The climate crisis is often communicated through numbers. The world needs to limit warming to 1.5° Celsius; India aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030, under its NDCs; 3.3-3.6 billion people are highly vulnerable to climate change; we must protect and conserve 30% of our planet for the sake of biodiversity, and several others.

 

While these figures are critical to capture the scale of the crisis and drive urgent action, numbers alone can seem abstract and at a scale that individuals cannot impact. They may ignore a large part of what drives us to tackle this vast and seemingly impenetrable problem with urgency – the very human need to connect with our emotions and relate deeply to nature.

 

Art and other visual narratives can begin to fill this gap, playing a critical role by connecting systemic issues with people’s emotions and memories. They can be used to communicate complex scientific data simply and effectively as well as increase the likelihood of action by evoking emotions. An image of a beloved place can invoke nostalgia and a desire to protect it, while painful visuals of destruction can deter us from exploitative habits. By communicating with a different part of our brain, art can therefore help personalise the abstract, provide stimulating visualisations, and make our experience of climate change more visceral and real.

 

As 2024 comes to a close, we want to pay homage to all the wonderful artists we featured this year in the ICC’s newsletters. From captivating photographs to mind-boggling creations, these artists have graciously collaborated with us to elevate our visual narratives and communicate in a medium that transcends the tangible.

 

We started this year with Ian Lockwood’s ‘Sky Islands: An Endangered South Indian Landscape’ – a dreamy black and white photo-series that captures unique, threatened ecosystems in the Sholas, the result of a three-decade exploration of the Palani Hills and the Southern Western Ghats. These landscapes are changing, as invasive species rapidly replace the native ecosystem, endangering the local biodiversity, and Ian’s work aims to highlight the need for immediate action.

 

 

Montane grasses in Eucalyptus Forest, Perumal Malai, Palani Hills: Many timber plantations in the Palani Hills still show evidence of their historical vegetation. These montane grasslands are somehow surviving on the slopes of Perumal Peak. Areas like this are ideal for careful restoration efforts that allow the grasses to make a comeback. © Ian Lockwood

 


We then travelled deep into the majestic Nilgiris, with Arjun Cheyyur’s photography. This biodiversity hotspot boasts over 3500 species of flowering plants, 550 species of birds, and 100 species of mammals. Arjun’s work highlights the beauty of these magical landscapes and the climate and environmental challenges they face. This delicate ecosystem is also facing multi-fold human-induced pressures, including human-wildlife conflict, large-scale deforestation, and water pollution.

 

 

 

A carpet of flowering Calanthe sylvatica orchids stretches across the forest floor under the canopy of an old growth Shola forest. © Arjun Cheyyur

 

 

For our Earth Day edition, in honour of the theme ‘Planet vs. Plastics', we featured Janet Ormond’s exquisite work. An environmental artist based in South Africa, Janet’s passion for nature pushes us to confront our relationship with discarded ocean plastic. With our oceans brimming with 75-200 million tonnes of plastic, her work highlights this massive problem and inspires us to think creatively of how we can turn trash to treasure.

 

 

 

Beyond there is light
In moments of obscurity, beauty may seem elusive, yet through unwavering belief, it inevitably unveils itself. © Janet Ormond


 

As the Indian monsoon unleased its wrath across the country, we paused to reflect on whether the rains could be seen as a gift, to be savoured. We featured Shivam’s photography, an ode to Mumbai’s monsoon magic and a gentle reminder that the same force can be both beautiful and destructive.

 

 

 

Sharing an umbrella, sharing a moment. © Shivam


 

We also traced water back to one of its sources, encountering coastal fishing communities whose lives are inseparable from the ocean. Dr. Subodh Kerkar artfully depicts this symbiotic relationship through his ‘Fishermen and the Ocean’ series, highlighting the role oceans have played in shaping human civilisation, and reminding us how dependent communities are on nature. 

 

 

 

The fishermen pay homage to the sea. © Dr. Subodh Kerkar/Museum of Goa

 

 

We explored the relationship between the natural and the human-made through the Senyensen Collective’s majestic mural, on the streets of Coimbatore. As part of an initiative by St+art India Foundation, this mural serves as a tribute to the city’s migratory fauna. Art like this challenges our anthropocentrism, helping us envision the harmonious co-existence of all living beings in rapidly urbanising spaces.

 

 

 

This artwork serves as a poignant tribute to the region's migratory birds and animals, reflecting upon the adaptability of these creatures amidst the city's evolving skyline. Artist: Senyensen Collective; initiative by St+art India Foundation; supported by Asian Paints and Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation; image: Jay Upadhyay

 

 

To further challenge this artificial dichotomy between the natural and human, we also looked at our perception of biodiversity, and the deep, interconnectedness of all beings. Ravi Jambhekar’s captivating illustrations portray the importance of this one-ness, depicting how diverse organisms in cities can come together to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

 

 

 

These are some of the spectacular species who call Bengaluru their home, including the Slender Loris at the IISC campus and GKVK campus, the Egyptian Vulture soaring over the UB City mall and the other overlooked butterflies, dragonflies, and migratory bird species. © Ravi Jambhekar
 

 

Last month, we collaborated with Rithika Merchant, featuring her series ‘Terraformation’, which explores the rebuilding of a new, more utopian world elsewhere, drawing on speculative fiction, science, and mythology. As we contemplate the role of humankind and our relatedness with the larger natural world, artists can help challenge inherited frameworks that limit our imagination and question what we want our future to look like.


 

 

Terraformation, 2022 © Rithika Merchant
Gouache, watercolour and ink on paper | 70 x 100 cms / 27.5 x 39.3 in

 


The work and vision of these remarkable artists can encourage us to see the world in a different light – not simply what was, and what is, but what can be, should we choose to make it a reality.

 

 

 


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