Approaching the environmental threat in Art, Culture and Science
: a transdisciplinary dialogue in a bio-acoustic sound experiment and line of beauty

  • Carlotta Brandizzi (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The new geological era, the Anthropocene, is characterized by humanity being theprevailing geological force. With its activity, humankind is influencing the Earth System bychanging natural processes and being responsible for the consequences of climate change.The uniqueness of this historical moment manifests itself in the witnessing of thebecoming of an era, while still having the possibility to influence the outcome of theenvironmental crisis, which currently reached a tipping point. The encounter between thedisciplines of art and science could represent a possibility of closing the knowledge gapconcerning the influence of humankind over the Earth System. Therefore, transdisciplinarycollaborations between art and science will be presented to illustrate through a differentapproach what the Earth System is and how it functions. A thorough investigation of thevarious narratives concerning the history of life, the understanding of nature, wilderness, thenatural as well as the transdisciplinary practice and the Earth System is necessary.Furthermore, cutting across disciplines allows the possibility of taking action. Thethesis analyzes to what extend transdisciplinarity between these two domains might be ableto solve current environmental threats and influence the Earth System in the Anthropocene.Projects such as the bio-acoustic sound experiment between Dunn and Crutchfield andLine of Beauty between Lorenz and Pflugmacher, will illustrate the interaction. Dunn andCrutchfield experimented with sound to influence the behavior of bark beetles, which wereinfesting California´s forests. Susanne Lorenz explores together with biologist StephanPflugmacher the possibility of cleaning the river water of the Seseke through an installation.Both projects will be discussed as transdisciplinary attempts between art and science to cometo terms with environmental threats.
Date of Award10 Nov 2020
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorPeter Hanenberg (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Anthropocene
  • Transdisciplinarity
  • Geological force
  • Environmental threats
  • Earth system
  • Ecological logic
  • Action
  • Countervisuality

Designation

  • Mestrado em Estudos de Cultura

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