@WhatsNextForEarth is an open Instagram community art project.
Our first project is “Earth Circles”, a celebration of Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary in the time of COVID19.
This period of confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique opportunity to pause, think, and change the narrative about our relationship with the living world. One way is to shift from an anthropocentric view to one where humans don’t treat the natural world as an infinite amount of resources (which it is not).
COVID-19 should be a wakeup call for all. In a matter of a few weeks, the coronavirus has disrupted the whole world: an extremely complex system. Behind its extreme complexity, our system has become more and more fragile. humans use more resources than the planet can provide or replenish.
Deforestation, soil degradation, pollution, climate change, Biodiversity, and wild habitat loss are the consequences of a globalized world based on exponential economic growth.
Overconsumption, extraction, depletion of resources, growing energy demand, and population growth simply cannot go on forever. Infinite growth does not exist on a finite planet.
What happens if we begin to think that humans are not at the center of everything? What if the majority of people could accept the reality of the situation we are in and change before it is too late?
Interconnectedness, resilience, detoxification, balance, equality: to express these through visual art clarifies our vision for the future and opens a pathway to restore our relationship with the natural world.
How to participate
- Please visit @whatsnextforearth on Instagram. Create a SQUARE piece that relates to your vision for Earth. Include a large circle as the symbol for Earth.
- Take a photo of your piece and post it on your Instagram page. The optimal size for square Instagram posts is 1080 x 1080 px. Add a caption that encapsulates your vision, and copy/paste this text to your caption:
@WhatsNextForEarth
Art Community Project “Earth Circles” for #EarthDay2020
#EarthDay
#art
#artactivism
#ecoart
#artinthetimeofcovid19
#COVID19
#whatsnextforearth
We’ll repost selected posts on @whatsnextfdorearth’s page on Instagram.
Please follow What’s Next For Earth’s page on Facebook and @whatsnextforearth on Instagram.
Michele Guieu is an eco-artist and arts educator passionate about resilience and resources. Her installations, often participatory, focus on sustainability and the impact human activities have on nature. As an educator, she works with K-8 students and develops a curriculum that integrates visual arts and science.
Michele Guieu’s website
Michele’s Instagram page