Notes from 12.01.23 Anya Tutorial & FINAL ESSAY 26.01.23

Make more reference to papers

Simplify some sentences

More explanation on more metaphorical sentences

Subject Behind - change this to the basis or which is explored

Change thinkers to philosophers

Richard Louv - paper reference

Change unparallel beauty to creates artworks or explain it more

Move my career/my work from conclusion to introduction

In an abstract way - make this more clear

Instigate questions - make sure its about the essay

Tie in research of essay and my work

Interconnection between writing and work - make a bridge

Rewilding - mention upatreecamp.com

Conclusion - how it is affecting my work

ESSAY FINAL

MACAP709 ESSAY ALDOUS GEORGE JAN 2023 WORD COUNT: 7056

Art: The Reality Machine

The human condition is such that pain and effort are not just symptoms which can be removed without changing life itself; they are rather the modes in which life itself, together with the necessity to which it is bound, makes itself felt. For mortals, the “easy life of the gods” would be a lifeless life. – Hannah Arendt (Frodeman, R. 2021)

Introduction

In this geological time where the actions and practices of a technologically advancing human existence are accelerating climate change and prompting ethical debate about augmenting humans, I have grave concerns that the Anthropocene along with a transhumanistic outlook could be the downfall of humanity or at least strip us of our ‘being human’ as we know it at present. I feel that humanity is embarking on a transitionary period of allowing technological revolutions and advancement coupled with transhumanistic goals of becoming an advanced superhuman to potentially damage our ecological existence with nature and the planet.

…through science and technology, humans have radically changed their living conditions, while their moral psychology has remained fundamentally the same throughout this technological and social evolution (…). [Scientific evolution] is leading to increasing environmental degradation and to harmful climate change. (…) What is needed is an enhancement of the moral dispositions of citizens, an extension of their moral concern beyond a small circle of personal acquaintances (Savulescu & Persson, 2012, p. 400).

There will potentially be an irreversible evolutionary emergence of a transhumanistic posthuman which could endanger what it means to be human and our environment. I would like to use this essay to encourage our connection to nature and a rekindling of passing on fundamental life skills and knowledge. In short, I have concerns about the possible Icarus effect of pursuing transhumanism, where failure is possibly brought about by the very elements that will lead to an initial success. Both art and nature will be ever more important in addressing these issues and prompting debate and thought. Artists and contemporary philosophers such as Timothy Morton are playing a major role in helping the world acknowledge that we need more careful consideration about where humanity is heading and bring about change.

My own career started with 10 years plus in an office environment and I wasn’t sure why that towards the end of this period I fantasised and craved to be in the woods, getting grubby and listening to nature. I was soon to be a qualified arboriculturist and have been climbing trees for over 25 years. As well as pursuing a more creative career and stepping back from the rigours of professional tree work, I am now beginning to re-instate a recreational tree climbing/camping and woodland adventure centre upatreecamp.com which will also offer alternative creative workshops such as my already established mobile art studio claybus.com. Using the woods as an educational resource, this will enable people of all ages to come and immerse themselves in a natural environment, re-evaluate their relationship and connection to nature whilst learning, being creative, building confidence and having fun.

Recently I had a hip replacement and it prompted thoughts of being cyborg and how technology has improved my life. This was only the beginning of a journey to research into transhumanism and the effects of modern-day technological consumerism, which has prompted my recent MA work to be centred around drawing awareness to technological ontological concerns and how I believe there must be a radical change and shift in how we conceive nature and consider our surroundings for a better and more peaceful way of life.

Along with all the artists, writers and philosophers mentioned in this essay and many more, my work aims to be an awareness machine and reality checker for issues for humanity to consider, ponder and act for change, and although abstract in appearance, there is a real and serious issue at its core. I create debate for technological ontology to be questioned and a reconnection with nature to be considered and shared as well as giving my opinion which may come across as slightly incendiary as I do not want to take a neutral stance and seek to instigate questions from my reader.

My work explores the boundaries of what it is to be mentally and physically 'human' alongside humanity's obsession with evolving beyond its current limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Working within the conceptual terrain of transhumanism and cyborgism, I employ physical structures and prostheses, processual audio and visual material to immerse an audience within the blurry area between human and machine and our inevitable transcendence and connection with technology and what this means for our relationship with nature.

