by Saara Lilja, Timo Vesala and María Rún Þrándardóttir, August 2023
Part I
A few years ago I started this journey to better understand climate awareness. Climate change is such an abstract issue that it is often too complicated for our brains. We need different tools to understand the ongoing planetary change – climate change.
I was so happy to participate in the ABS Science-Art Toolkit workshop in Melbu, Vesterålen, Norway on 27th to 29th of June together with Climate University communities.
New innovations and new ideas start to rise when you meet new and especially different personalities. Science needs Arts to get new perspectives and Arts need Science to link also realistic aspects to the Art, especially when the target is to help teachers to teach climate change for students.
I have developed and piloted Art Moments – concept as a method to raise awareness and also to create community within working groups. In Melbu it was inspirative to get positive feedback to the Art Moment of water lobelia Lobelia dortmanna (nuottaruoho in Finnish) – based on photography to understand lake restoration importance. Part I is the description from Saara’s perspective from science to art.
Part We
After a few days working together with professor Timo Vesala from University of Helsinki and the Icelandic artist María Rún Þrándardóttir, we did a performance to express the importance of photosynthesis in raising awareness of the climate crisis.
The performance was conducted inside an old tank, formerly used for fish oil, but presently serving a new purpose for artistic endeavors of the residents of Melbu. There are no windows in the tank, resulting in a great, completely dark hall with extraordinary echo and sound effects. The darkness highlighted the importance of light – and therefore photosynthesis.
Timo, Saara and María had pre-decided roles in the performance, all bringing different backgrounds to the table, inspired by photosynthesis. María has a background in visual arts and has been focusing on performance. She has an interest in science. Timo and Saara are both scientists with interest in arts. Timo is especially interested in films. Saara enjoys photography and has developed Art Moments for sustainable change to discuss planetary questions with the help of photos and she sings in the Vivace choir.
The participants were asked to sit in a circle on the floor inside the tank. Surrounding them there were a few candle lights, otherwise no source of light. Saara started the performance by stepping in the middle of the circle and continually sang a poem she wrote, inspired by particles as soulmates. By filling the tank with her voice and repeated lyrics, she set the stage for a meditative participant performance.
Timo entered the tank wearing a shirt with an image of Jack Nicholson’s character in Stanley Kubrick’s movie The Shining. The movie title is related to our theme: to shine, light and photosynthesis. Timo walked to each person sitting in the circle, took a kneeling position on the ground, stared at the person’s eyes and gave each of them a photograph (see below) which showed Timo and María having an intense moment in between discussion of art and science. He told them an edited quote from the movie: “All work and no play makes us dull mates” (the original quote is All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy). After Timo had repeated the sentence as a mantra to everyone, he continued saying it as a mantra inside the tank until the performance was over. The feeling Timo added to the performance was almost like participating in a cult.
After Timo told the first person in the circle the quote, María, wearing all white and therefore representing light itself, entered the tank and brought with her (by opening the door) a few rays of sunlight. Additionally, she brought an artificial light with her, in the form of a flashlight in her smartphone. María stayed silent the whole time, using body language, movements, attention and eyes instead.
María started by walking up to the first participant, and circling them two times with the flashlight. Perhaps like a sun around the earth or a predator that has chosen its prey. She took the hand of the first participant and guided them silently to stand up. She stared into their eyes, making some people slightly uncomfortable by perhaps unusual attention from a stranger. She then lit them up with her flashlight, making a circular motion around their head, still holding their hand and giving them all of her attention.
Then María started walking and guided them in a short journey around the space and moved her hand in the same circular motion. She then brought them back with the other people, creating a new circle around Saara where everyone was standing. She gave them her fullest attention one last time, staring in their eyes and giving them light. Then she continued to the next person, until everyone had gotten light. Some people felt they were like plants, guided by the sun.
Finally María, Saara and Timo guided the participants to exit the dark space and enter the bright sun outside, filling themselves with endless sunlight.
All of the repeated or circular elements in the performance – Saara’s song, Timo’s message, María’s movements, the shape of the whole group, sitting in a circle – presented photosynthesis which could be described as the essence of the circle of life.
The performance was the conclusion from our discussions, in which we had analyzed the molecular code of photosynthesis. Green plants have the ability to fix solar energy inside the leaves by creating sugar and oxygen for the life of the planet. Plants are the source for life and source for life circulation. One of the key findings was the idea to understand the importance of simplification. The oxygen molecules are always in pairs. Because they are always together we call them soul mates. Soul mates belong to each other. Belonging is the core for INAR and the ABS network. We also discussed several elements related to photosynthesis, for example how stomata (small openings on leaf surfaces) actively control the escape of water by partly closing stomata if dry, but at the same time try to uptake the optimal amount of carbon dioxide for plants’ growth and living.
The Toolkit to rise the climate awareness of teachers
Art-Science Toolkit: the Circulation of the life
Four steps to enhance art-science interaction
1. Enigmatic photograph for the participants to add inspiration for the collaboration
2. Theoretical framework and keywords of photosynthesis
3. Poem The Soul mates and Melody
4. The performance to combine parts 1-3
1. Photograph
2. Poem & Melody
The Soul mates
Chemistry is in the air
My stoma is open
I can breathe
I can breathe your love and understanding
Roots in the water and ancient soil
Leaves in the air capture carbon to the ancient lifecycle.
In the saga worlds the fairy tales are dancing
for Us
for Us
in Our hearts
29th of June, 2023 in Melbu Norway at 7.50am on the mole, Saara Lilja
3. Theoretical framework about the photosynthesis and the keywords
