April 22, 1970 saw the beginning of Earth Day. On April 22, 2018 I participated in the 48th year of celebrating and bringing attention to our Earth. I have participated on Earth Day for all of the past 48 years.
As a continuation of the project I started with the WonderWoman 11 Residency I brought a portable version of the ARK project to the public park earth day event and spent the day asking people to participate and leave a message about “What would you save?”. The scale of the project had to be portable, smaller and able to stand on uneven ground. In addition I had giveaways of information about reducing your carbon footprint and chocolate candies!
Most adult people who attended the event were skeptical; asking what was I selling? I had paperweights holding down a giveaway sheet of suggestions. I had books on the table to suggest readings. They wanted to know what the price of the paperweights and books were. I would have to explain to them that this was a social art project that it was free and anonymous and there was nothing for sale. Most of the younger people at the event knew right away what they would do with this and what they wanted to say.
Taking the project out of an art gallery setting where people are expecting some sort of environmental statement to the streets was eye opening and very informative. There were many people who flat out refused to participate telling me they believed in the Bible and there was no way they wanted to leave a message because they believed the bible that earth was exactly as it should be. Some told me that Climate Change was not true that it was natural climate variations at work. One woman was particularly hostile and dismissive about my project stating to me that all she had to do was pray to fix things, and that I was wasting my time. Predictably as is occasionally my personal failing I blurted out at her “…And good luck with that”.
From my 7 hour Earth Day Ark installation I gave explanations to and received 153 responses to my question. My intention is to read them in a performance piece that I am working on over the next few weeks. In general most people left the message that they would save their family, or friends or pets. Only one comment was on the subject of people of color suffering the consequences of climate change injustice. One comment stated that they wanted to save pretty women. Several comments from boy or girl scouts who were in attendance were about saving scouting. There were the expected responses of save trees, oceans, polar bears, whales as well as comments about saving RC Cola, and Pokémon.
As the saying goes, “all politics is local” applies to this day of The Ark Project. People for the most part were focused on their immediate surroundings and family. As the effects of climate change are delayed to the future, and the moral corruption of doing nothing seems the easiest path, people seem to default to what is close, familiar, and culturally comfortable. What galvanized the world in 1969 were events like the Cuyahoga River exploding in flames. That was local, that was outrageous and horrifying. That was the beginning of the legislation that brought us the EPA.
The people in attendance at this Earth Day event were expecting to be sold something. Next to me was a Bath Fitter company on one side and on the other a woman on my left selling cosmetics. Across from me was a person selling hair ornaments. Beer flowed along with the hotdogs. There were clowns and a radio station blaring oldies but goodies. Commercialism seems to have co-opted the municipal Earth Day event. Where is the urgency?
It was uplifting to see that the next generation coming along seems more engaged and informed about climate change. The girl and boy scouts were actively involved in clean-up and planting new trees.
What my take away from this social interaction is that I need to become
more of an instigator, researcher, and teacher. I need to actively find ways to engage younger audiences as older people seem particularly fixed and rigid.
I will need to synthesize science, art, place and agency into a tool box for communication. Perhaps I can figure out what to sell or at least a better give away.
The next date for the Ark Project is Memorial Day. I will be out there.