My work is exploratory, embodied and powerfully performative, using my sculpture as subject and sounds from my materials and tools as well as from nature, augmented by manufacturing techniques to stretch the limits and senses of the human to create an audio joyride of visual imagery. My culminating work for my MA will consist of sculpture and moving image that has evolved to represent transhumanism, and now embraces my message to reconnect with nature, or is it nature rewilding humanity?

Dr Ruth Allen reminds us that “to re-establish our connection with nature, we need to let ourselves become re-enchanted with the world, like we were as children” (Allen, R. 2021 p.52). However, Allen also implies that our ability to impart a magical quality to a connection with nature has perhaps objectively become more difficult in recent times, with earth suffering more significantly than ever before. There is catastrophic species loss and a significant collapse of biodiversity and the destruction of habitats, which are unfolding on an unprecedented scale with signs of cataclysmic disruption all around us. Some adults are now bowing their heads in shame and guilt, wondering where the once enchanting story they told their children is now realistically taking them (Allen, R. 2021).

Once upon a time in Finland, there were little forest spirits who could put spells on people who were too noisy or treated the forest with disrespect. The victims would experience a condition called metsanpietto, which translates as being “covered by the forest.” - Florence Williams (Williams, F. 2018)

In this essay I will briefly discuss the Anthropocene, Transhumanism and Biophilia to introduce ideas around ecological problems and solutions. I will go more in depth into questions of what we perceive as nature, and how art is agency for change, as a concept and through an altered perspective, and how creating a work of art can “mess directly with cause and effect” (Morton,T. and Eliasson, O. (2015). Throughout this essay will be a theme that echoes Allen’s concerns alongside my own: that we must consider our definition of nature and find a way to rewild our connection to nature, our minds, bodies, longings and purposes, despite the mess in order to repair the connection. “We need to become both wild and grounded to deal with what lies ahead: nature is not gone” (Allen, R. 2021 p.53). Rewilding enriches the landscapes, wildlife and people who call these places home. Rewilding is about collaborating with nature, natural processes and seeing human activity as part of an elaborate system in which everything is interconnected. The key to rewilding’s success is humanity enabling it, growing mindfully and benefitting from the environment and enjoying it.

Running alongside this focus and bolstering these concerns will be discussions about how artists, writers and philosophers can bring about awareness to conclusive considerations about where technological ontology is taking the human species. This in turn will prompt questions around alternative ways of thinking about a future connection with technology and encouraging a relationship with nature and ways to rewild ourselves. “We’re not just losing the wild world. We’re forgetting it. We’re no longer noticing it. We’ve lost the habit of looking and seeing and listening and hearing” (Barnes, S. 2018). It is time for artists and visionary thinkers to raise their voices and help try to fathom realistic solutions to defend the planet and solidify a place beneath the surface in the restoration of humanity’s relationship with themselves and the planet. Collaboration between artists and philosophers such as interdisciplinary research projects will help produce diverse ways of engaging an audience, giving viewers a deeper concept of considering alternative ways of situating ourselves within nature. This in turn will prompt questions as to whether we need to redefine what we think of as nature, whilst encouraging a decortication of an inevitable cyborg story and offering a consoling stimulation to step back into the woods, climb trees and play with fire and reconnect with nature.

Anthropocene, Transhumanism & Biophilia

Is life on Earth becoming permanently altered by humans with the stripping of minerals and resources, technological consumerism, industrialised capitalistic greed and warmongering antics, reshaping the planet on a geological scale, way faster than the erosion of valleys or reshaping of continents? The geological speed with which humans are causing planetary havoc is now increasing at an alarming rate and our world is heading towards a collective concussion. For the planet this will mean nothing more than a mere scar, a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, with evidence of nuclear fallout, micro plastics, concrete particles, fertiliser and even the scattering of chicken bones (Wong, S. 2018), whereas for humans, this blow to the head could be far more dangerous and even fatal. The Anthropocene is a period during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth regarded as constituting a distinct geological age (Anthropocene 2022). The concept of the term Anthropocene is generally attributed to the Nobel prize-winning atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen and the biologist Eugene Stoermer, who started popularising their idea in 2000. From the outset, many took Crutzen and Stoermer’s concept seriously, even if they disagreed with it, which echoes the disturbing thoughts of many, that we are in a period of manmade disruption through our own endeavours that contribute to global warming and climate change, and it is also a self-awareness whip to our sides that there seems to be a complete lack of caring about the fact that we know what we are doing to ourselves. Since the late 20th century, scientists have viewed geological time as a drama punctuated by great cataclysms, not merely a gradual accretion of incremental changes, and it made sense to see humanity itself as the latest cataclysm (Blasdel, A. 2017).

