A point of no
return: Artistic transgression in the more-than-human world
Forthcoming. To appear in the anthology
Environment, Embodiment and History
(Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Gender Research, University
of Bergen, Norway)
Jan van Boeckel, 2010
Tracking a course in the landscape of environmental education
Meri-Helga Mantere, 1995
(Excerpted from Mantere, Meri-Helga ed., “Image of the Earth. Writing on
art-based environmental education,” translation of: “Maan Kuva.”
Translation by Marjukka Barron), pp. 3-17.
At a time when
children spend more time in the virtual world than the natural world, Play
Again unplugs a group of media savvy teens and takes them on their first
wilderness adventure, documenting the wonder that comes from time spent in
nature and inspiring action for a sustainable future.
One generation from now most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the
virtual world than in nature. New media technologies have improved our lives in
countless ways. Information now appears with a click. Overseas friends are part
of our daily lives. But what are we missing when we are behind screens? And how
will this impact our children, our society, and eventually, our planet? At a
time when children play more behind screens than outside, Play Again
explores the changing balance between the virtual and natural worlds. Is our
connection to nature disappearing down the digital rabbit hole?
This documentary follows six teenagers who, like the “average American child,”
spend five to fifteen hours a day behind screens. play again unplugs these teens
and takes them on their first wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell
phone coverage, no virtual reality. Through the voices of children and leading
experts including journalist Richard Louv, sociologist Juliet Schor,
environmental writer Bill McKibben, educators Diane Levin and Nancy
Carlsson-Paige, neuroscientist Gary Small, parks advocate Charles Jordan, and
geneticist David Suzuki, Play Againinvestigates the consequences of a childhood
removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.
Living
School: The Farm as a Pedagogical Resource (Part 1 and 2)
What connects us, as human beings, to a flower, a carrot, a cow or an earthworm?
In the Norwegian project Levande Skule (Living School) children explore their
relationship to nature in a very direct way, throughout the seasons.
Each week, they spend one day at a farm near to their school, participating in
all the prevailing tasks. By tasting, smelling, touching, seeing and listening,
they open their senses to their natural surroundings. The farm proves to be a
unique classroom. This documentary gives a colourful impression of Living School
and is a source of inspiration to teachers, pupils, parents and farmers.
Length: 20 min. Producer: Ole Bernt Frøshaug,Visions AS2 001, Translation:
Ceciel Verheij, Contact:
erling.krogh(at)umb.no, linda.jolly(at)gmail.com
After a sparrow accidentally falls into her pond artist Lisa Lipsett
seizes the opportunity to draw, paint and dialogue with this little bird.
This instructional video reveals the practice and some basic theory behind
the process of artful communion with Nature. Useful for teachers, parents
and students interested in deepening human-Nature relationships through
the arts, this video is meant as a companion piece to the PDF On Speaking
Terms Again: Creating a fit with Nature available at
www.creativebynature.ning.com
DRAWING CLOSER TO NATURE
Film on a 'holistic art workshop' that took place in 2007, showing Peter London
teaching.
A Handful of Seeds, developed by the
Occidental Art and Ecology Center, is programme targeted at
schools to develop the understanding of seeds using school gardens.
Developed and tested in California, it takes account of the seasonality of
the natural world and the cycle of schools (ie it is geared to schools
being closed in the summer months).
The GreenMuseum
has a Wiki with examples and discussions of environmental and eco-art
projects which involve educators and students. From the introductory
page: "Environmental art is a powerful learning tool. Many artists
have
collaborated with educators (many
of them are teachers already) and students to create art that calls
attention to important environmental issues. The interdisciplinary
nature of this work can enable one project to teach participants about a
range of topics such as biology, local history, art, business
practices and politics."
Visitors are welcome to add to and edit any page.
