Environmenal

A GALLERY OF IMAGES EXPLORING THE AESTHETICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE - WHERE RUST, CRUMBLINGS AND STAINS MYSTERIUOSLY REVEAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS DUE TO HUMAN EXCESS.

'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children'  Native American Proverb
I attribute credit for the pieces here to Nature. I draw inspiration from the erosions, stains, etchings and crumblings on walls and surfaces. In these textures, I see environmental and social issues as messages in landscapes; it is serendipity and pareidolia at work
Pareidolia is deeply rooted in art history, as an example, many artists have intentionally painted hidden faces within their compositions, often in clouds. For my part I flip this order whereby my starting point is the existing hidden form residing on the wall or surface. By overlaying multiple images the original observation is developed until the narrative is fully exposed. 
My intention is for the visual representations to highlight a needed mindfulness to encourage a return of balance and harmony to our planet. I wish to send a thoughtful call for change inspired by the 'writings on the wall'.​​​​​​​
SILENT BELL: A distressed rusty panel in reds and brown rust form a lookalike hot 'desert' scene. A succulent green plant grows along to the lefthand side while to the right a rusty hand bell is supported. Two thirds down from the top is a layer of underground earth with some fossils . The image represents a negative outcome from global warming and ignored warnings.

THE SILENT BELL  The warning bell tolled loud, but was mostly ignored. Nature will endure, Man may not. 