Alongside the environmental impact being caused by the effects of the Anthropocene, is the questionable ethics and impingement of mental and physical states of the human body, consciousness and all that relates to ontology through the advanced use of technology.

[W]e are now witnessing the end of an order of life and ways of being human… We are literally changing our minds, the ways we think, live, and relate to each other and the world, and in doing so we are changing what it means to be human. – Judith Bessant (Bessant, J. 2018)

This advanced use of technology is at the heart of a relatively new movement called transhumanism. Max More and Tom W. Bell co-founded the first official transhumanist magazine, Extropy, in 1988, which was linked to the first official transhumanist movement, extropianism. Transhumanism first appeared in philosophical documents outlining core transhumanist tenets in 1990 with More’s paper Transhumanism: Towards a Futurist Philosophy. (More, M. 1990)

Transhumanism is a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting principles and values. - Max More (More, M. 1990)

The posthuman future envisioned by transhumanists, according to Jenny Huberman, “is one in which technology plays a paramount role in the constitution and organisation of both the species and society” (Huberman, J. 2021, p.224) and although not all transhumanists share the same beliefs and ideologies, technologically enhanced superbeings are at the heart of all their evolutionary fantasies.

Transhumanists also propose that posthuman sociality will include sharing the universe with a range of other-than-human persons which touches upon Morton’s interconnected universe (Morton, T. 2021) (as will be discussed further on), although I feel transhumanist’s and Morton’s ideas on sharing are very different. With the development of neural implants, transhumanists argue that the posthuman beings will enter into new forms of symbiotic relationships with machines and that rather than being displaced by them, they will merge together in productive harmony. This makes me consider an ethically questionable Brave New World future (Huxley A. 1955) where babies or even fully grown adults are born into a world stripped of character and identity which is the basis of exploration in my recent moving image work: New World Birth (part 1) (Fig.1). In this film, I am proposing that technology will evolve so far that the transhumanistic outlook will be to eradicate the need for a developing child into adulthood and to just birth a genetically perfect adult ‘being’ that does not age.

Fig 1. Aldous George 2022 New World Birth (part 1) moving image,

(Click image to watch film)

Let’s presume that technology has not advanced to the point where virtual realities become our reality (Chalmers D. J. 2022) and that nature is what we think we perceive it as and that we can have a physical and mental connection with it. Biophilia is an innate human instinct to connect with nature (Wilson, O.E. 1984) and other living beings. The term Biophilia is derived from the Greek words for “life” and “love or affection;” making its literal translation “love of life.” This meaning is fundamental to the biophilic ethos, which utilises natural materials, patterns, and phenomena to maintain a connection to nature within the built environment. Biophilia is more than just a philosophy, biophilic design has been found to support cognitive function, physical health, and psychological well-being. Biophilia is however the concept and belief of one man, Edward O. Wilson and although the idea has been widely accepted and encouraged by scientists and academics (Joye, Y. and De Block, A. 2011), it has to some been questionable. In their paper, 'nature and I are two': A critical examination of the biophilia hypothesis, Yannick Joye and Andreas De Block argue that “evolutionary psychology cannot be the scientific ally of a broad anthropocentric environmental ethics”, and go head to head with Wilson clarifying that there is no real research evidence for his hypothesis, and they go on to say that “evolutionary psychology is disputed as a science because the more robust findings of evolutionary psychology do not clearly point in the direction of evolved needs and preferences for life and life like processes” (Joye, Y. and De Block, A. 2011). I would agree that not all individual representations of biological idiosyncrasies are evolutionary adaptions, although regardless of such critical opposition, there is now increased scientific research that is identifying the neurological connections and neuroplasticity behind the pleasure induced benefits and influential effects of being exposed to nature (Kim, G.W. et al 2010).

