Being originally from South Australia I am of course aware of the central
importance of two resources to that and other Australian states. Firstly,
the River Murray. Even when I was a kid, in the 60¹s, the Murray was in
crisis every summer. Salinity levels were regularly above internationally
recommended standards and phosphate levels more dangerously high. Water
levels often fell below that required to provide the 1.3 million people who
depended on it for their basic supply, triggering all sorts of rationing
tactics.
Secondly, the Great Artesian Basin, one of the World¹s largest aquifiers. It
is the sink into which what little rain that falls in 70% of the Australian
land mass flows. It has been there 100 million years or more. But now it too
is diminishing and, as with the Murray, the water is becoming saline and
polluted with phosphates that are caught up in run-off.
Most Australian¹s, living on the relatively wet East Coast, are not aware of
either the current problems nor of the probable outcome of current land and
water usage in the country. Perhaps they will notice when the South
Australian wine industry collapses or refugees from the drier states start
to move to the East.
I do return from time to time to Australia for work and even sometimes for a
holiday. I originally left Australia because opportunities seemed more
plentiful elsewhere but also because I felt residual guilt about the
appropriation of the country by Europeans from the indigenous people. OK,
the UK is hardly a guilt free zone but at least I have a sense of not
treading on bones that belong to others who died at the hands of my
ancestors. If I tread on bones in the UK they are not other to the same
degree. I hope that makes sense, as I am acutely aware how contentious this
subject can be I do not want to argue we should all live on soil that is
soaked in our own blood, as that would be playing into the narrow
nationalist racial arguments of the extreme right that are not even
scientifically supportable.
That was the moral crisis I felt in the 1980¹s. Today my crisis would be
different. If a country is so short of a key resource like water then what
are the implications if I was to then choose to return to that country?
Wouldn¹t it be morally problematic on the grounds that by returning I would
be taking water from the mouth¹s of others?
Touchy stuff. Not sure if this is art and science...and not sure what art
and science can do about it. Looks like politics to me...
Best
Simon
Simon Biggs
Research Professor
edinburgh college of art
s.biggs@eca.ac.uk
www.eca.ac.uk
Creative Interdisciplinary Research into CoLlaborative Environments
CIRCLE research group
www.eca.ac.uk/circle/
simon@littlepig.org.uk
www.littlepig.org.uk
AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk
From: Janelle Cugley <blueskythink@iprimus.com.au>
Reply-To: YASMIN DISCUSSIONS <yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:40:12 +0900
To: YASMIN DISCUSSIONS <yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr>
Subject: Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Climate Change - Australian
governmentresponding (maybe?)
The saying is
Its not all over till the fat lady sings....
the fat lady, being Australia has been singing for a very long time..... its
up to us to listen to the song and respond.. isn't this what we as artists
do? respond, resonate, reflect...re -member?
that land a'int going no where.
she's solid as a rock..
it's inland where we need to look more deeply.. into the underground streams
and rivers, the fertile soils, and respond to what's just under the surface
, knowing its all pegged anyway for mining.
We are rapidly moving into a time where food shortages are now a fact, and
yes the sea levels are rising, some development even the most recent
decisions to develop high density along the coast here in W.A. is absurd as
we here are seen to be the "sustainability state".. id like that to be the
case, however i feel deeply that until we respond to the environment in the
most graceful and intelligent way we can, and to the people from the Old
land, nurture what we have, and not be in our heads but our hearts as well,
we will tremble with the coast and be swallowed up by the anxieties that are
part and have been part of our own development for a long time.
Probably time to come back then Simon, check it out.. respond.. its
beautiful over here and yes the environment will change.. look at the
scorching heat at the moment in Adelaide and Melbourne, they too have water
shortage problems with the Murray river.. no water.. well we know no life!
Its not even summer and they are in their 40's degrees all ready. Lets not
forget the Fires in country Victoria early this year.
Its very good to hear the discussions moving in directions where artists
also can play a part of contributing ideas that science and government alone
cannot for-see.
Thanks to you, Paul and all who keep these discussions illuminated where i
think the most powerful creative responses can be conceived. Encouraging the
links with science and government, the oriallity of collective dialogue, the
deep sensory awareness we often as artists expel, I'm encouraged to keep
thinking, well the worlds always moving in directions that keep us
responding..
cheers
that's what we say over here in Perth, then we slap our nee. Footy here is
mor importent than thinking about climate change, Rising rivers engulfing
the city and we are hell bent to develop out City forshore. and floating man
made islands out of Freo. gosh whats going on?
Janelle
----- Original Message -----
From: "Simon Biggs" <s.biggs@eca.ac.uk>
To: "YASMIN DISCUSSIONS" <yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr>
Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Climate Change - Australian
governmentresponding (maybe?)
> There goes my ancestral home then :(
>
> http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Aldinga+Beach+
> Australia&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.361197,34.980469&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear
> =Aldinga+Beach+SA,+Australia&ll=-35.296502,138.446317&spn=0.00292,000427&t=
> h&z=18
>
> Best
>
> Simon
>
>
> Simon Biggs
>
> Research Professor
> edinburgh college of art
> s.biggs@eca.ac.uk
> www.eca.ac.uk
>
> Creative Interdisciplinary Research into CoLlaborative Environments
> CIRCLE research group
> www.eca.ac.uk/circle/
>
> simon@littlepig.org.uk
> www.littlepig.org.uk
> AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk
>
>
>
> From: Paul Brown <paul@paul-brown.com>
> Reply-To: YASMIN DISCUSSIONS <yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr>
> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:33:22 +1000
> To: YASMIN DISCUSSIONS <yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr>
> Subject: [Yasmin_discussions] Climate Change - Australian government
> responding (maybe?)
>
> An addendum to the art & climate change discussion:
>
> 250,000 homes 'at risk' from rising seas
> By environment reporter Sarah Clarke and staff
> Posted 5 hours 38 minutes ago
> Updated 3 hours 2 minutes ago
>
> A new report has warned that up to 250,000 homes around Australia will
> be inundated due to climate change by the turn of the century.
>
> The Federal Government report titled Climate Change Risks to
> Australia's Coast is the most comprehensive assessment to date, taking
> into account a projected 1.1-metre rise in sea level and an increasing
> risk of extreme weather events like tidal and storm surges.
>
> More here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/14/2742769.htm
>
> ====
> Paul Brown - based in OZ October 09 to January 2010
> mailto:paul@paul-brown.com == http://www.paul-brown.com
> OZ Landline +61 (0)7 3391 0094 == USA fax +1 309 216 9900
> OZ Mobile +61 (0)419 72 74 85 == Skype paul-g-brown
> ====
> Visiting Professor - Sussex University
> http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/ccnr/research/creativity.html
> ====
>
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