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Project

A Research on the Link between the Photographic Image and Social Critical Design

The sustainist Gaze, In Search of Photographic-Participatory Methods to Act Against the Anthropocene

In my artistic doctoral research "The Sustainist Gaze, In Search of Photographic-Participatory Methods to Act Against the Anthropocene", I explored the connections between photography, science and social participatory design to generate methodologies for visualising the Anthropocene and raising awareness of this phenomenon. The urgency of this issue, combined with its complexity and interrelatedness in all aspects of our human activity, calls for a cross-disciplinary approach in which the exact and human sciences, but also the arts, education and politics, have to develop a new vision together, with respect for the fragile ecosystem to which we inextricably belong. In order to bring about this much-needed transformation to a more sustainable relationship with the world, there is a need for not only new streams of thought, scientific breakthroughs, insights or design processes, but also a new visual language to understand, document and disseminate them. Central to my research, therefore, are questions about the extent to which I, as a visual artist and researcher, can act against the Anthropocene in an active and socially critical manner. How can I co-write a new story with an open ending that initiates a renewed look at ecology and strengthens our connection with our habitat?

I want to use the (de)learned insights from this Ph.D. research to argue for a new way of looking at things. This view wants to break away from the purely anthropocentric view of the world and tries to include non-human perspectives and timelines. The Sustainist Gaze departs from an unconstrained perspective, an unsure knowledge, an inherent curiosity, wonder and hesitation. It is a wandering, inquisitive and reflective gaze that looks out onto the physical landscape, and at the same time an introspective gaze that looks into the mental realm and keeps an eye on the social relations between all actors. Thus, our living environment simultaneously becomes our learning environment. This implies a more humble, questioning, position in which the human being, nor the individual, nor the ego of the artist is central, but part of an inseparable network of organisms. Letting go of, and unlearning, a predominantly anthropocentric view creates space for new modes of -seeing- and -being-.  Looking at the Anthropocene, ecology and photography from this sustainable perspective not only changed my view of human relationships to our habitat, it also completely transformed my relationship to the medium of photography and my artistic methods and work. It opened the way to wonder and new understandings. It transformed every certainty into a relevant question and made blind spots in my own view, but also in the view of our Western, industrialised society, visible.

Within my artistic doctoral research, I mainly used and investigated the use of an early 19th century organic and analogue photographic printing process that can work as a suitable medium to visualise the Anthropocene regime. The anthotype process is a completely natural organic process that acts on the fading of natural plant pigments exposed to a large amount of ultraviolet light. This creates an interesting relationship and interaction between the physical landscape and its photographic representation. By studying this historical process from a contemporary perspective, setting up collaborations with scientific partners and linking it to participatory research methods, new and interesting possibilities to reveal the complex structures of the Anthropocene emerged. The research can be accessed via the website: www.sustainistgaze.com 

Date:26 Feb 2015 →  24 Feb 2022
Keywords:Photography, Sustainism, Design
Disciplines:Architectural engineering, Architecture, Interior architecture, Architectural design, Art studies and sciences, Curatorial and related studies, History, Other history and archaeology, Artistic design, Audiovisual art and digital media, Heritage, Music, Theatre and performance, Visual arts, Other arts, Product development, Study of regions
Project type:PhD project