Of course, currently, we are all (mostly) living with technology, for some, it is a noose around their necks, while others embrace it and where it is taking them. For most, it is accepted and has become an integral part of everyone’s lives, although some would argue that the latest generation of teenagers/adults are the ‘snowflake generation’, over sensitive and ill-prepared for adult life (Nicholson, R. 2016). Does the constant use of phones and the head down lifestyle have anything to do with this and what does that mean for the next generations as we become more reliant on our relationship with technology etc? Su Thomas explores the impact of computers on everyday life and the connection between nature, life and technology. The concept Technobiophillia was devised by Thomas and in her book with the same name and she concludes that we have an innate attraction to life and life like processes as they appear in technology and that we should connect our lives in nature with our lives in the digital, that we should contribute to our well-being via a tech-nature balance, and we should support future biodiversity as technology and nature move closer together. (Thomas, S. 2013). Here we could consider the established work of Belgian architect Luc Schuiten who suggests that modern society is driving itself into environmental doom, with fuel-burning and sea level-raising ways that are literally erasing countries from the map. The solution to such a huge problem, he believes, must be by necessity, equally as huge. This would be nothing short of a complete overhaul of how we build cities, and In Schuiten's idealistic world, blocks of concrete and glass buildings would be replaced with hedgerows of foliage-sprouting structures shaped like trees and lotus flowers (Fig. 2). Roads would have streams splashing down the middle of them, and people would scoot around in cars that look like they're made from twisted twigs. Schuiten calls his nature-inspired metropolises "vegetal cities," constructed around a principal known as "archiborescence," and he's been churning out different iterations of them for more than three decades now. (Metcalfe, J. 2012)

Fig 2. Luc Shuiten, (Metcalfe, J. 2012)

Thomas offers new insights on what is commonly known as 'work-life balance' and explores ways to make peace with technology-induced anxiety and achieve a 'tech-nature balance' through practical experiments designed to enhance our digital lives indoors, outdoors, and online. My concern is that this balance will inevitably become more technology heavy, and nature will be left to programmers and be encoded as a concept within a digital virtual reality, if it isn’t already (Bostrom, N. 2003).

In his book Transhumanism, Nature and the Ends of Science Robert Frodeman accepts that science and technology have been a timely blessing and benefit to humanity and its condition, and how, for so long humans have had so little in terms of medical care and materialistic comforts and are now reaping the benefits. However, Frodeman goes on to express his concerns over humanity’s desire for more, which has led us down a destructive and nihilistic road. Humanity is at a junction where it can pursue its transhumanist needs and desires with the ‘more’ being ever perpetual or we can re-evaluate and end our attempt to live our lives at high speed. Instead, we should concentrate our energies to a more burgeoning movement populated by the direction of Buddhism and maturity rather than a runaway express train of technology (Frodeman, R. 2021).

A human life without limitations is no longer human. Our personal identities and our social structures are built upon the assumption of our struggle against limitations. As a project in search of infinity, transhumanism isn’t proposing a new and improved human; its calling for the destruction of humanity. - (Frodeman, R. 2021, p.116).

Artists, Writers & Philosophers

“Rewilding our lives is a means of rekindling our inbuilt affinity with the natural world – our innate biophilic tendency” (Allen, R. 2021, p52)

Let’s discuss the benefits of nature and re-establishing a connection with it, especially from the concerned viewpoint of a failed future within human society due to technological advancement. Prior to the mainstream use of mobile phones, tablets and especially the internet, children used to play outdoors more (Slutsky, R. and DeShetler, L.M. 2016) (Louv, R. 2011). I also know this, because I was one of them and I have watched as mobile phones have taken over people’s lives (myself also included). The door to nature seems to be closing, if not already shut. It is time to take it off its hinges and at least let the light back in with the hope of it luring us outside again. Nature is as important to children as it is to all of us, as much as food and sleep and if we let it slip away, the evolution of posthumanity will be bleak, broken and grey.

In his book Last Child in the Woods Richard Louv coins the phrase ‘nature-deficit-disorder’ which serves to describe the human costs of alienation from nature. Although Louv states that he is not suggesting that this term represents an existing medical diagnosis, he does feel that some conditions such as diminishing uses of senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses could be accounted for from the lack of nature in people’s lives. “If children do not attach to the land, they will not reap the psychological and spiritual benefits they can gleam from nature, nor will they feel a long-term commitment to the environment, to the place.” (Louv, R. 2013, p.159). Knowledge about nature is therefore critical for a sustainable future that can strike a balance with technology and help to steer away from the transhumanistic need to strip humans of identity. “Passion is the long-distance fuel for the struggle to save what is left of our natural heritage and – through an emerging green urbanism – to reconstitute lost land and water.” (Louv, R. 2013, p.159). Louv goes on to suggest that passion can only be found, learnt or discovered through the muddy hands of the young as it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart and soul of the child within (Louv, R. 2013). Although Louv is pointing his theories and ideas towards the teaching of children it obviously stands for the re-kindling of anyone’s relationship to nature, themselves and their environment no matter their age.

