Influence of Eco-art and the New Technologies on the Formation of Eco-Consciousness

Abstract

The article addresses the problem of the effectiveness of eco-art as an instrument for the transformation of consciousness in the era of environmental crises. A number of eco-art projects focusing on threats to aquatic biodiversity that use digital technologies and data-driven approaches in interaction with biological organisms are considered. The features of eco-art with the use of new technologies and its impact on the formation of eco-consciousness are the subjectof the research. The aim of the study is to identify the features of the impact of eco-art projects on the formation of eco-consciousness in order to fundamentally rethink the principles of human interaction with nature. The objective of the paper isto review and analyze eco-art projects that use digital technologies in interaction with biological organisms and act as a catalyst for socio-cultural transformations. The methodology includes theoretical and field research on the topic “Dead zones. Global Data and the Local Ecosystem” at the research residence of IMéRA — the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Marseilles, in the framowork of “Exter” international exchanges program of the Ukrainian Institute. The main employed method is a complex and systematic approach to the theory development, systematization of some generalizations, and their contextualization. An analysis of sources on the theory of deep ecology and eco-art, collected interviews, and video documentation were also used in the study, as well as photometric methods, comparative analysis of concepts, of structure and technological features of artistic realizations. A brief overview of the works by David Rothenberg, Natalie Jeremijenko, Tiare Ribeaux, Oksana Chepelyk, and others is given. The practice of Ukrainian eco-art in the framework of the exhibitions “Where Do We Go From Here?” and “Emergent Tributaries” in the Izolyatsia. Platform ofCultural Initiatives in Kyiv in 2018 are analyzed. These projects reflected global environmental issues, such as the relationship between man and nature, future visions and consequences of the exploitation of natural resources. The contexts in which international projects and Ukrainian works of eco-art emerge are described. The specifics of influence of eco-art and the new technologies on formation of eco-consciousness is outlined.