The impact of art and fashion on environmental change and whether artists raising awareness of this issue is beneficial.Melting sea ice, forest infestations, pollution in the seas and reef destruction have all been caused due to the effects of climate change on habitats and ecosystems. Sea ice disappearing has caused for the elimination of a habitat for many species. And tree infestations have occurred due to a rise in temperatures which could stress trees, making them more susceptible to wildfire, diseases and insect outbreaks. In my opinion, the effect that is having the largest impact currently, is reef destruction. Climate change is causing for reef destruction on a much larger scale. The main impacts that it is having, is by initiating coral bleaching and causing ocean acidification. Both of these impacts weaken the coral and lead to the deterioration and collapse of coral reefs, having a devastating effect to the ecosystem. (Glick, 1999)

Although many may not think that this has got anything to do with art, I disagree. I believe that art is a part of every aspect of life on earth. And that art actually has an extremely negative impact on the environment. Everything in art uses resources that have been mass produced in factories, such as ink, paint and fabrics. Many of the products will continue to have a negative impact on the environment, when they have been disposed of, as they are non-biodegradable and in some instances, could be slightly toxic.

Many of the resources that are used to create art supplies could have instead been used for more important things in the world, such as medicine. But instead have been used to produce a piece of art that will one day most likely be thrown away. Even some pieces that are trying to raise awareness about climate change and destruction of the environment are questionable as to how they are helping the environment. As they are still producing waste and using up valuable resources, which leads me to the question of how big an impact art has on the environment?

Even though I have these views I do believe that art produces beautiful things that can go on to inspire people, either to be an artist or research more into a particular subject such as environmental destruction and climate change. I believe that more artists should be using recycled and reconstructed materials to produce their pieces of art. As doing this is taking something that to many people is rubbish and has no use. And then converting that into a part of a piece of art. This may seem hypocritical of me as, as an artist I do not use recycled materials, but by doing this research I have a far deeper understanding of how destructive art can be. Which will change how I interact with art in the future; I will still see the beauty within art but now also question the sustainability of a piece. And question how I can change my art for the better, so that it has less of an impact on the environment.

Compared to art, the fashion industry has even more detrimental effects on the environment, specifically the sea. This is due to the length of the supply chain and production of the garment. In particular, the fast fashion industry is causing many problems for the environment. Fast fashion is the production of current clothing trends made quickly and at an affordable, cheap price. Which is then sold in high street shops such as H&M. The garments they create are able to be inexpensively made as they are produced in countries where manual labour is cheap, however this does mean that the quality of the clothing is never up to standard.

Fast fashion is such a successful industry due to people’s constant need for the newest trend, mixing that factor with the simplicity and ease of purchasing an item with a retailer. In my opinion fast fashion is a convenient industry which appeals to the consumer’s needs, but there are too many

Figure 1

ethical issues for it to be an industry which I agree with. However saying this, I am guilty of using this industry when buying myself clothes, but the reason for that is because the more sustainable clothing companies, are largely more expensive and generally out of my price range. This is a real issue for the fashion industry, as I’m sure there are many people like me out there who have the same views as me but unfortunately cannot afford the environment friendly clothing. This leads me to wonder whether sustainable clothing can be an affordable price?

The production of a garment involves a lot more pollution than many people would think: When the garment first starts out as a crop it requires a vast amount of fresh, clean water for its growth, as well as pesticides to keep the crop healthy and free of invasive species. Once the crop is produced it is shipped to countries such as Bangladesh where it is sewn and dyed before being manufactured into a piece of material which can be constructed into a garment. This garment is then treated with chemicals to make the material breathable and stain resistant. All of the stages of the production of an item of clothing are enormously water intensive, causing a large amount of freshwater to be used and wasted. The dyeing process is especially water intensive, as creating the dyed fabric involves using fresh, clean water. Once used the waste dye water is emptied into nearby rivers, where the toxins and chemicals pollute the local water and eventually the sea. After the garments are completed they are shipped to the retailers to go on sale. (EWContributer, 2015)

This whole process is extremely extensive and was a process that I had never given much thought to. But through researching, I learnt a great deal about the intensive ways in which our clothing is manufactured and how they impact and damage the enviornment. Companies that are sustainable with their approach, will still have to use many of these methods, however they will use more natural ingrediants and less toxins in the production. In addition, they use more local resources and facilities to create the garments, as opposed to shipping them all over the globe. This, in my opinion, is one of the main and key differences with fast fashion companies compared to more ethical companies because shipping is one of the biggest causes of pollution of the production of clothing. Therefore, shipping is a huge issue for the fashion industry if it wants to become more sustainable. The reason for shipping being such a high cause pollutant is due to the massive cargo ships, which do carry a vast amount of clothing, however they consume an extraordinary amount of fossil fuels to move through the oceans. This fuel is burned directly into the ocean, polluting the waters and the air.