distressed wall with black stains and markings is revealed beneath peeled off plaster. The shape closely resembles a female's face form the side. a white cloud, remaining cement, is just behind an added green eye. In the cloud an acorn has sprouted 6 small leaves. On top of the 'face' a city appears formed by the stains. the colours are rich browns with blue 'sky'. the image shows the thoughtful person thinking of environmental issues represented by the acorn some plastic waste at the base and a small graphic of an aircraft and ship to the top.
SEED   'Mighty oaks from little acorns grow' Most of us believe de-forestation has to be reversed.
PETAL POWER A sun flower is centre image against a metal sheet background. Either side , smudged on the surface is one handprint and one trail a back as if smudged from three fingers'
PETAL POWER  Hope that nature’s unwavering strength will prevail in the face of human impact on the environment.
TRIUMPH A rusty metal panel primarily red has peeled away a section with resembles an aggressive face in brown rust. In front of the panel just to the side of the 'face' a sunflower sits the message that nature will prevail however much humans destroy the environment.
TRIUMPH   Nature will prevail in the face of human aggression to the environment, man may not.
FATE & POWER A wall with peeling poster paper has hidden images in the shapes and crumblings. The images could be translated as a gun, a man in profile and distressed column that could be man made or be a tree trunk. To the man, a black top hat has been added and to the bottom of the pillar 4 mushrooms grow out of the chaos.
FATE & POWER   Wealth, authority and power selfishly used, has negative effect on our planet. Mushrooms, an unstoppable force, show that life finds a way, even after destruction.
ESCAPE   'Sitting between two chairs' is a poor choice as rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure worldwide due to melting ice and warming oceans. A surreal image depicting a man escaping by floating up and away from a large wave about to break over his sofa, he is transported aloft by a yellow balloon. The base image including the man is a crumbling paint spattered cement rendered wall. On the sofa is a games controller and by the side a glass with a bottle of beer. To the right a flying saucer is suggested by way of a distressed hole in the cement. The narrative is about oblivion to global warming.
ESCAPE   'Sitting between two chairs' is a poor choice as rising sea levels threaten coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructures worldwide due to melting ice and warming oceans.
NORTH STAR   We should navigate away from the alarming decline of global biodiversity due to habitat loss, climate change, and human activities. Animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, plants are all affected. Photograph of two toned textured wall in earth colours, below pinkish and white above with a blue arrow graffiti pointing out of centre to the right. Centre top of image is a star shaped piercing in the wall, starlike. At the horizontal halfway point and just beneath is a mother and baby monkey huddled, looking to camera. The metaphor of hope for nature, and wildlife suggested by the metaphorical star.
NORTH STAR   We urgently need to  navigate away from the alarming decline of global biodiversity caused by   habitat loss, climate change, and human activities. Animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects, plants are all affected and ultimately ourselves.
WHALE & ICEBERGS​​​​​​​   Melting polar ice caps threaten whale habitats by disrupting food chains and migration routes. Artificial cloud cover, a form of geo-engineering, could help mitigate climate change by reflecting sunlight and reducing global temperatures, but it carries significant risks and uncertainties about its effects on weather patterns and ecosystems. A solo cloud hovers over 4 shapes. The cloud is restrained in this position by four concrete slabs and yellow rope. The lead shape on the left hand side represents a whale head appearing out of the ocean, the other three shapes could be translated as icebergs. The whole image is monotoned in greys and the original photograph is from building cladding with damaged by some kind of collision. The image a surreal abstract construction with a suggesting environmental issues and sticking plaster solutions.
WHALE & ICEBERGS​​​​​​​   Melting polar ice caps threaten whale and marine habitats by disrupting food chains and migration routes. Artificial cloud cover, a form of geo-engineering, could help mitigate climate change by reflecting sunlight and reducing global temperatures, but it carries significant risks and uncertainties about its effects on weather patterns and ecosystems.
DES RES   Urban centres expand into rural areas and green field sights; only some animals adapt well. The base background of the photograph is a monotoned heavily distressed wall which resembles a small cliff edge with sky above and a suggested large tree in the background. Burning rubbish and broken bottles have been added at the base with a foraging urban fox. Added above the cliff edge is a small copse of pine trees and telegraph poles.
DES RES   Urban centres expand into rural areas and green field sights; only some animals adapt well others fail and biodiversity declines.
HoOPoE:  Rising temperatures and prolonged drought conditions create environments more susceptible to wildfires; a familiar current trend worldwide. Peeling paper on a wall shows a burnt forest, the rest of the distressed wall has feint images of the same burnt tree trunks with a hoopoe bird at the bottom looking on. The environment challenged by forest fire. Subtle shades of orange and grey of the scene compliment the colour of the hoopoe bird.
HoOPoE   Rising temperatures and prolonged drought conditions create environments more susceptible to wildfires; a familiar current trend worldwide. Global warming, a natural phenomenon or man induced?
THRUSH & TEN CRANES   We watch but do little about the loss of natural untouched land and habitat. Composite photograph of textured wall with some peeling paper. Poking from the peeling are exotic lush green plants, overlooked by the form of a man made from the dripped paint. The main part of the wall has industrial factory buildings with spouting smoke. The image evokes the need to balance industry with nature, the man walking towards the lush planted area to escape or realising the need to change.
THRUSH & TEN CRANES   We watch but do little about the loss of natural untouched land and habitat.
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL 02 in series  10 soccer fields of forest disappear every minute. Electrical conduit is screwed to a pink and beige stone block wall. Green mosses and growths thriving on the wall resemble a wooded scene. To this landscape some real trees and a metal signpost have been added. A thought about nature and human impact on it.
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL 02 (in series)  10 soccer fields of forest disappear every minute. 
ROOTED  Can nature and cities co exist? An ancient stone block wall with a disintegrating rusty rain down-pipe sets the background, at the pavement level, to a third the way up. green lichen and mosses grow over black staining. The pipe is like a tree trunk the green area a forest. Tree roots have been added growing out of the the paving, and densely populated real trees to complete the suggested forest.
ROOTED  Can nature and cities co-exist?
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL 07 in series   The major polluters of waterways release chemicals, nutrients, plastics, and waste that harm ecosystems and contaminate water supplies.​​​​​​​ A stone block wall with city pollution black stains and mossy deposits is the original photographed background resembling a river scene with a hill and sky above. Rushes, a flock of flying birds, an industrial scene with tall chimneys have been composited to the middle and top. In the foreground three dead fish float towards a grill in the wall which has water pouring out onto the pavement; industrial pollution at work.
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL 07 (in series)   Industry and industrial farming pollute waterways. The release of chemicals, nutrients, plastics, and waste fatally harms wildlife and ecosystems, poisoned by the contaminated water. 
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL 08 in series    Rising sea levels ironically contrast sharply with growing freshwater shortages, as seawater is undrinkable and climate change depletes vital water sources. The background is an old crumbling rendered wall. The wall has an electrical box and plastic electrical conduit to the left hand side. The dark staining looks like ocean waves. By adding real waves, overhead swooping seagulls and a dripping tap the imminent danger of rising sea levels message is completed.
THE WRITINGS ON THE WALL (08 in series)    The threat of rising sea levels ironically contrasts sharply with a growing freshwater shortage. Climate change disturbs the Earth's delicate ecological balance as we have known it.
RESTORATION​​​​​​​   By restoring ecosystems and embracing clean energy, we can create a more resilient and hopeful future for our planet. A mottled stained and algae covered wall resembled an impressionist countryside scene with trees a lake and sky. Adding photographs of a tree ,a small flock of birds and seven butterflies aloft from the hands of a carved statue of a kind of ‘god’ figure with a golden crown the ecological and perhaps Buddhist message is complete.
RESTORATION​​​​​​​   By embracing clean energy and rethinking our industrial systems we could create a more resilient and hopeful future for our planet, restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.
FIELD OF FLOWERS   Wildflower fields support biodiversity and combat climate change by improving soil health, capturing carbon, and providing essential habitats for pollinators. The background is a stained wall which when colour enhanced looked like a field of flowers with a mountain scene on the horizon. The foreground focus is on an Asian featured head and shoulders sculpture, the representation suggest a kind of ‘god’ with a bouquet of flowers on the head. Around the neck six butterflies flutter.
FIELD OF FLOWERS   Wildflower fields and areas of land left untouched by man support biodiversity and combat climate change by improving soil health, capturing carbon, and providing essential habitats for pollinators.
RETURN   Reforestation is a key step in returning to sustainability, restoring ecosystems, absorbing carbon, and promoting long-term environmental balance. The background is a distressed wall with lichen and a patch of moss looking like a hedgerow. ‘Growing’ out of the hedgerow a tree has been added and to the wall surface below a crocodile fossil texture. On the right hand side and at the bottom an old metal ring door handle appears ixed to the wall with four rusty bolts. The right hand third of the original photograph had a ruby coloured metal door, this has been replaced with a lush green mossy forest scene, a blue butterfly floats in the foreground. The overall feeling of the image is hoped to convey an environmental message where if the door handle were used we could return from an ecological abyss.
RETURN   Reforestation is a key step in returning to sustainability, restoring ecosystems, absorbing carbon and promoting long-term environmental balance.
CONCRETE MOUNTAINS​​​​​​​   Concrete is a major contributor to climate change due to its carbon-intensive production process, but innovations in sustainable alternatives, such as low-carbon concrete and recycled materials, offer hope for reducing its environmental impact. An unclad, unpainted construction concrete wall in its raw state forms the background of distant hills and ploughed fields foreground by way of stains and markings. Three real trees and pale clouds complete the landscape. A small crumbling section revealing aggregate looks like a flock of birds in the sky.
CONCRETE MOUNTAINS​​​​​​​   Concrete is a major contributor to climate change due to its carbon-intensive production process, but innovations in sustainable alternatives, such as low-carbon concrete and recycled materials, offer hope for reducing negative environmental impact.
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