In her book, Losing Eden, Lucy Jones shares a fascinating exploration of the new science of our connection to the natural world, reminding us of research that includes proving that bacteria found in soil acts as a natural antidepressant, activating brain cells that improve mood, reduce anxiety and facilitate learning (Jones, L. 2021). With this kind of knowledge, it should be obvious that looking at pictures of nature through technology/social media platforms etc. is not sufficiently enough as a tech/nature balance and that the only way to get our hands dirty is to get our hands dirty.

Artists, writers and philosophers play a major role in our inevitable transcendence into our future relationship with ourselves and the planet. It is now time to seriously listen to these people and others, including theorists, scientists, environmental artists and climate activists and make a decision for change, a resolution to reconnect with nature because of technological concerns, and make a conscious decision to rewild ourselves. For me, this involves a journey into the woods, amongst the trees, considering all the biodiversity within and the benefits of what this has to offer. The association between trees and woodland ecology with harmony, health and vitality should not become qualities we struggle to experience in our everyday lives. In her book Think like a Tree Sarah Spencer encourages us to tune into natural cycles, reminding us that for the most part we have evolved outdoors, and our bodily systems still operate according to the revolving timescales of our planet. In turn Spencer suggests that nature illustrates many things including that it is healthy to take time to pause as the trees in temperate zones do as they give way to winter dormancy. This becomes a time for rest and rejuvenation and a reminder that any bad phase will not last. (Spencer, S. 2019).

George Monbiot, in his book Feral advocates a timely philosophical debate for rewilding and the need to let a wild rumpus start, a passion for a wilder world less circumscribed by fear and greed that will release us from a claustrophobic monoculture (Monbiot, G. 2014). Rewilding can work in harmony with how land is used and handled today. It can provide the opportunity to diversify how land is managed, complimenting and encouraging a symbiotic ecology. Monbiot encourages a new way to look at and consider our landscape, the lives we no longer lead yet should and the species that no longer exist yet could and epitomises the potential re-birth of lost ways. These will allow us to re-emerge in a time that will continue to teach us all we need to know to survive without war, greed, enhancement and identity loss, to allow an interconnected relationship with our landscapes, all species and an enriching symbiotic connection to nature. This is where I feel projects like my upatreecamp.com are helping to encourage a connection with nature. Another advocate of enriching our landscapes through rewilding along with our lives is Peter Wohlleben whose book The Hidden Life of Trees produces a powerful reminder that society needs to slow down and tune into the language of nature, especially that of trees. Alongside Spencer whose drawn inspiration from The Hidden Life of Trees Wohlleben stresses that we can and must learn a lot from trees and that he “suspects we would pay more attention to trees if we could establish beyond a doubt just how similar they are in many ways to animals.” (Wohlleben, P. and Billinghurst, J. 2018)

One artist drawing inspiration from and literally using trees (Fig. 3) and hedges for his work is nature artist Andy Goldsworthy, who follows in the footsteps of the Land Art movement and produces sculptures that are specific to their location in both natural and urban settings. His artworks ultimately question the fragility of the earth, as he uses nature as his canvas to create artworks. Goldsworthy’s approach to art is that his creations need to exist in conjunction with nature and document the passage of time through their ephemeral beauty and impermanence. In an interview with the Guardian Goldsworthy states that “The intention of my work has always been to understand my relationship with the land. I don’t go out to improve what is there. But I do feel this need to be a participant, working with it, learning about it. Art has an amazing ability to open your eyes to what’s around you”. (Barkham, P. 2018). In Goldsworthy’s latest film Leaning into the Wind we see a joining of nature within more urban settings where Goldsworthy is making us think about our relationship and how we co-exist with nature, “There are two different ways of looking at the world, you can walk on the path or you can walk through the hedge and I think that’s the beauty of art, that it makes you step aside from the normal way of walking or looking” (MagnoliaPictures 2018). Monbiot echoes this viewpoint of experiential perception by reminding us that we do not all see things the same and that we inhabit parallel worlds of awareness. “What is obvious to some is invisible to others, I, transfixed by the roadside watching a sparrowhawk, astonished that others could ignore it, as they wonder how I failed to notice the V6 that just drove past”. (Monbiot,G. 2021)

Fig. 3. Andy Goldsworthy 2017 Laid across oak boughs to make shadows on the ground

As well as environmental artists and artists that draw our attention to such worrying concerns of where the future may take us and the connection that we are rapidly losing with nature, there are artists that encourage technology and transhumanism and some that go as far as to enhance themselves to create a new medium or sense to allow their bodies to combine technology in the production of art. I have found, as I delve into the dark misty bio hacker stories, animal research lab horror’s (Peta2, 2017) and genetic mishaps that possibly lurk around the corner, that those that seek to encourage the symbiosis with technology are having the opposite desired effect and are acting as a warning beacon.

