Whilst having some after work drinks on Friday night the conversation of climate change came up. This is not unusual, as after all I’m in a DTC specialising in the subject. But what did surprise me was the attitude of a couple of members of my course. The thrust of the argument was that the impacts weren’t going to be that bad and that the science isn’t that clear anyway. Really!?! Over the weekend I despaired slightly – if the people who are trained in this area don’t get the message then what chance is there for anyone else.
But on Monday my friend sent me something that renewed my hope that climate change can be communicated to people effectively and in a very emotional way. The link was to a video on National Geographic on the artist Zaria Forman. Zaria does large-scale pastel drawings of landscapes communicating climate change. The video focussed on her extraordinary works of Greenland and it took a few moments to realise these were not photographs.
I have been interested in art ever since my parents dragged me to galleries in Paris and St Ives as a child – no Disneyland for me – something that I am extremely grateful to them for now. I have seen some amazing works of art but Zaria’s work sparked something extra in me. It really brought home the beauty of the world and why I am trying to stop it being destroyed. I defy anyone to look at these pieces of art and still feel like climate change does not matter.
The work was also important to me for another reason. I have always loved drawing and painting and more recently have started using pastels. They have turned out to be by far my favourite medium as I feel that I can create real atmosphere in my pictures. Of course I will never be as good as Zaria, but it has made me realise how important it is to create more pictures for myself. I hope to be able to get those pastels out and explore nature a bit more once my PhD is finished.
Greenland #62 by Zaria Forman
By taking a step back from the science and politics, I hope that more people will be inspired by the beauty of the world from works like this, or even just getting out there and seeing it for themselves. And next time someone tells me that its not that important I will think of Zaria’s work and tell them what I really think!