Event 1: WHAT'S NEXT? Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art

Linda Weintraub began her lecture WHAT'S NEXT? Eco Materialism and Contemporary Art by telling us about a phone conversation she had with a friend where she was telling them how beautiful a piece of art was, and then her friend asked, “Is that all?” She explained how those three words changed the way she viewed and approached art. Throughout her lecture, Linda explored a few key concepts: What is the artist’s relationship to the landscape? Is it purely visual and observational? Is there any interaction between the artist and the landscape?

Linda argued that anything that is purely visual puts distance between the artist and his landscape. She used a famous Instagrammer and Picasso as examples to juxtapose the two different relationships an artist can have with their landscape. The Instagram artist was famous for his images of bombing sites in the Middle East. If I remember correctly from the lecture, he would fly drones over the sites he wanted to photograph and would take pictures from there, putting tremendous distance between himself and what actually took place before and after the bombing, the suffering people were going through, etc. Picasso, on the other hand, had experienced loss first-hand, and therefore, through his abstract art, he was able to vividly express the sorrow and grief the people in his painting were experiencing.



A painting by Picasso which very clearly expresses feelings of sorrow and grief ("Pablo Picasso." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.)

She emphasizes that human interaction is key for an artist when it comes to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the landscape they are trying to portray in their artwork. There is a difference, for example, between walking through the woods versus foraging in the woods—a tactile interaction versus a visual interaction. Throughout her lecture, Linda emphasized a functional relationship with our environment and nature, in particular. She took us on an “exotic journey into the commonplace” and showed us how she lives such a sustainable lifestyle, explaining how everything should be looked at as a potential resource that can be used for things such as building, heating, food, fuel, fire, etc.


Tapping trees for sap and using that to make maple syrup is an example of how Linda Weintraub uses the resources found in nature productively (Nephew, Tim. "How to Make Maple Syrup." Grit. Ogden Publications, Inc., Jan.-Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.)


It was very interesting to listen as she explained how she used elements of nature to sustain her lifestyle. A lot of the ways that she utilized the resources was so creative—ways that I never would have thought to use them. A few examples include using the trees for maple syrup, fencing, and decoration, stones to build the foundation of smaller gardens, flowers as decoration, etc. She defined this way of using the resources found in nature as eco materialism and claimed that eco materialism is the key to environmental responsibility and sustainability. It was this way of combining her scientific knowledge of nature with creativity to create functional resources that demonstrates how art and science constantly work together. Linda left us with two questions as the end of her lecture: What’s next? and Will you be a part of this movement?


A picture of Linda Weintraub’s living room which illustrates her use of wood and other natural materials as a handrail and decorations (Kapplow, Heather. "The Fulfillment of Crafting a Home Like Art." Hyperallergic. Hyperallergic, 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.)

Below is a picture of Linda Weintraub with me as well as everyone else who attended her lecture. Her lecture brought to light a different way living in harmony with nature and not abusing the resources it provides us. I would highly recommend her lecture to anyone who cares about our environment and would like to do something to try to help.


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