Other artists, like myself that are interested in Transhumanism and how our bodies will be adapted in the future, however, they do not necessarily agree with it or are creating work for the viewer to become inquisitive and make their own judgements, are starting to create debate. One such artist is Matthieu Gafso, A Swiss photographer whose work is deeply centred around what it means to be human. Gafso’s latest work, book and exhibition H+ is a photo journalistic journey highlighting what Transhumanism stands for in present times. Tracking the biohackers working in garages to major labs, the objects and sometimes the concepts related to this movement, Gafso visually reports a journey of discovery to reveal a patchwork of ideas and practices dedicated to enhancing human minds and bodies. It also seeks to expand the boundaries of sensory experiences, with unprecedented implications for artistic representations. “It is the sum of various fragments that weaves a network of meaning. There are, therefore, many defects and deformations. Gafsou testifies here of the latent violence involved in the technological transformations under way” (H+, no date). Gafsou’s H+ work could be considered as both a historical document and as a possible warning for the future (Fig. 4).

Technology is not this neutral lovely creature we usually tend to believe it is. It is always related to some ideology, to power, money, people’s aspirations. I hear scientists say they are working for the common good; I know they’re not necessarily lying but I believe they are often wrong. Matthieu Gafsou (Lea, T. 2018)

Fig 4. Mattieu Gafso, H+ Exhibition Rencontres d’Arles 2018

Click on image to be taken to the interactive gallery exhibition

It could be argued that the accelerated progress in the advancement of technology, especially within medical science is hugely beneficial to the care and longevity of human life although I am not sure this will be enough to justify the possible negative effect of identity loss and the augmented future of humanity. Asking such questions and creating debate about these issues, is artist Agi Haines who is an internationally exhibiting practitioner, researcher and lecturer. Her work is based around an investigation into the future with biomedical and healthcare technologies and aims to probe questions about what we feel is acceptable in the world of altering the human body and creating adaptions for possible changes in our environment. For example, Haines sculptural work includes modified babies with flaps on their heads to possibly keep them cooler as the earth’s temperature rises. (Fig.5)

Fig 5. Agi Haines, Transfigurations

Haines asks questions such as what would stop us searching for a higher level of function than we have now? Especially if it may have the potential to benefit the younger, more vulnerable and more malleable generations? Alongside these questions about positive developments, she voices concerns over how transhumanism combined with the military pursuit of a super soldier is a part of transhumanism she does not support. Haine’s inspiration comes from the weird and wonderful biological and evolutionary things that exist inside us. Haines questions how our morbid curiosity for the viscera of life might affect the future of design, not only for the environment but also for us as sentient sacks of flesh within it. (AgiHaines.com 2022) I cannot help feel that although on the surface there seems to be good intention, that this pursuit of advanced technologies within bioscience will ultimately channel into darker avenues that will incur a backlash of irreversible damage to what it means to be human.