Make It Wild! 101 Things to Make and Do Outdoors
Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield, 2010
Make it Wild! shows how children can enjoy the endless opportunities
offered by wild places. Looking at what nature has to offer, they explore
the potential of diverse raw materials such as snow, leaves, and sticks
and suggest how to work with them. The book demonstrates how to use
nature's free, renewable resources to make anything from a clay monster to
an ice lantern or flaming balloons. Making things outdoors involves
creativity and imagination, as well as learning how to solve practical
problems, how to work together, the need to see a process through from
start to finish, and the safe use of potentially dangerous tools - all of
which help children acquire the skills they need to cope with the world
and develop a commonsense understanding of the way it works.
www.franceslincoln.co.uk
The Bumper Book Of Nature Wildlife Facts and Fun For All the Family Stephen Moss, 2010
When is
the last time you climbed a tree? Went pond-dipping? Picked blackberries?
Held a snail race? Or tracked down a badger set? If the answer is ‘can’t
remember’, or even ‘never’, The Bumper Book Of Nature will inspire you to
change all that for good. This is a gloriously designed treasure trove of
nature activities, ideas and information, to inspire and entertain,
wherever you are, and whatever the season. Switch off the television and
computer, pull on your Wellingtons and get outside to discover the endless
bounty and beauty of nature right on your doorstep.
www.bumperbookofnature.co.uk
Beauty Muse Painting in Communion With Nature Lisa Lipsett, 2010
Artist
and educator Lisa Lipsett shares a ten year creative journey recounting
her experiences with the natural world, connecting creativity with deep
ecology, education, spirituality and ecopsychology. Through playful
exercises and paintings, she invites the reader to engage in a highly
intuitive hands-on process, initiating a joyful heartfelt practice which
brings art-making back to its living roots. This book will appeal to
educators, therapists and parents looking for ways to strengthen
human-Nature relationships through the arts.
www.creativebynature.org
I love my World Mentoring Play In Nature, For Our Sustainable Future Chris Holland, 2009
A new guidebook to rekindle the naturally playful spirit and develop a
deep connection with nature from an early age. Chris Holland takes a
holistic view of our current global environmental crisis and presents a
heartfelt as well as intellectual response to it by taking our young
people outside to learn to play and play to learn.
Full of bushcraft, environmental art, nature awareness and outdoor play
activities, as well as mentoring tips and beautiful images, this book will
make you want to pack your bags, step out and celebrate our wonderful
world.
www.ilovemyworld.info
Childhood and Nature Design Principles for Educators David Sobel, 2008
In
Childhood and Nature, educator David Sobel makes the case that meaningful
connections with the natural world don't begin in the rainforest or
arctic, but in our own backyards and communities. Based on his
observations of recurrent play themes around the world, Sobel articulates
seven design principles that can guide teachers in structuring learning
experiences for children. Place-based education projects that make
effective use of the principles are detailed throughout the book. And
while engaged in these projects, students learn language arts, math,
science, social studies, as well as essential problem-solving and social
skills through involvement with nature and their communities. www.stenhouse.com
Natural Simple Land Art Through the Seasons
Marc Pouyet, 2009 (English edition)
From art using snow, ice, leaves, and
berries to sticks, branches, mud, and pebbles, Natural suggests more than
200 simple, abstract creations that readers can make when they’re out and
about, using nothing but natural materials. Along with the pleasure to be
had in creating something beautiful in just a few minutes, the projects
are a splendid way to open a child’s eyes to all the shapes, colors, and
textures nature has to offer. Pouyet is directly inspired by land artists
like Robert Smithson, who created a giant stone spiral jetty in the Great
Salt Lake, and Nils Udo, who makes enormous, magical nests from birch
trunks and willow branches. For families, teachers, crafters, and all who
delight in a few moments of creativity, Natural is a rich source of
inspiration to engage with the amazingly varied elements of the everyday
outdoors.
www.franceslincoln.com
Art, Community and Environment Educational Perspectives Edited by Glen Coutts, Timo Jokela, IntellectBooks, Bristol, UK, 2008
Art, Community and Environment
investigates wide-ranging issues raised by the interaction between art
practice, community participation, and the environment, both natural and
urban. This volume brings together a distinguished group of contributors
from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Finland to examine topics such as
urban art, community participation, local empowerment and the problems of
ownership. Featuring rich colour illustrations and informative case
studies from around the world, Art, Community and Environment addresses
the growing interest in this fascinating dimension of art and education,
forming a vital addition to Intellect’s Readings in Art and Design
Education series
www.intellectbooks.co.uk
Arts for Change Teaching Outside the Frame Beverly Naidus. New Village Press, Oakland, CA, 2009
A provocative, personal look at the motivations and challenges of teaching
socially engaged arts, Arts for Change overturns conventional arts
pedagogy with an activist's passion for creating art that matters.
