Micro-Landscapes of the AnthropoceneMain MenuMarginal WorldsPlant WorldsAnimal WorldsAmy Huang, Natasha Stavreski and Rose RzepaWatery WorldsInsect WorldsBird-Atmosphere WorldsContributed by Gemma and MerahExtinctionsMarginal WorldsSam, Zach and AlexE-ConceptsAn emergent vocabulary of eco-concepts for the late AnthropoceneSigi Jöttkandt4115726eb75e75e43252a5cbfc72a780d0304d7d
A passing thought
12021-04-29T12:53:12-07:00Sigi Jöttkandt4115726eb75e75e43252a5cbfc72a780d0304d7d309862plain2021-04-29T23:39:45-07:00Sigi Jöttkandt4115726eb75e75e43252a5cbfc72a780d0304d7dIn describing Australia as a 'snow country', this description not only greatly depicts the effects of climate change through the ghostly trees but also makes connections to the interconnectedness of those responsible for the slow destruction of the environment. Perhaps it is the urgency to advocate a shared responsibility from nature and humans to halt in their steps of destruction and look at their surrounding environment. In re-tracking the steps and a walk through this visual pathway made up of images and paintings, the ebony bark tainted from the scorching effects of accumulating bush fires is not the role reason to blame, but links the contributing damage of habitants in the ecosystem and how the 'unusually warm weather' affects and disturbs their behaviour. The interconnection of the eco-web and the small butterfly effect of the longicorn beetle can prove to be detrimental and catastrophic to the death of the Snow Gum. Providing a side by side image of a heathy and dead snow gum, the contrast of the naked branches and lack of foliage on a tree seems un-natural to witness. It is only in the absence and ommittance, we begin to feel the fear and pressure of the change. The undertone of Apocalypscene art shifts the focus onto the attention-hungry human and their relationships with the natural realm. Linking back to the idea of Australia as the snow country, a mental and disturbingly surreal image of the sunny metropolitan areas layered in white brings a sense of uncanniness. Eerie and unsettling, the Apocalpscene translates the calling for urgency in the start of the Anthropocene. The haunting message of the future begins from the small unnatural behaviour of a beetle grows and can cause the extinction of colossal trees and in a few year's time, an unfamiliar and unrecognisable Australia.
Photo and Painting Apocalypscene is an e-concept, designed to draw like-minded photographers and painters together to contribute ecologically significant photos and paintings that embody an apocalyptic undertone, to give them agency to voice their concerns that the epoch of Anthropocene is really here. It is a subcategory of the E-Cart which comprises all the ecologically relevant arts including visual, literary and performative, catastrophic or otherwise.
Etymologically, the word "apocalypse" derives from Greek: apo = un-; kaluptein = to cover. According to Oxford Reference, "apocalypse" means "The complete final destruction of the world, especially as described in the biblical book of Revelation." The word "scene" derives from Greek: skēnē = stage. It has multiple meanings and connotations, depending on the context. Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication defines it as "The physical location and setting of an incident in real life or fiction." Whereas The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Theatre and Performance defines it as "a unit of segmentation in drama, normally involving a change in the configuration of characters on stage." Apocalypscene in the context of the Anthropocene, therefore, would best be defined as "The complete and final destruction of the configuration of the world in real life." The living trees would be the ideal ecodiegetic media (see Chapter 10) to represent the health of the Earth.
For trees, bush fires are not their only enemies, there are deforesters – human, fungi or arthropods, amongst others. On the high peaks and plains of the Australian Alps, the sudden death of the snow gums is a cause for concern. Over time, they have developed the ability to endure the snow, ice and wind, and they are icons of the beloved Australian snow country. However, within the last few years, they have started to fall apart, literally. And possibly will become extinct as a species. Although the culprit is the longicorn beetle (a wood borer), scientists believe that climate change may also be responsible. Wood borers do not normally attack high-altitude forests, but this might have changed with the recent drought and unusually warm weather. Snow gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora – "few flowers" – a misnomer) normally look colourful as shown in the above photo taken five years ago near Charlotte Pass. Ecologically, they play an important role in accumulating snow in "snowpack" processes to limit evaporation and runoff. Their decimation will obviously impact the hydrology and water resources of southeast Australia.
I conclude this page with an , anthropomorphised as “a knight on flying insect's back” – which served as a model for the eponymous painting (bottom).