Timothy Morton, philosopher and theorist asserts that we are all cyborgs to some degree and that we need to let go of our fantasies of controlling the planet (Blasdel, A. 2017), which for me also includes the potential damaging effect of controlling and altering ourselves. Morton goes on to suggest that we should not consider ourselves above other beings. Instead, Morton argues that the Anthropocene is forcing a revolution in human thought and that science can only take us so far. This means changing our relationship with the other entities in the universe – whether animal, vegetable or mineral – from one of exploitation through science to one of solidarity in facing what we have ignored for too long. If we fail to do this, we will continue to wreak havoc on the planet, threatening the ways of life we hold dear, and even our very existence. In contrast to utopian fantasies that we will be saved by the rise of artificial intelligence or some other new technology, the Anthropocene teaches us that we can’t transcend our limitations or our reliance on other beings. We can only live with them. Here Morton, delves into the philosophical views of Object Orientated Ontology (OOO). Ontology is the philosophical study of existence and OOO puts things at the centre of this study. Its exponents contend that nothing has special status and that everything exists equally. Morton clarifies this by stating that, “OOO offers us a marvellous world in which being a badger, nosing past whatever it is that you, a human being, are looking at thoughtfully, is just as validly accessing that thing as you are.” (Morton, T. 2021, p.10). In particular, OOO rejects the claims that human experience rests at the centre of philosophy, and that things can be understood by how they appear to us. In place of science alone, OOO uses speculation to characterise how objects exist and interact. Morton’s definition of nature is more in tune with a universal collective consciousness where he believes that everything is connected, which could be argued should include the very things he is warning us against. In a talk with artist Olafur Eliasson at Eliasson’s Reality Machines exhibition in Stockholm’s Moderna Museet, Morton explains that “There are some ecological chemicals in consumerism” and goes on to explain that substances themselves especially drugs or alcohol tell you how to drink/take them and that free will has to some degree been learnt from consumerism.” (Morton,T. and Eliasson, O. 2015).

However, the fundamental issues and concept is that there is a need for radical change towards a more considered connection with nature. This change needs to encourage people away from industrialised capitalistic greed, the societal breakdown through cultural and hierarchy pyramid systems and the materialistic need to have the best plasma holographic interface (screens). In its place there needs to be an undressing from this consumeristic egotistical outfit and a leap of faith back into the beneficial and sometimes ephemeral beauty found in nature. We need to re-dress and embellish foundational life lessons, drifting our minds eye into a more biophilic gaze, by climbing trees and experiencing 'canopy-eyes' and creating fire, as was the necessity before technology could keep us warm, re-igniting what was once a bright flame representing the simplicity that is needed to keep us alive. This in turn should remind us of the reciprocity we need to have with the planet Earth and the ongoing dependence and kinship needed with our natural world.

Artists play an important role in creating debate and influencing change. Olafur Eliasson uses natural elements that evoke an awareness of the sublime world around us and how we interact with it; his projects often point toward global environmental crises and consider art’s power to offer solutions to issues like climate change and renewable energy. In addition to his installations in galleries and museums, Eliasson’s work has increasingly engaged broader audiences through permanent architectural projects and interventions in public spaces. Since 2012, Eliasson has also run Little Sun, a certified B Corporation that produces small, solar-powered LED lamps with the aim to provide clean, affordable, and renewable light to communities without access to electricity. (Olafur Eliasson no date)

Eliasson is highly attuned to the ideas and theories of Timothy Morton, especially around OOO and how caring about ourselves and the planet is deeply connected to “transitioning to caring about nonhumans in a more conscious way” (Morton, T. 2021, p.55). Morton joins Eliasson at his exhibitions to engage in philosophical debate about art, nature and their connection to ontology. Morton is equally in awe and shows a keen sense of admiration for Eliasson’s work and the importance of how art engages with its audience. “Art is important to understanding our relationship with nonhumans, to grasping an object orientated ontological sense of our existence” (Morton, T. 2021, p.57). As mentioned earlier, one such talk was at Eliasson’s Reality Machines exhibition, where the two spent an hour talking tangibly about nature, art and how viewers are perceiving the art and their environment and even reality itself. Eliasson claims that his works of art are thoughts from the future, and therefore an unthought thought and that this has benefits that help the re-evaluation of thinking about how he expresses his concepts in a meaningful way. Morton backs this up with “Eliasson’s work allows the viewer to have trust and self-confidence and allow themselves to be moved, to be disarmed and allow yourself to be moved, like the artwork.” To which Eliasson replies “like seeing your own shadow at the exhibition and how lovely it is to look at, the shadow makes you move, bringing a structure to a feeling that has not yet arrived in your consciousness” (Morton,T. and Eliasson, O. 2015).

The Reality Machines exhibition (Fig. 6) curiously shifts sensibility, and it is not always obvious where the art object ends, and the viewer begins. The focus transitions from the art object itself to the actual experience of seeing. Eliasson’s works also give rise to situations that challenge, renegotiate and reinterpret our perception of reality (Modernamuseet, 2015).