How can polarized groups work together to solve social and environmental
problems? How can art be used to raise consciousness? Using candid
examination of her own university teaching career as well as broader
social and historical perspectives, Beverly Naidus answers these
questions, guiding the reader through a progression of steps to help
students observe the world around them and craft artistic responses to
what they see. Interviews with over 30 arts education colleagues provide
additional strategies for successfully engaging students in what, to them,
is most meaningful.
www.newvillagepress.net
Let Your Children Go
Back to Nature
John Hodgson & Alan Dyer. Capall Bann Publishing,
Milverton, UK, 2003
A "subversive look" by two
long-experienced educationalists, challenging the current orthodoxies
about the upbringing of children. Offers an attractive means to ameliorate
the deadening effects of the National Curriculum. Based on extended
experiments in Devon, it is full of creative ideas. www.capallbann.co.uk
Drawing Closer To Nature Making Art In Dialogue With The Natural World
Peter London. Shambhala, Boston,
2003
The author
states that the aim of drawing closer to nature is to employ the artistic
processes to draw our selves--mind, body, and spirit--closer to nature.
When so repositioned, our thoughts and behaviors--artistic and otherwise
take on depth, grace, and richness of expression--just what we want for
our life and our art. www.peterlondon.us
Last Child in the Woods Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder Richard Louv. Algonquin Books, 2005
The book explores the increasing divide
between the young and the natural world, and the environmental, social,
psychological, and spiritual implications. It also shows us how important
that connectionis for child and adult health. It
shows how the absence of nature in the lives of today's
wired generation can be linked to some of the most disturbing childhood
trends: obesity, attention disorders, and depression.
Last Child in the Woods is
the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research
indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy
childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of
children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers
practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are
right in our own backyard. www.cnaturenet.org
The Spell of the Sensuous Perception and Language in a More-than Human World
David Abram, Vintage, 1997
There was a time when humans spoke with the voice of the Earth. Our
ancestors' senses were alert to messages coming to them from the wild
world of nature. They were immersed in meanings—meanings that resonated in
their own flesh. In The Spell of the Sensuous, philosopher and ecologist
David Abram explores the deep roots of human language in the preverbal
responses of our bodies to the flux of living nature.
With the skill of a poet and the precision of a philosopher, Abram takes
us into the story of language itself. He tells us how, as a
sleight-of-hand magician, he was able to enter the world of indigenous
magicians and to closely observe their intimate relations with animals and
plants. Then, as a philosopher trained in the phenomenology of
Merleau-Ponty, he weaves this narrative into an incisive and illuminating
account of the genesis of language in preverbal communication between the
human body and the surrounding body of nature. We are all born with this
ancestral heritage, with the ability to "read" and respond to the sensuous
Earth. But with the discovery and learning of written words, literate
cultures lost something special—even something sacred—that had been
integral to the oral traditions. With the written word, language fell
silent, and we became strangers in our own land.
http://vintage-anchor.knopfdoubleday.com
Sight and Sensibility The Ecopsychology of Perception
Laura Sewall, Tarcher, 1999
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the connection
between the human psyche and the natural environment. Fueled by a growing
awareness of worldwide ecological degradation, an entirely new field of
study, called ecopsychology, has emerged. At universities across the
United States, scientists are learning how the decline of our planet's
environment affects not just our physical health but also our minds and
emotions.
