Ecological Expression: Conveying environmental stories through art

The Earth is covered in oil rigs and filled with dead trees, factories, and polluted marine life.

Summary

Through observation, artistic creation, and reflection, the Open Toolkit guides learners to identify and understand environmental issues, express their concern for ecology in a creative way, deepen their insight into environmental protection and the social change driven by art through collaborative discussion and critical thinking, and cultivate their sense of responsibility and creativity to participate in environmental protection through artistic practice actively.

Aims

Understanding and Observation: Learners are able to identify the core themes of artworks and the environmental and ecological issues they convey.
Creative Expression: Learners are able to create small art collages using images and online tools to express their understanding of environmental issues.
Critical Thinking: Learners are able to explain the intention of their work and think about how environmental and ecological issues can be expressed through art.

In the art world, creation is not only a pursuit of beauty, but also a way of conveying emotions and thinking about social issues. Environmental issues are one of the most pressing challenges, and art, as a visual language, can attract people’s attention and resonance in a unique way.

Step 1 Understanding and Observation （5 Minutes）

Please choose one of the two sets of artworks below to study, think about the following questions, and write your answer on the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly). You have 5 minutes for this activity.

There are three questions waiting to be answered on an online Miro Board.

Choose one of the two sets of artworks below to observe

Click on the name of the work directly

Drifters Project Works by Pam Longobardi

Ice Watch by Olafur Eliasson

Please consider the following questions based on the selected work

Which work did you choose to analyze? What environmental issues does this artwork express?
What visual symbols did the artist use to convey the message?
How did this work inspire your creation? What elements can be used or referenced in your own work?

Step 2 Online Creative Expression （10 Minutes）

Use the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly) to create a small collage artwork that expresses a specific environmental theme. This can be an environmental issue or a phenomenon in life. You have 10 minutes for this activity.

There is a collage of artwork waiting to be created on a blank board.

Please continue to use the designated website Miro and start creating below the previous answer. Miro tools provide basic image libraries and convenient editing functions.
If you need more image materials, please select materials from the image libraries of the following website, or upload your own images and mark the source of the images.

Here is a website for downloading PNG images, you might find it useful. Please note that the images you use must not have copyright issues. https://www.cleanpng.com/
Use the text function in Miro to add titles or phrases to enhance the expression of the work.
Adjust the overall layout of the collage materials to make the picture clear and organized.

Here are two examples:

A factory chimney emits a large amount of smoke, and the ocean is filled with a large amount of plastic garbage, waste and polluted marine life.

An excavator is clearing a site on a burnt area of land in a devastated and polluted forest. A worker in an orange uniform walks through a charred forest filled with dead wood, garbage and stumps.

Step 3 Critical Thinking （5 Minutes）

Once you’ve finished your creation, please consider the questions below and leave your responses on the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly). You have 5 minutes for this activity.

There are three questions waiting to be answered on Miro Board.

How do the visual elements you choose enhance the expressiveness of the work? What other elements may be more effective?
What do you think are the unique advantages and limitations of art in promoting environmental awareness and social change?
Through today’s learning and creation, do you think art can effectively change people’s attitudes towards environmental issues? Why?

If you have extra time, you can choose to browse what other learners have posted or leave a comment.

Eliasson, O. (2014). Ice Watch. Available at: https://olafureliasson.net/artwork/ice-watch-2014/(Accessed: 16 November 2024).

Longobardi, P. (n.d.). Drifters Project Works. Available at: https://pamlongobardi.com/drifters-project-works/ (Accessed: 16 November 2024).

(Collage, Environment, Ecology)

Ecological Expression: Conveying environmental stories through art / Open Toolkits by Kneel, Mulholland: Drive! is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Posted by Ruiqing Zhang

17 November 2024

Categories

Yellow Basho

Tags

Previous post

Book of Emotions

Next post

Crafting Insightful Artist Interviews: A Step-by-Step Guide

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Open Toolkits

Open Toolkits

Toggle navigation menu Toggle navigation menu Menu

Ecological Expression: Conveying environmental stories through art

Summary

Aims

Step 1 Understanding and Observation （5 Minutes）

Please choose one of the two sets of artworks below to study, think about the following questions, and write your answer on the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly). You have 5 minutes for this activity.

Choose one of the two sets of artworks below to observe

Click on the name of the work directly

Drifters Project Works by Pam Longobardi

Ice Watch by Olafur Eliasson

Please consider the following questions based on the selected work

Which work did you choose to analyze? What environmental issues does this artwork express?

What visual symbols did the artist use to convey the message?

How did this work inspire your creation? What elements can be used or referenced in your own work?

Step 2 Online Creative Expression （10 Minutes）

Use the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly) to create a small collage artwork that expresses a specific environmental theme. This can be an environmental issue or a phenomenon in life. You have 10 minutes for this activity.

Please continue to use the designated website Miro and start creating below the previous answer. Miro tools provide basic image libraries and convenient editing functions.

If you need more image materials, please select materials from the image libraries of the following website, or upload your own images and mark the source of the images.

Here is a website for downloading PNG images, you might find it useful. Please note that the images you use must not have copyright issues. https://www.cleanpng.com/

Use the text function in Miro to add titles or phrases to enhance the expression of the work.

Adjust the overall layout of the collage materials to make the picture clear and organized.

Here are two examples:

Step 3 Critical Thinking （5 Minutes）

Once you’ve finished your creation, please consider the questions below and leave your responses on the Miro Board(Click here or click the image below to answer directly). You have 5 minutes for this activity.

How do the visual elements you choose enhance the expressiveness of the work? What other elements may be more effective?

What do you think are the unique advantages and limitations of art in promoting environmental awareness and social change?

Through today’s learning and creation, do you think art can effectively change people’s attitudes towards environmental issues? Why?

If you have extra time, you can choose to browse what other learners have posted or leave a comment.

Leave a reply

Report this page