Fig 6. Olafur Eliasson, Reality Machines

Elliasson’s work Ice Watch (2014), involved harvesting 80 tonnes of ice from Greenland and arranging it like a watch outside the Tate in London, in Paris and a few other cities, which was a visual representation of the fact that ice is melting, and time is running out. The work was more than about this though, it was about how people interacted with it and a big part of the project was documenting all the various ways the ice could be accessed. This is more powerful than just staring at an image where the aesthetic experience is about the data the viewer receives or the qualities that are experienced to understand or make judgement. Work like Ice Watch begins to fuse people with objects and relate and understand their surroundings more personally. “Ecology explicit art is simply art that brings this solidarity with the nonhuman to the foreground” (Morton, T. 2021, p.58). Eliasson’s work vibrates with a deep animistic energy that is entrenched in physical experience and natural phenomena. Talking about Ice Watch (Fig. 7) Eliasson says “It’s literally in our bodies, in our brain, and hence I wanted to change the narrative of the climate from the brain and make it an emotional affair into our bodies, it’s about connecting what we know with what we are” (climateconference, 2015).

Fig 7. Olafur Eliasson, Ice Watch

Conclusion

Although it seems obvious that the concept of being in nature is beneficial, the reasons we should be doing it are not so. I feel society is technologically distracted away from nature and the ecological relationship we should be sustaining with our environment. Nature has always been there and will always be there. However, my fear is that we will evolve thinking we do not need nature anymore and that ultimately this will lead to a non-human existence. There is a nature/technology crossroads in front of us and the decisions we make now could change the fundamentals of what it means to be human. Looming towards us on the horizon is a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we exist daily and how we work and relate to one another. In its complicated entirety, the transition and revolutionary shift will be unlike anything humankind has had to contend with before. It is unsure as to how it will develop, although it will undoubtedly change how we do things and how we become who we are. It will possibly alter and potentially strip us of identity and all the concerns associated with it like our privacy, ownership, consumerism, allocated time for work, leisure, how we cultivate skills, meet people and nurture relationships. Biological augmentation is just around the corner, if not already here and so too are the potential consequences.

The latest technological industrial revolution is building, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterised by a fusion of technologies heavily influenced by the internet and connecting everything, that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological realms.

If we take philosophy to be the rational investigation of truth and principles of being, then it could be considered that amongst other things, to philosophise is not just to consider life but also how we come to terms with death. If transhumanism is the project to end death, then transhumanism could be considered to bring about the end of aspects of philosophy. “Philosophy is a response to the vexed and ultimately tragic nature of life, its injustices and disappointments, the presence of evil, and the way time eventually strips us of all that we have,” Frodeman goes on to ask the question, “What need do we have for all that, if our abilities are amazingly enhanced, and life stretches out infinitely before us?” (Frodeman, R. p115 2021).

“The idea that we are cauterized from nature, uprooted from the land, having ripped out Mother Nature’s umbilical cord, and are suffering the psychic consequences is not a typical topic of contemporary psychological discourse” (Jones, L. p.161 2021). I feel it needs to be, as we can no longer ignore climate scientists, ecologists, philosophers, writers and artists etc whose conclusive evidence based research, ideas, theories and work is pointing the finger at possibly the biggest shift in what it will mean to be human and the environment we live in.

Fig 8. Aldous George, All Fours

All Fours: This alternative surrogate flipside of organic life, cast with its glittering organs and shimmering veins within a depressed body of head, arms and legs is a curious if not irregular substitute insight into a nightmarish possibility, a possible post human modern abstract necessity with its metallic essence, inviting an augmented palpable, tangible and tactile co-existence between human and machine. Aldous George 2021

The interconnection between my writing, research and artwork is now beginning to merge and the work I make encourages others to consider their relationship with technology and nature. It is my hope that through the abundant encouraging of questioning and raising awareness of these issues, that careful consideration and deliberation will not be left until it is too late, and that appropriate change and decisions will be made for the longevity of our planet and what it means to be human.

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Illustration List

Page 6: Fig 1. Aldous George 2022 New World Birth (part 1) moving image,

Page 8: Fig 2. Luc Shuiten, (Metcalfe, J. 2012)

Page 12: Fig. 3. Andy Goldsworthy 2017 Laid across oak boughs to make shadows on the ground Photograph by Andy Goldsworthy

Page 13: Fig 4. Mattieu Gafso, H+ Exhibition Rencontres d’Arles 2018

Page 14: Fig 5. Agi Haines no date, Transfigurations

Page 17: Fig 6. Olafur Eliasson 2016, Reality Machines

Page 18: Fig 7. Olafur Eliasson 2015, Ice Watch

Page19: Fig 8. Aldous George 2021, All Fours