Laura Sewall is one of ecopsychology's pioneers and an expert in the
study of the visual process. In combining these fields, she has determined
that the sense of sight is key to understanding and potentially reversing
the effects of ecological destruction. In Sight and Sensibility Sewall
traces the evolution of human sight and the cultural development of
different ways of seeing. She shows how we can restructure the neural
networks that determine how we see, awaken to visual patterns and depth
perception, and learn to see more of the world around us.
www.tarcherbooks.com
Look to the Mountain An Ecology of Indigenous Education
Gregory Cajete. Kivaki Press, 1994
Although written especially for a
Native American audience, the wisdom of Cajete’s approaches is applicable
to the development of learning environments for all youth and the
communities within which they live. Cajete's book is a fine work, that
incorporates traditional Native American practices into the modern world.
The book clearly sparkles with Native American philosophy/religion
(ecosophy) and is which thought provoking and clearly stated.
Maailman Ihanin Tyttö
/ The Loveliest Girl in the World Bilingual (Finnish & English) Miina Savolainen, 2008
The Loveliest Girl In The World tells a touching growth story about
becoming visible and accepting yourself. Every one of us is entitled to
feel ourselves precious and beloved. The text and photographs are by art
and social educator, photographer Miina Savolainen. The feelings and
experiences of ten girls who have grown up in a children’s home carries
the story forward.
The fascinating, beautiful book is like an old fairytale book with its
hand-made graphics. The book includes over 140 colour pictures, of which
many of them have never been published before. The pictures present
Finnish nature amazingly beautiful. Every lovely girl has their own visual
world in the book.
www.voimauttavavalokuva.net/english/kuvakirja.htm
Tree People / Das Volk der Bäume/
Puiden Kansa Finnish, German & English
edition Ritva Kovalainen and Sanni Seppo, 2006
The roots of
our relationship to the forest extend far back into a mythical era when
our woods were still inhabited by spirits of many kinds. At that time the
religious centres of communities were sacred groves, where people gathered
to maintain contact with the great gods of nature. People revered the
forest gods by sharing a part of their catch with the woods. In the yard
of almost every house or farm was a sacrificial tree to which people's
destinies were tied. Through the tree, contact was maintained with the
deceased and the guardian spirits. Offerings were made to it, and it was
asked for help in curing illnesses.
With the arrival of Christianity, the systematic destruction of sacred
groves began. It is said that the priests' most important tool was the
axe. But sacrificial trees are still standing, and there are still a few
of the bear's skull pines which were an essential element of the bear
myths and bear-killing rites. And there still exist quite a number of
'karsikkos', trees bearing crosses and initials and intended to ward off
the restlessly wandering souls of the dead.
www.puidenkansa.net
Dendros: Horizons of Change
Dave Pritchard, 2006,
University College Falmouth, UK
This book is one of the fruits of a project commissioned by the "Research
in Art, Nature & Environment" unit (RANE) at University College Falmouth.
While a thread of investigation and assessment ran through the work, and a
scientific background was brought to bear, this is not a research report.
It is instead situated in a contemporary arts context. The tensions and
creative freedoms occasioned by this are, themselves, part of the
underlying story.
Issues of humankind’s feeling for trees and the values they represent, our
conceptions of change in the environment, the timescales in which we think
about such change, and how we respond (in philosophy, art, and
policymaking), were the springboard for a suite of creative engagements in
south-west England during 2005- 2006. Aspects of these are presented in
the book. www.falmouth.ac.uk
Image of the Earth Writings on art-based environmental education (English translation of Maan Kuva, see below)
Edited by Meri-Helga Mantere
The first chapter is downloadable above (author Meri-Helga Mantere)
ISBN 951-558-009-9
The Native Mind and the Cultural
Construction of Nature
Scott Atran & Douglas Medin
Surveys show that our growing concern over protecting the environment is
accompanied by a diminishing sense of human contact with nature. Many
people have little commonsense knowledge about nature—are unable, for
example, to identify local plants and trees or describe how these plants
and animals interact. Researchers report dwindling knowledge of nature
even in smaller, nonindustrialized societies. In The Native Mind and the
Cultural Construction of Nature, Scott Atran and Douglas Medin trace the
cognitive consequences of this loss of knowledge. Drawing on nearly two
decades of cross-cultural and developmental research, they examine the
relationship between how people think about the natural world and how they
act on it and how these two phenomena are affected by cultural
differences.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11495
U-n-f-o-l-d A Cultural Response to Climate Change David Bruckland & Chris Wainwright (Eds.)
