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Start date: 2019 × End date: 2019 × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Subject: Artscience ×

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    Shifting ecological awareness through ArtScience experiences.
    Renowden, Christina ( 2019)
    Human activities are having a profound detrimental impact on our planet’s biodiversity, yet we have not observed a commensurate shift in people’s mindset to achieve a more harmonious relationship between people and nature. As such, the need to shift the public's’ understanding of our ecological impact continues to drive the role of science communication. There is mounting interest in integrating art with science as an influential communication practice to tackle the ecological crisis. Creating art inspired by science can increase the public’s understanding of biodiversity through provoking a mindful and emotional response. The arts can provide a dais for expression and reflection on critical issues which traditional education and outreach methods typically cannot. Building on the mounting interest in ‘ArtScience’, this study sought to design a synergistic approach to communicating the importance of biodiversity in urban environments by integrating participatory art and ecology. My study evaluated the outcomes from three participatory ‘ArtScience’ workshops delivered at The Living Pavilion, a temporary, Indigenous-led event space that took place in Melbourne during three weeks in May 2019. This research revealed three key themes emerging from the participants’ experience: 1) discovery (cognitive/’head’ learning); 2) being in ‘flow’ where the participant is intrinsically motivated, focused and enjoying the activity (practical/’hands-on’ learning), and; 3) ‘attunement’ where participants connect with nature (emotional learning/’heart’). I illustrate the effectiveness of integrating the transformative model of head (cognitive), heart (emotional) and hand (practical) learning into ‘ArtScience’ experiences which provides critical reflection, relational knowing and deep emotional engagement. This approach contributes to participants’ embodied knowledge, shifts their ecological awareness and mindfully fosters a deeper connection with nature.