How did The Legend of Hidden Hollow demonstrate the principle of sustainability? Part 2

Yesterday I suggested two ways that art could respond to the second part of the sustainability principle: by drawing attention to the environment, and so creating greater sensitivity to it, and by using recycled or natural materials rather than new ones. After discussing a few pieces in Brolly Arts’ Legend of Hidden Hollow (Salt Lake City, September 22, 2007) that demonstrated the first way, I’ll now go on to discuss some examples that demonstrate the second way.

Yesterday I mentioned Marie Mortensen’s take on Wright’s poem, using sticks to spell out the words. Other artists in the program recycled materials. A striking example is the work of Mary Bayard White, who constructed functional bird baths from recycled glass and recycled metal. The solar panels used to circulate the water with a pump unfortunately were not activated because of the overcast, but one bird bath was powered by a battery which had been charged by a solar panel. If the sun had been out, all three bird baths would have demonstrated sustainability in yet another way: using our most abundant and nonpolluting source of renewable energy, the sun. (Photo by Laurie Bray)

Other imaginative used of recycled materials were the Fish out of Water sculptures created by the students in Susan Simpson’s Design and Composition class at Westminster College. They employed various used materials to fashion fantastical fish that hung in the trees or sat on the ground, truly “fish out of water,” yet a fitting tribute to the life of the Creek below. A striking example is a fish sculpture made from recycled aluminum cans, which created the impression of oversized scales. (Photo by Ashley Haines) None of the artists I’ve discussed blasted the audience with environmental messages. They did not sacrifice beauty or pleasure for the sake of message, but, rather, implied a sensitivity to sustainability by enhancing our awareness of the natural environment or demonstrating a conserving attitude towards natural resources. In other words, they satisfied my reformulation of the Brundtland definition of “sustainability” by meeting the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of future generations.

Copyright 2007 Patricia Sanders