"Unfold" exhibits the work of
twenty-five artists who have participated in the Cape Farewell expeditions
in 2007 and 2008 to the High Arctic and in 2009 to the Andes. Each artist
witnessed firsthand the dramatic and fragile environmental tipping points
of climate change. Their innovative, independent and collective responses
explore the physical, emotional and political dimensions of our complex
and changing world stressed by profligate human activity. This body of
work addresses a new process of thinking where artists play an informed
and significant role through creating a cultural shift, a challenge to
evolve and inspire a symbiotic contract with our spiritual and physical
world.
www.springer.com/springerwiennewyork/art/book/978-3-7091-0220-6
Suomeksi
Lasten Aurinkovuosi Anu Suosalo, Annika Tavasti, 2008
Havainnollinen ja hyväntuulinen Lasten Aurinkovuosi -opaskirja tutustuttaa
ympäristökasvatuksen perusteisiin lasten oman kulttuurin lähtökohdista,
leikin ja luomisen avulla. Oppaan vinkit lähiluonnon- ja
kierrätysmateriaalien hyödyntämisestä arjen ja juhlan puuhissa ohjaavat
juhlistamaan lapsen mielikuvitusta joka päivä ympäri vuoden. Kestävää
kehitystä tukeva Lasten Aurinkovuosi on suunnattu perheille, lasten kanssa
työskenteleville sekä kaikille, jotka pitävät voikukkaseppeleistä ja
ullakoiden aarteista.
Kirjan pohjana toimiva, vuosittain järjestettävä Lasten Aurinkojuhla -tapahtuma
on saanut valtakunnallisen Lapsenpäivä-palkinnon. Lasten Aurinkovuosi -kirja
on saanut tukea myös Ympäristöministeriöltä sekä useilta ympäristö- ja
kulttuurialan säätiöiltä. Opaskirjan tekijänä on viiden hengen työryhmä,
joka koostuu taide- ja kulttuurialan ammattilaisista.
Lasten Aurinkojuhla - tapahtuman kotisivut. ISBN 978-952-483-083-6 www.aurinkojuhla.net
Bråkstavsboken en A B SE-bok för barn och alla undra
Magnus Lönn. Alfabeta, Stockholm, 2002.
En inspirerande och rolig bok om bokstäver och språk. På ett lekfullt och
frigörande sätt vänder och vrider Magnus Lönn på orden så de får nya
betydelser. Ord och bild flätas ihop till dikter och collage som lockar
till nya associationer och tankar. En kul och tankeväckande bok för alla. www.alfamedia.se
Norsk
Naturlig rik om norsk naturfølelse med Arne Næss og utdrag av H.D. Thoreaus
livsfilosofi
Mia Svagård; Arne Næss; Henry David Thoreau; m.fl.
Tun Forlag, Oslo, 2007.
Hva er det med naturen som virker så tiltrekkende? Hvorfor velger så mange
her i landet å reise på hytta for å koble av? Og hvorfor er mange av oss
fremdeles opptatt av et hytte- og friluftsliv i enklere former, uten for
mye utstyrsjag og luksuspreg? I denne praktboka bidrar de verdenskjente
filosofene Arne Næss og Henry D. Thoreau til å belyse slike spørsmål. Her
har idéhistoriker Mia Svagård latt Arne Næss fortelle fritt, og plukket ut
tankevekkende sitater fra Thoreaus samlede verker. Videre gir boka blant
annet et godt bilde av ulike natursyn i Vesten, til ulike tider. Spennende
er det å lese om hvordan tankene om et godt liv i pakt med naturen og med
materielt måtehold, har holdt seg levende fra det antikke Hellas opp til
vår dagers miljøbevegelse og simple living-trend. Vi møter en sprudlende
Arne Næss som på sin velkjente slentrende og undrefundige måte forteller
om blant annet nordmenns spesielle forhold til natur: "Det eneste
spesielle ved norsk kultur er naturfølelsen. At så mange mennesker her i
landet har et så sterkt og inderlig forhold til natur. Enn for eksempel
sveitsere eller svensker. Alt det andre, ja det har jo også andre land og
folk." www.boktunet.no
Med himmelen som tak Uterommet som arena for skapende aktiviteter i barnehage og skole
Ellen Holst Buaas. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo,
2002.