There are many within the fashion industry who are trying to reduce the impact that the industry has on climate change, through the use of campaigns and collections. Many of these campaigns are from the high-end designers and brands, whose clothing is more expensive such as G-Star and Levi’s. G-Star have even created a collaboration with Pharrell to raise the awareness furthermore, as using a celebrity is going to cause for people who may not know of G-star but know of Pharrell. And therefore can be educated about the cause. This particular collaboration created a collection of denim garments “made from yarn spun out of cotton and shredded plastic sieved from ocean rubbish.” (Singer, 2015)

These campaigns are a step in the right direction, however I believe that unless fast fashion brands also adopt this kind of a campaign, it isn’t going to make a huge difference. Luckily, one of the largest global fast fashion brands has realised that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. This is of course H&M, they have done this through many means, such as their H&M Conscious Collection. This collection was first produced in 2011, and ever since then they release a new one every

year, with the same goals of making affordable clothing sustainable, so that a wider range of people have the option of environmentally friendly clothing available to them.

“H&M Conscious stands for everything we do in the name of a more sustainable fashion future. It’s a mission built on passion, long-term thinking and teamwork.” (H&M, n.d.)

One aspect that I truly admire about the H&M group is the way they set themselves challenging targets to make themselves a more sustainable company. Some of these targets are a big ask, which require some serious and risky changes, such as; aiming to use 100% organic cotton for all of their products by 2020. However, it seems the individuals within H&M are willing to make those risks, as it means that they are sticking to their beliefs. In my opinion this frame of mind and mentality is what has made them a successful sustainable brand because their intentions are clear.

It’s all very well that there are many within the industry that have started to realise the real impacts and dangers that the fashion industry pose. But fashion is the second largest polluter in the world, this is not going to change unless more of the big affordable brands follow H&M’s lead and start to use more sustainable and ethical processes of production.

There are also many campaigners within the backgrounds of marine biology and politics who are pushing for a change, using initiatives to reduce the impacts that humans are having on the environment. One of the first initiatives was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which was set up in 1982 with the aim to study, protect and preserve the marine environment. This treaty was conservation oriented, being a turning point for the world as people were starting to realise that the ocean cannot just be continually polluted and destroyed without it having an impact on the whole planets ecosystem. I believe that this treaty was a step in the right direction but there was still a lot of work that was need for the oceans to be properly protected.

I focused into reef destruction because the link between the destruction of the ocean and climate change plays a huge role in the wellbeing of the planet. Many people are not making the connection between what we are doing to living ocean and how that affects the planet and our future. The ocean is the regulator of temperature and heat around the world, meaning that the ocean absorbs a large amount of the carbon dioxide that is being produced. Therefore, the more carbon dioxide produced, the more that the ocean takes in, having devastating effects on the biodiversity within. If we continue in the manner that we are then we are predetermining the future of the oceans, creating no chance for their survival. Luckily, many have realised this view, partly due to the campaigning and awareness raised by many marine biologists such as Dr Sylvie Earle. And this has caused for may initiatives to be put in place with the hopes of preserving and counteracting the destruction of the ocean. (Mission Blue, 2014)

Although there are a range of political initiatives in place, there are still many individuals who want to raise more awareness to the issues, and therefore choose to do so through the use of art.

Figure 3 Before and after of bleached coral

Figure 2

Courtney Mattison is a ceramic artist who is using her art as a platform to promote the awareness of climate change and pollution on ecosystems within the ocean. One of her main inspirations for doing so is Dr Sylvia Earle

Her sculptural works are coral reefs within the oceans, these are large scale pieces, which I believe is done to show the intricate details within the ecosystem. Using ceramic as the medium was clever of Courtney as the work produced is fragile and breakable much like the coral reefs themselves. One particular piece that I was drawn to was “Our changing seas III” this piece shows the devastation and destruction caused by climate change to coral reefs. There is healthy coral in the centre of the piece, with contrasting bleached coral on the

outer edges of the piece.

The structures within the sculptures that Courtney produces are varied, some being much more detailed in patterns and shapes. Some coral intrudes outwards in spike like shapes, whilst others have undulating layers with holes in the surface of the sculpture. This creates a visual contrast amongst all the sculptures, however the most obvious juxtaposition in her pieces that I researched was the bold and vibrant colours being surrounded by the plain pure white of the bleached coral.

Her work achieves exactly what she sets out to do, and that is to provoke the viewers thoughts about how ecosystems are changing due to the impacts of humans. This is due to the visual layouts of her pieces, where it is simplistic and straightforward.

Other artists who are inspired by natural forms and depend on this wildlife to give them ideas and motivation are Margaret and Christine Wertheim. They are crochet artists who base their work on natural forms, in particular coral. ‘Crochet coral reef’ is a project that the sisters have been working on since 2005. This project helps to portray the diversity of living corals, with reference to the vast range of textures and colours that the forms of crochet can take in mimicking coral reefs. However as, climate change became more prominent and affected reefs worldwide the Wertheim’s began to crochet an installation of both healthy and bleached reefs. Therefore using crochet to raise awareness for the impact that environmental change is having on ecosystems such as a coral reef.

