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Reclaiming Vision

by Beverly Naidus, Vermont

It's hard for me to not be present today to hear what all of you have to say about the work of eco-artists and what our role might be in this very challenging moment for the world. I believe that we need to use whatever critical thinking skills we have to help others see the propaganda and to develop a historical context for what is occurring. As you know, the worst ecological catastrophe of all is war. It is also seems that it is more necessary than ever to create visions for a desirable future. Without those visions, we are left with the grim nightmares offered up by popular culture of an apocalyptic future.

In truth, most peoples and creatures on this planet are already living in a slow moving apocalypse. They are struggling with an imbalance of resources and the effects of environmental racism. In the wealthier nations, a portion of the public has been able to distract itself with the fundamentally unsatisfying pleasures of consumer culture. But for those who are getting sick or becoming extinct, distraction is no longer an option.

As eco-artists, we have had everyday experiences that have made us acutely aware of the dangers facing living things on this planet. I believe we have two tasks. One is to make the dangers more visible and emotionally cogent for the general public without numbing them into more inaction. The other is to offer up possibilities for healing and wholeness that include new ways of organizing public participation and community dialog.

Here I would like to quote my colleague Chaia Heller who teaches with me at the Institute for Social Ecology. This quote is from her important book, The Ecology of Everyday Life, Rethinking the Desire for Nature.

"Ecology is as much about desire as it is about need. While activists take to the streets to fight genetically manipulated organisms that threaten environmental and health safety, they also take over the streets, creating a carnivalesque demand for community, pleasure, and meaning. Ecology speaks to two demands, then --one quantitative, the other qualitative. Born out of the call for enough clean water, air, and land to survive, ecology is also the demand for a particular quality of life worth living.

The desire for an ecological way of life carries within it the nascent demand for an ecological society, a demand that has potentially revolutionary implications. For once we collectively translate this desire into political terms, we are able to challenge a global system that immiserates most of the world's inhabitants, forcing them to forgo their desires, lowering their ecological expectations to the level of mere sustenance or survival. Keeping a desire-focus within the ecology movement keeps our demand for satisfaction, vitality, and meaning alive, invigorating our ability to envision a socially and ecologically desirable society.

Yet the question is what kind of desire will inform ecological movements and what kind of 'nature' will be the object of ecological desire? Will it be an individualistic desire for a pure 'nature' that is understood to be outside of society? Or will it be a social desire, a yearning to be part of a greater collectivity that challenges the structure of society to create a cooperative and ecological world?

Yet while we need to rethink our understanding of desire, we also have to rethink our understanding of nature. 'Nature' cannot be the 'country home' of our desires----that place we run to in our dreams, longing to escape the pain and confusion of life at the beginning of a new century. By placing the idea of nature within society itself, we may transform society into a ground in which we may build, collectively, a new practice of both nature and community. An ecology of everyday life translates the desire for 'nature' into a social desire to create a society that is whole, humane, and meaningful."

I share this quote from Heller because I believe that the eco-art movement needs to be as inclusive as possible. Reclamation and restoration art are important aspects of this movement, but there are other forms of ecoart that should not be ignored. We need to embrace and educate others about art that exposes racism, the insidious motives behind war, the ill effects of the globalization, and all the other forms of oppression. And we need to find ways to restore each other1s hope for the future with art that describes our dreams of cooperation, collaboration, and the flowering of each individual1s creative potential.

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past week. Along with the inevitable grieving and raging, I am hoping to have an opportunity to make some of the most powerful art of my life.

My best wishes for a meaningful discussion during this symposium with the prospect of ongoing collaborations. We need to be relentless during this time, but also be mindful of our limits. We need to find others to pick up the reins when we need to take a break. I am grateful for all of your work and for the opportunity to share my thoughts even though I am not present. If any of you have questions or comments you would like to share with me please do not hesitate to contact me at my email address. Thank you.

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