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"Nature (Aesthetics)"
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Climate Change and the Art of Devotion
In the enchanted world of Braj, the primary pilgrimage center in north India for worshippers of Krishna, each stone, river, and tree is considered sacred. InClimate Change and the Art of Devotion, Sugata Ray shows how this place-centered theology emerged in the wake of the Little Ice Age (ca. 1550-1850), an epoch marked by climatic catastrophes across the globe. Using the frame of geoaesthetics, he compares early modern conceptions of the environment and current assumptions about nature and culture.
A groundbreaking contribution to the emerging field of eco-art history, the book examines architecture, paintings, photography, and prints created in Braj alongside theological treatises and devotional poetry to foreground seepages between the natural ecosystem and cultural production. The paintings of deified rivers, temples that emulate fragrant groves, and talismanic bleeding rocks that Ray discusses will captivate readers interested in environmental humanities and South Asian art history.
eBook
Landscapes of Attachment
Illuminates the influence of the non-fiction genre of ‘nature writing’ on her paintings and illustrations. Cites quotes from the writings of British writers Helen Macdonald and Robert Macfarlane, both of whom exemplify a newer form of nature writing that ‘responds to the ecological anxieties and changes occurring societally and have fostered the artist to observe her own attachment to landscape and environment in New Zealand. Describes two other influences on her work in this regard; namely, the 2013 poem ‘Aimless love’ by British poet Billy Collins, and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery exhibition ‘Imagined in the context of a room’ by the late NZ painter Joanna Margaret Paul. Includes recent paintings from the artist’s own collection and a private collection. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Journal Article
Architecture of nature : nature of architecture
Based on documentation originating in the environmental sciences, history of science, philosophy and art, this book explores the materiality and the effects of the forces at play in the history of the earth through the architect's modes of seeing and techniques of representation. It presents research work developed for the past eight years in the Advanced Research graduate studio 'Architecture of Nature/ Nature of Architecture', created and directed by Diana Agrest at the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of the Cooper Union. 'Architecture of Nature' departs from the traditional approach to nature as a referent for architecture and reframes it as its object of study. The complex processes of generation and transformations of extreme natural phenomena such as glaciers, volcanoes, permafrost, and clouds are explored through unique drawings and models, confronting a scale of space and time that expands and transcends the established boundaries of the architectural discipline.
Book
An ecospirituality of nature’s beauty: A hopeful conversation in the current climate crisis
Since our earliest hominid ancestors, humans have found nature beautiful, feeling a sense of the numinous in its presence. However, evolutionary biology has been unsuccessful in providing a satisfactory explanation for this phenomenon in terms of natural selection pressures. Firstly, the article takes a walk down anthropological memory lane, tracing the origins of why humans find nature beautiful, giving rise to religious and non-religious sensations. Secondly, the article explores why traditional natural selection mechanisms do not support a bio-aesthetic model that attempts to reduce beauty to physiological utilitarian value. Thirdly, the article offers an alternative explanation relying on the ecotheology of Jonathan Edwards, framing the love of a communicative God who creates nature’s ‘secondary beauty’ to mirror God’s own ‘primary beauty’. As humans encounter beauty in nature, they are receiving the outpouring of grace to support human thriving by the divine action of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the article offers a Christological ecospirituality drawing on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who loved nature and its innate wisdom. Through his spiritual practices of prayer and teaching, whether at the seaside, in gardens or on the mountainside, he offers a renewed human love affair with nature and a deep contemplation of its beauty that revives the soul. A recovered love of nature, and our birthright interconnection with all creatures, open a new conversation in the present climate catastrophe that holds hope for the flourishing of humans, all its creatures and our ecological home.ContributionThis article offers a hopeful conversation in the current climate catastrophe that implores humans to recover their ancient love of, and interdependence with, the beauty of the natural world. This is viewed as communication of God’s grace in a Christology of Nature towards the flourishing of humans, the earth and all its creatures.
Journal Article
Look under the leaves
Recounts the events of her self-funded four-week residency at BigCi, Bilpin, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 15 Feb-14 Mar 2023. Explains that the residency was originally confirmed for Jun-Jul 2020 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Briefly describes a reconnaissance visit to the ‘quaint mountain village’ in early 2020, noting the destruction caused in the area by the ‘Black Summer’ bush fires in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, and comments on the rapid recovery of the native bush by Feb 2023. Provides information about BigCi and the adjoining national park that has been declared a wilderness under the NSW Wilderness Act 1987. Provides details about the bush walks for the five resident artists led by residency co-director Yuri Bolotin. Explains that her residency project was inspired by the illustrated children’s ecology book ‘Look under the leaves’ by Elsie Locke, which she used as an entry point for exploring forest-floor litter and the resilience of the bush in recovering from the catastrophic fires. Describes other highlights of the residency, which culminated in an Open Day event where each artist exhibited their works and presented a talk. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Journal Article
Aesthetic Value of Colluvial Blocks in Geosite-Based Tourist Destinations: Evidence from SW Russia
Nature-based tourism is stimulated by the aesthetic properties of landscapes, and particular elements of the latter determine the overall scenic beauty. Big stones on forested mountain slopes are among such elements. The Partisan Glade geosite-based tourist destination ofthe Western Caucasus in southwestern Russia is distinguished by the occurrence of such stones. Their field investigation (measurements of physical parameters and interpretation of the common criteria of tourist-meaningful beauty) shows that these are essentially blocks (clasts with the size of 1–10 m) of all grades (fine, medium, and coarse blocks) and colluvial origin. The blocks influence on such parameters of scenic beauty as scale, condition, balance, diversity, shape, and uniqueness, and, therefore, these blocks are of aesthetic value. The most important is color and size. Apparently, the presence of these big stones stimulates tourists’ positive emotions. It is recommended to avoid block removal or breaking in the course of road maintenance.
Journal Article