This exhibition consists of three main sections; a giant coral forest with a collection of miniature coral ecosystems, a bleached reef and a toxic reef. The Toxic Reef is one of the main sections to the crochet coral reef, that has more recently been added. It incorporates plastic into the design which is an excellent way to add to the design to raise awareness about the specific environmental dangers of plastic. For example; the world produces 300 million tonnes of plastic each year and roughly 20 million tonnes end up in the oceans. Yet most people are completely oblivious to this fact. In addition, this is why Margaret and Christine’s work is so important, as they are using art to explain the affects humankind are having on the environment. (Kathryn, 2011) (Wertheim, n.d.)

Figure 4 Our Changing Seas III

The most thought provoking piece in the toxic reef was called ‘The Midden’, which was four years’ worth of Margaret and Christine Wertheim's individual plastic rubbish, suspended in a fishing net. This piece is extremely personal and was brave of them to be so open with the impact that they are having on the environment. I believe that the sisters creating this piece will help viewers to visualise the amount of waste that we produce, resulting in people being more mindful. The mixture of healthy and unhealthy reefs creates a nice contrast which offers an interesting reaction to the misfortunes facing marine life such as; climate change and plastic entering the ocean. (Wertheim, n.d.)

The incorporated plastic in the toxic reef was a powerful material that the Wertheim’s used, as it makes the viewer think about where the plastic we throw away ends up. Another artist who incorporates thrown away plastic into her artwork is Angela Pozzi. She is an artist who creates mixed media sculptures of marine life using disregarded plastic which is washed ashore onto beaches. Her works are gigantic and colourful, resulting in you being unable to miss it, it demands attention and quite rightfully receives it. These sculptures which she creates with the help of her non-profit organisation; Washed Ashore raise the awareness of pollution in the oceans, whilst also helping to reduce the amount of waste in the oceans. Producing art out of materials which are rubbish and not of use to anyone, is something which I am trying to incorporate with my own work. As this creates an environmentally friendly piece of art whilst also educating many people about the threats we pose to the ecosystems on the planet. (Wecker, 2016)

“Plastic pollution in the ocean is a symptom of much bigger problems: consumer choices and habits, as well as international, national, and local waste streams,” I focused into this quote from Angela, as she raises an important point that, unless our consumption and needs change, the pollution levels will never improve, only worsen.

The Midden

Figure 5

Toxic Jellyfish

Figure 6

Both of these pieces are works within the toxic reef collection

These artists have all inspired me to think more about the way I value my work and the hidden messages that can be behind a piece, which give you motivation. They have also caused me to be more mindful as to what materials I use and also how the layout of a piece can cause the viewer to stop and think. These are valuable lessons, which I hope to continue to use in my work.

In conclusion, art and fashion are a serious issue due to the impact they pose on the environment and ecosystems within. By researching the effects that simple processes within these industries have and the problems that they cause, I was able to generate a better understanding of the problems we pose. In addition, why these problems need to be addressed, not just pushed to the side. And it is because of this that I feel I am able to make more informed decisions as to how my future work will have less of an impact on the environment.

I believe that the artists I have researched, who are trying to raise awareness, are beneficial as art is a way to portray a message to a wide audience, which is simplistic and can be understood by everyone. Some of their works leaves the viewer questioning their beliefs and gets you thinking how you can change small aspects of your life to benefit the environment. However, I do think the Wertheim’s and Mattison would have a more positive impact if they used more recycled materials such as Angela Pozzi does. As well as artists, I was also inspired by the fashion brands who are becoming more sustainable. In particular, H&M, who in my opinion are leading the way of what other brands, should aim to be like with their approach. This is because, as well as making the production of their clothing more ethical, they are also doing the same with the day to day life of the company. Such as reducing the amount of waste they produce and using cleaner energy. Overall, I believe that the art and fashion industries are moving in the right direction, but a lot still needs to be done to improve the planets future.

References

Black, S., 2012. The Sustainable Fashion Handbook. 1st ed. London: Thames & Hudson.

EWContributer, 2015. EcoWatch. [Online] Available at: http://www.ecowatch.com/fast-fashion-is-the-second-dirtiest-industry-in-the-world-next-to-big--1882083445.html

Glick, P., 1999. NWF. [Online] Available at:

My own works where I have incorporated plastic bag, netting, straw and recycled paper Figures 7 & 8

http://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Global-Warming/CoralReefsandClimateChange.ashx

H&M, n.d. H&M Group Sustainability. [Online] Available at: http://sustainability.hm.com/

Kathryn, 2011. Crochet Concupiscence. [Online] Available at: http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2011/09/scientific-crochet-artists-margaret-and-christine-wertheim/

Mission Blue. 2014. [Film] Directed by Fisher Stevens Robert Nixon. United States of America: True Blue Films, Insurgent Media.

Singer, M., 2015. Vogue. [Online] Available at: http://www.vogue.com/article/fashion-supply-chain-environmental-impact

Wecker, M., 2016. Sierra Club. [Online] Available at: https://sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-5-september-october/green-life/art-saving-oceans

Wertheim, M. a. C., n.d. Crochet Coral Reef. [Online] Available at: http://crochetcoralreef.org/about/index.php