Nature as a Construct in Art - Essay Example

Nature as a Construct in Art Contemporary art refers to modern day art. Mostly art that has come about by imitation of real nature since the era of cave paintings when early man used to draw inspiration from wild animals, trees, water bodies, and fellow humans. Since the beginning of time, nature always takes part and affects the way humans express themselves, and from its inspiration, nature becomes part of our culture and personal identity1. This trend of inspiration continues to survive and generation passes it onto the next generation where it gets improvement, or rather alteration, further distancing it from nature. Natural forests are disappearing, man no longer lives in the jungle, water masses are drying up, pure air is diminishing, wildlife getting extinct, and this authentic of world are being represented in a very new way2. Different regions of the world have embarked on trying to resurrect that diminishing era, which due to its rareness is of great value where found. Nature-man interdependence is at a risk due to the conflict brought by man as he sidelines nature in quest for his own gains, a gap that is widening with the day 3. The environment plays a great role in inspiring contemporary artists. Artists use or include elements of the environment such as naturally occurring stone or wood in coming up with pieces. For instance, Andy Goldsworthy, a famous environmental artist mostly uses ice, vegetation, or snow to create ephemeral artworks such as the Midsummer Snowball project in which large snowballs amounting to thirteen decorated the streets in 2001. Since it was summer, their melting held surprises inside; wool from sheep, pine seeds and berries, rarely seen elements in London streets4. Another artist, Rivane Neuenschwander, draws her inspiration from scenes in her homeland in Brazil where torrential rains mark its wet season and the people align to it. She has a work, Chove Chuva of 2002, where buckets with holes and containing water hang in mid-air letting the water drip into buckets below. This she uses to represent the rains. Sunlight as nature puts it literally dulls and fades color exposed to it- a situation one describes as destruction. However, sculptor Tonico Lemos Auad from Brazil did a piece (Sunset Seven Seas) in 2007 where he exposes colored card to sunlight and lets part of it fade. The sunlight’s effect, in addition to helping him achieve his piece largely corresponds to his theme. In addition to nature’s role in helping him achieve the Sunset Seven Seas, Tonico directly collaborates with nature when he uses bananas to come up with unique pieces. He gets yellow ripe bananas and makes outlines on them using sharp pins. As the dented pores rot out resulting in black colored spots, they create illusions on the banana skins as per the outlines drawn. During live performances, the feeling of reality comes to life by use of backdrops with representations of real scenes painted or printed on them. For instance, when a play entails war, the backdrops usually have scenes like destroyed buildings, billows of smoke or military equipment. This engages the audience more; giving them the near reality of what a war scene looks and feels like. On the same, playing music or applying corresponding sound effects during the performance further brings the audience closer to the real events that occur there. Contemporary artists employ nature in achieving more sensational, realistic art that one can experience being within. Naturally occurring trees, water masses, and stones do not give the impression art to most people. However, some artists bring together naturally occurring elements such as vegetation and stones to create visually appealing scenarios. A good example is Robert Irwin’s maze garden in Getty Center that is a combination of stones, trees, and water that form a maze where visitors can ‘experience’ art. They can touch the elements and experience touchable art, the vegetation has color that appeals to the eye, and the flowers give off scents5. Fred Eerdekens, a Belgian artist uses lights and shadows as part of his art. He tactically arranges objects in specific ways to achieve textual shadows that cast out creative appealing sights. For instance, his 2004 piece, Ooohaah, in which a tall burning candle is positioned above a wall sculpture such that its light casts a shadow reading ‘ooh’. However, as the candle shortens, the shadow reads ‘ahhh’. In this scenario, light and time help in achieving the artist’s concept. Live art is becoming an integral part of contemporary art. Artists use live animals or insects to construct appealing art. Amongst the famous works, known is the Starving Letters piece by Rivane Neuenschwander where she uses snails to make interesting trails on paper. She uses rice paper and sets snails on it, as the snails move while eating; their slime leaves beautiful lines behind. Such integrations and collaborations between man and nature in creating contemporary art not only allow us to see the power and beauty of it, but also our culture and history. In so doing, our artistic spirits remain powerful, not to mention the gift we leave behind of ensuring that coming generations gets inspiration from the same nature. Singapore is amongst the most dominant hubs of contemporary art in the modern world, hosting local and international artists in visual arts, live performances, and architecture, crowning the Asian country as an international art hub. The government of Singapore has been in the past few decades trying to convert it into a major centre for arts and transform it into a “cosmopolitan gateway between the east and the west6”. This it has been doing by creating art institutions, holding annual art festivities, setting up museums, non-profit art spaces, and encouraging public and private galleries. One can therefore refer to Singapore and tell the benefits or influences of nature-inspired art. For one it is bound to attract international recognition, for instance; its constant vies for honor as having the world’s largest Ferris wheel that falls under installation art. Installation art represents some earlier forms of nature such as communication and travelling by foot that was nature’s initial way and replaces it with modernized tarmac ways, railroad, airways, power ships and the fast advancing overhead electric train technology. Recognition means acquiring easier marketing status for tourists and job hunters to be in charge of the creative industries7. The ability to host diverse races will attract investors beyond Asia. International recognition will also come about due to availability of art institutions that broadcast creativity and equip people with skills that they utilize within or export them elsewhere, and attracts foreigners to study there. Internationally recognized universities, colleges, and schools that support diversity contribute to this. The people of Singapore are so devoted in promoting their art that they invent ways to display it to greater audiences by hosting regular open-space music and dance performances in the streets, parks, malls, and theatres8. In addition to these local means, they host annual art fairs and festivals mostly in the months of June to July. One can easily conclude that most of the above constructs purely support economic boosts or in the few cases political advantage and agenda, but they are in the long term more beneficial to the inhabitants. Conclusion Postmodern view of nature should hold that culture, politics, nature, science, and linguistics mold the definitions of nature and the wilderness. For any constructivist, these practices outrank all values and perceptions of the world and that nature is only meaningful through the lens of meanings that cultures assign to it. Bibliography Hosey, Lance. 2012. The shape of green aesthetics, ecology, and design. Washington, DC: Island Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=460637. Modern edition. (2013) The other artist: nature in the work of contemporary artists. Retrieved on October 21, 2013 from http://www.modernedition.com/art-articles/use-of-nature-in-art/natural-process-in-art.html#top Oakley, Mat, and Joshua Samuel Brown. 2009. Singapore. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet Publications. http://www.contentreserve.com/TitleInfo.asp?ID={3F3EE19F-31B3-4140-B920-BF17BA41B3D8}&Format=410. Rau, Dana Meachen. 2003. Singapore. Tarrytown, N.Y.: Benchmark Books. Soper, Kate. 2000. What is nature?: culture, politics and the non-human/ Kate Soper. Oxford [u.a.]: Blackwell. Soule?, Michael E., and Gary Lease. 1995. Reinventing nature? responses to postmodern deconstruction. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/30892454.html. The nature conservancy. (2013) Nature inspires art. Retrieved on October 21, 2013 from http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/nature-inspires-art.xml Read More