Reading Blog #1
- Quinn LaBarge
- Feb 29, 2020
- 2 min read
As an aerospace engineering sciences student at CU Boulder, I have taken several courses that address atmospheric physics. In fact, I am currently in a remote sensing course, where each lecture begins with an inspection of the current day's LiDAR, RADAR, or other satellite data/imagery. It is clear to me, as it should be to everyone, that the greenhouse effect is a scientific fact. The natural world is experiencing the consequences of carbon emissions with respect to Earth's climate. Our home is evolving, and to pretend otherwise is not only ignorant but pestilent.
David Dunn insists that this ignorance is purposeful. Out of desperation, we cling to outdated, Romantic perceptions of flourishing ecosystems. In reality, the human impact on the natural world is profound and inescapable. Our collective indifference toward climate change has left nowhere on Earth 'untouched.' Even still, the truth is that our influence is not only negative.
Dunn and other artists have aimed their work at transforming our relationship with nature at a cultural level. George Steinmetz, Cristina Mittermeier, and Paul Nicklen are other artists whose mission is to realign our sense of identity within the "fabric of life." Their and Dunn's works capture the reality of the interplay between different species. Dunn challenges the human-centered conceptualization of music. The human language imposes restrictions on our definitions of various art forms. He argues that this view neglects the intercommunication between our species and others. Mimus Polyglottos directly confronts this idea as Dunn and Ric Cupples are able to interact with mockingbirds through artificial songbird recordings. So, it is naive to believe that most definitions of music are not limited in scope. In other words, it is important to consider the non-human aspects of music. The current definition of music is exclusive, whereas it could be inclusive. The essence of this thought is rooted in philosophy. Specifically, when is it necessary to isolate and or distinguish the human species from the rest of the world? And, is there self-importance attached to this sense of detachment.
Images and Gifs:
Top Left - Earth Weather (Giphy)
Top Right - Polar Bear on Rocks (Wix Media)
Middle Left - Nature Photographer (Wix Media)
Middle Right - Plastic Polluted Ocean (Wix Media)
Bottom Left - Cheetahs on Safari (Wix Media)
Bottom Right - Robin Williams Gorilla (Giphy)
I had a very deep conversation with my roommate regarding the definition of music after reading this article. I follow the other artists I mentioned in the blog post. I recommend checking out their work, as it's fascinating and visually striking. They are fairly big name nature photographers so I did not add their photos to the gallery.
Paul Nicklen
https://paulnicklen.com/motion/ (related to the article theme)
Cristina Mittermeier
George Steinmetz
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