Uterommet som arena for skapende aktiviteter i barnehage og skole
Med himmelsen som tak retter søkelyset mot lek og skapende aktiviteter
utendørs.Forfatteren har en økologisk tilnærming til stoffet, der kontakt
med natur og nærmiljø står sentralt. Det estetiske og tverrfaglige
perspektivet i barns skapende prosesser fremheves. Praktiske eksempler er
hentet fra kreativ virksomhet med ulike materialer i barnehage og skole.
www.universitetsforlaget.no
Nederlands
Vrij spel voor natuur en kinderen Marianne van Lier en Willy Leufgen.
Jan van Arkel, Utrecht, 2007
De auteurs maken u deelgenoot van hun langdurige
zoektocht naar inspirerende projecten in binnen- en
buitenland. Daarnaast willen zij u door middel van dit rijk geillustreerde
boek kennis laten maken met de talrijke mogelijkheden om alle denkbare
educatieve buitenruimte op een heel andere manier in te richten en te
gebruiken dan we tot nu toe om ons heen waarnemen.
www.antenna.nl/i-books
Oer - de kracht van kijken
Fotograaf Martin Kers en onderwaterfotograaf Willem Kolvoort, Thieme Art,
Deventer, 2008
Dit boek laat details van de Nederlandse natuur om de hoek laat zien.
Natuur die iedereen kan waarnemen als hij goed kijkt!
Oer gaat over de schoonheid van uitkomende rietstengels, waar Martin Kers
van vertelt dat je de grond voelt trillen als de stengels beginnen te
groeien. Oer gaat over stenen langs rivieroevers, over slootjes met
twintig miljoen wimperdiertjes op één foto, over de wonderlijke vreemde
vormen van zoetwatersponzen, maar ook over gewoon kroos. Oer laat foto’s
zien van de natuur als vormgever van grassen, mossen en boomschors. De
foto’s zijn op een speciale manier vormgegeven en alle pagina’s zijn
voorzien van korte informatie over wat we zien, anders zouden we nog de
helft niet waarnemen.
Naast de foto’s bevat het boek verhalen van bekende auteurs die op
aanstekelijke wijze over hun ‘oergevoel’ in het leven van alle dag
vertellen. www.thiemeart.nl
Het laatste kind in het bos Hoe we onze kinderen weer in contact brengen met de natuur
Richard Louv (Vertaling: Ceciel Verheij
en Jan van Boeckel)
Uitgeverij Jan van Arkel, Utrecht, 2008 (2e druk)
Nooit eerder brachten zoveel
kinderen zoveel van hun tijd binnenshuis door, vaak zittend achter een tv-
of computerscherm. Richard Louv brengt het gebrek aan contact met de
natuur van de online-generatie in verband met verontrustende trends als de
groei van overgewicht, concentratiestoornissen en depressies bij kinderen.
Louv is de eerste die recent onderzoek in kaart heeft gebracht waaruit
blijkt dat direct contact met de natuur van wezenlijk belang is voor de
lichamelijke en geestelijke gezondheid van kinderen. Louv slaat niet
alleen alarm, hij vertelt ook hoe we kunnen proberen de verbroken relatie
te herstellen.
www.antenna.nl/i-books
Deutsch
Naturwerkstatt Landart
Andreas Güthler und Kathrin Lacher, AT-Verlag, 2005
Neben einer Einführung in die "Landart" und handwerklichen Tipps für
verschiedenste Konstruktionsmöglichkeiten beschreiben die Autoren
praxisnah konkrete Beispiele von Landartprojekten für alle Altersstufen
vom Kindergartenalter über Schulkinder und Jugendliche bis zu Erwachsenen.
Mit vielen Farbfotos und Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitungen hält dieses Buch
eine Fülle an Ideen für Gestaltungen in und mit der Natur bereit. www.at-verlag.ch
