7
perceive as randomness, waste, cycles, paradox and death. For many of
us, art helps with these metaphysical dimensions.
In some cultures, this distinction between ‘art’ and other things is
non-existent. In many traditional contexts, myth, imagination and non-
quantified, non-text-based artistic representation are the everyday
By enhancing awareness,
language of social wisdom and they have no need of a word for ‘art.’
engagement and
Much environmental policy and management is based on
frameworks of values and assumptions that are not well understood,
understanding, art can make a not sufficiently explicit and not complete. Good work has been done
unique contribution to global
on things like quantifying the economic benefits for human livelihoods
agendas for sustainability and to
of a world rich in biodiversity. But we need better language for
unravelling the philosophical, spiritual and aesthetic dimensions that
decision-making that respects are also there. For example, a site may be protected under legislation
the natural world and holistic
that prizes its importance for endangered species, without making any
provision for the intangible values of its ‘sense of place’ to be taken into
values that are fundamental to
account in decision-making.
the human spirit.
Aside from the environmental sector, there are intergovernmental
policy frameworks that aim to foster the creative industries, to promote
cultural expression, to protect cultural diversity and to support the role
of the artist in society. Some of these are operated by the UN cultural
organisation, UNESCO.
The World Heritage Convention covers (tangible) natural heritage as
well as culture, and there are other initiatives that at least have the
potential to link the natural and the cultural together, including some
activities of the UN Environment Programme.
Some of the environmental conventions have a small agenda on the
cultural significance of the fields they embrace (e.g. biodiversity or
wetlands), and part of the consideration given to this cultural
significance occasionally refers to art.
One possibility for enhancing the place of art lies with global
networks of special sites, such as World Heritage Sites or wetlands
listed under the Ramsar Convention. Some of these sites have
cultural significance that is linked with their ecological significance,
such as sacred traditions reflecting a sense of connectedness with
the land and with plants and animals. These values may be expressed
understanding, based more on intuition. well through art.
Our sense of how things come to be arranged the way they are – the By enhancing awareness, engagement and understanding, art can
constraints that operate and the ways in which the dynamics of an make a unique contribution to global agendas for sustainability and to
organism interact with the forces of its environment – gives us decision-making that respects the natural world and holistic values that
fundamental appreciations of how wind, growth, fluids and masses are fundamental to the human spirit. Limitations in the science and
behave. Even with abstract or asymmetric forms and patterns, we can policy worlds’ methods for communicating, understanding and valuing
have a strong sense of what seems ‘right’ or ‘not quite right.’ nature support a conviction that greater synergy with the world of art
This is relevant directly to strategies for environmental sustainability offers broader and deeper possibilities.
- for understanding whether or not we are working with the grain of
nature, and whether we are in tune with its limits to tolerance of
*Dave Pritchard is an independent consultant and Chair of
change. Science cannot help us decide what meaning to give to things,
CIWEM’s Arts and Environment Network.
or how to be reconciled spiritually to those truths of nature that we
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