Art-Eco – towards an empathetic-ecological view of humanity

Western society is on its way to a revolution. People, suppressed by multinational corporations, are despondent with political inertia in the face of injustice and climate change. Through Internet and social media anyone can join in the global communities (eg. Avaaz.org: almost 39 million members, SumOfUs.org 5 million members) fighting for change. We live in the middle of pluralism, difference and threats, but also in the overflow of potentials. The world which focuses only to rationality and objectivity produces information and skills already known. Instead, we need creativity and understanding of the world in its multiplicity, in order to see mutuality and opportunities rather than highlighting differences and threats.

If the bodily experiences are ignored in the conceptions of human and of the world , the relationships between the mind and the body as well as the self and the world are disturbed. The epidemic of depression, violent outbursts and riots as well as the environmental crisis can be seen as problems caused by the Western dualism. A human being, who has an instrumental attitude towards himself and others, seriously limits the holistic dimension of his existence, not only towards himself but also towards other people and the world.

The Art-Eco project examines artistic and pedagogical opportunities to support the holistic awareness of empathetic-ecological humanity. The research team consists of philosophers, artists, pedagogues, and the co-operation of multiprofessional partners.

The Art-Eco project is not a research on art or art education. Instead, it is a research on possibilities of such a human life where art is regarded to be inextricably connected to all of its aspects. Therefore, the academic context of the project is in a science university instead of an art university: the project daringly tests the limits of expertise by presenting art-based research as a valid way to participate in social and pedagogical debate and action. Since the aim of the research project is to explore and produce eco-citizenship as a human way of life – a choice that a person has to make when becoming aware of the unsustainability of the dualistic conception of humanity – it also has a clear pedagogical focus. Throughout the project, philosophical, artistic and pedagogical dialogue is dancing into and out of the academia.

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