Simple Nature: The Art of Andy Goldsworthy
By Melissa Vest
Filed Under Arts & Culture | 3 Comments
In a world that is ever buzzing, growing, moving, and consuming there is an underlying push toward the opposite. There lies in each of us a need for stillness, contemplation, and closeness to nature. We look for ways to balance our needs. Even within the environmental movement, we are continuously striving to balance our desires for more. We’re always looking for ways to make our day-to-day lives simpler. And in turn, we ask ourselves what can do to save this precious planet? We recycle; we buy LED light bulbs, we shop consciously, and we tote around our PVC-free yoga mats. However, the question remains: are we really connecting with the earth on a deeper level while on our quest to save it?
Sometimes art can help us tap into our universal connection to nature. The work of U.K. based environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy does just that. His work is an exquisite reminder of why we buy organic clothing, why we take five-minute showers, why we use scratchy toilet paper, and why we continue to strive to do more. Through his unique medium of environmental art, Goldsworthy succeeds in transporting us to the core of nature’s beauty and strength.
Goldsworthy creates a myriad of environmental art projects, some built indoors and others built outdoors. Indoors, his artwork can look as if they were laid there by a swift wind, and outdoors they represent human interpretations of nature itself. In any setting, they are a single moment’s perfection. They seem to be suspended in time, and are left to simply wash away, crumble, ruin, or break down from the elements. Like in nature, his installations are created to age and weather, and to only last for short amounts of time. According to Goldsworthy, “My sculpture can last for days or a few seconds — what is important to me is the experience of making. I leave most of my work outside and often return to watch it decay.”
Each piece is created using as many natural tools as possible. For example, when Goldsworthy strings together long chains of leaves, he uses his own spit. He also uses thorns to string together wonderfully fascinating layers of branches. The use of natural materials lends itself to simplicity, and ultimately a human perspective of nature at its finest. Goldsworthy sees each element of his art as part of nature itself, “My art is an attempt to reach beyond the surface appearance. I want to see growth in wood, time in stone, nature in a city…”
Goldsworthy’s work is mostly documented through photography, which preserves it in a single instance. His use of natural materials ranges from ice and snow to leaves, twigs, clay, and rocks. Some are completed through the use of volunteers, and others are an individual creation. From twigs seemingly “growing” out of the water, to bright circular mandalas made of orange and yellow leaves, each work is unique.
Sometimes on this journey towards sustainability we need a reminder of why we sink our hearts into such a cause. Each work by Goldsworthy gives us a pause, an opportunity to silently meditate. Everyone will see something different, but if you look close enough and long enough you just might not need that yoga mat after all.
Enjoy more about Goldsworthy’s Work:
- Watch a clip of the artist’s movie: Rivers and Tides.
- Purchase Enclosure, a book by Goldsworthy.
- Explore Artisan Cam featuring interactive media, video, and more.
Posted on October 6, 2008 |
The Tao of Jones: Redefining Values
By Mathew Gerson
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, The Big Picture | 3 Comments
In today’s market we are familiar with two types of organizations, for-profit businesses and non-profit organizations. In very general terms, business operates for the benefit of share-holders, i.e. profits, and non-profits operate for the benefit of a specific social or environmental cause.
The For-Profit Model
Traditionally, to evaluate and measure the “value” of a company, more specifically a For-Profit company, we generally look to the profit and loss graphs of the S&P 500. To date, the Dow Jones has been the benchmark by which businesses can measure themselves. Value in the form of dividends and performance defined by profits. All so nice and tidy, up and down arrows, points and percentages, very simple. These “values” are clear indicators of who I want to be in business with, right?
The benefit here is defined only by the result of a singular relationship between the company, its owners and shareholders, and the profits. What is missing here? What about the relationship between businesses and community? What effect does the almighty profit have on our planet as a whole? Continue reading The Tao of Jones: Redefining Values…
Posted on April 22, 2008 |
Modern Philanthropy: The New American Dream
By Lizbeth M. Brown, Esq.
Filed Under Modern Philanthropy | 1 Comment
There is a new form of philanthropy brewing. The traditional forms of giving have been phenomenal, but today’s colossal issues require an evolution of this art. Today’s philanthropy requires a collective response. It’s about pooling our distinct abilities as individuals and addressing ecological crises, corporate encroachment, and warfare as a group. If we were each working alone, these tasks would be daunting, and even paralyzing. The recognition of the modern philanthropist is that together, “Si, Se Puede.” Yes, we can.
Common Ground Health Clinic is a community clinic, founded in Louisiana in the immediate wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. It’s one of eConscious Market’s non-profit partners. I love their slogan “Solidarity, not charity.” This notion exemplifies Modern Philanthropy because it is participative. It forms a collective of humans who care to improve their community and in doing so, their own lives, and the world. It brings people together in a common cause and movement towards the vision of a better imminent tomorrow.
Continue reading Modern Philanthropy: The New American Dream…
Posted on April 21, 2008 |
Kudos For eConscious Market
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Sustainable Style | Leave a Comment
Deep in the mountains of Boulder, CO, the staff here at eConsciousMarket.com is proud to say we’re gracing the pages of the April 2008 print issue of Glamour magazine. It turns out that even bike-riding treehuggers in Boulder can still have quite a keen sense of modern style. Not only that, but out of thirty tips given by some of the biggest authorities on the green scene, we came in 3rd. Aces. Here’s recommendation #3 in Glamour’s “Every Woman’s Guide To Going Green…”
Shop online, too. By some estimates, every minute spent driving to a store uses 10 times the energy of doing the same shopping on the Web. For eco-driven sites so good you’ll never miss the mall, visit nau.com and thegreenloop.com for fashion and econsciousmarket.com for home finds.
The list of true “Eco Experts” who contributed to the green guide was very impressive: Simran Sethi (Sundance Channel Green TV Host), Robbie Cox (President of Sierra Club), Gina Solomon (Senior Scientist at NRDC), and Jennifer Boulden and Heather Stephenson (Cofounders of idealbite.com), Diane MacEachern (Founder of biggreenpurse.com), and Rajendra Pachauri, Ph. D. (Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.) A list like this is so validating! Thanks Glamour.
It’s very exciting to see traditional magazines like Vanity Fair and Glamour feature articles about going green. Maybe now Glamour would be open to using some post-consumer recycled content paper for their magazine production? We sure hope so! If you agree, let them know.
Posted on April 14, 2008 |
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