Communal Action in the Anthropocene
Louise Thoeming
The Anthropocene is an emerging term used to define the current period of development on Earth in which humans have direct influence over global systems and cycles.
It is a geological era, pertaining to the systems and processes that occur on earth every day: melting glaciers, life cycles of bees, ocean currents and the sea life…or plastic refuse that is carried along in them. It is being researched by the Anthropocene Working Group for presentation to the International Commission on Stratigraphy, with the aim of being officially accepted by the international scientific community.
Even though it specifically describes the geological age we live in, it also has philosophical effects. The Anthropocene is a state of mind. If we are in control of these systems, but if they are effected by mass culture, how much individual sway do we have? It necessitates a consciousness of what we control if we are to fully understand our role in it.
Nicolas Bourriaud’s Taipei Biennale of 2014 is centred on The Great Acceleration: The Art of the Anthropocene. Speculative Realist theory, through which the Anthropocene is filtered, privileges all humans, animals, plants and objects equally, and emphasises the potential for connections between these partners. The equal planes on which these exist, Bourriaud argues, should encourage equal treatment. These theories speak not only to the exhibition in Taipei, but to the new ways of making, experiencing and thinking about art.
Commune, the latest exhibition at Chippendale’s White Rabbit Gallery, centres on the navigation between the individual’s role and mass humanity’s influence. Focusing on Chinese and Taiwanese art and, more specifically, the historical mode of commune living, the exhibition moves between agricultural life, factory work and individual life. Bai Yiluo’s Spring and Autumn 1 (2007) relates to the agricultural: a tree sprouting ploughs, shovels and pitchforks. The tree speaks of family history and the inevitability of the individual’s continuation of their path, as well as notions of interdependence with land. The authenticity which comes with an agricultural life is mourned for; the Chinese traditions connected to it are being lost. Infamous Ai Wei Wei’s Sunflower Seeds (2009) are also featured. The tiny seeds have been hand made and individually painted by craftspeople, yet remain indistinguishable as a whole, unceremoniously piled up. In the philosophy of Speculative Realism the seeds, along with the suggested real sunflower seeds, exist as catalysts of energy operating in systems and life cycles as rich and important as the human ones that we inhabit. It is paramount that these life cycles, and the ones being lost forever due to diminishing biodiversity, are treasured. They have immeasurable value.
The importance of philosophical discussion in art cannot be understated – if art does not shake our preconceptions to the core, what good is it? Art has the potential to challenge very real issues in society, simply by creating the discussion. James Proctor has suggested that the agnotology, or the wilful production of ignorance, is a major reason for the lack of action on major issues. Suppression of information by governments and corporations, combined with media neglect, are the hallmarks of agnotology, and they are easily recognizable even in Australian society.
Cultural leaders have a responsibility to encourage and highlight challenges to harmful mainstream beliefs. Private institutions, such as the Nielsen Foundation’s White Rabbit need to be followed by our popular public institutions. If Bourriaud encourages such radical thinking in Taipei, we should not bow to conservative agendas here in Australia. The era of the Anthropocene has well and truly arrived, and if we are to make our influence a positive one, we need to act collectively.
Bai Yilou, Spring and Autumn 1, 2007, wood, metal, farm tools/ Image courtesy of the artist and White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney
