmental issue of uprooting trees. This inspired me to come up with an interactive installation of hanging see-through chiffon sheets, printed with the same trees that has been destroyed, for the viewers to go around, explore and reflect on their perception towards the natural environment and the critical role played by trees in our lives. The aim behind this project is, in fact, to send a positive message. One emphasizing that it is time to start rebuilding what humans have been destroying, and begin protecting the environment instead of continue destroying it. Many environmentalists, NGOs, as well as artists, are depicting environmental issues and the circumstances in order to raise environmental awareness. Raising such awareness is of outmost important to educate the people but I believe there is something more important that needs to come from each individual. Humankind must begin to have more consideration for the natural world and, more importantly address the significance of our perception towards the natural world. In order to understand this thought process and plan the final installation project, to carry out this research I analyzed and prepared an overview of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, the nature of human perception towards the environment, and artistic perceptions on the natural environment. I also investigated the crucial role of trees in our lives and the benefits they provide. To this end, I opted to use the process of printmaking and carried out various experiments with different printing techniques and other materials that could best present the concept.