So, those of you that know me well... see me daily or catch up with me regularly... may know that at the end of last year I quit teaching and decided to take a year out to complete my post graduate diploma in graphic design. Inspired by the design work I had been doing part time last year, I threw myself in to a new adventure... hoping to gain a better sense of who I am as a designer.
As part of my application I had to write a project proposal for this year.... a plan of what I was hoping to achieve.... my main focus was around sustainability in graphic design, but I really had no idea of where I was going to take this. It was stressed to me in my university interview that I would have to spend the summer refining my ideas and getting a stronger focus and direction. Eek!
I began to realise that the thing that concerns me most of all is the lack of education many people have about environmental issues in NZ.... its not their fault, the messages just aren't reaching them! I realised that my friends and I have an amazing environmental network via facebook, blogging etc. We are constantly sharing imagery, messages, petitions, and other forms of activism between us.... passing on these messages and keeping each other informed about these issues. But the problem is that WE ARE ALREADY CONCERNED - We are already, in some part, informed. We are troubled enough by these issues that we want to SHARE this information with one another. We are already, in some part, activists for the cause. Thats one of the reasons why we are friends..... ha!
So what does the public actually know of these issues? How do they get these messages? Its not fair that they should be left in the dark about issues that actually really concern them. For example, I had brunch with some friends recently who were not aware of the Food Bill that the government is trying to pass at the moment. You know the one.... Where you wont be able to share the foods your grow with your friends, family and neighbours. Where you wont be able to gather seeds from your sisters amazing tomato crop to sow the following year. Where grandma could get in trouble for giving you a jar of her delicious and legendary plum jam. Yep, that Food Bill that means there is a possibility you wont be able to wander down to your local farmers market and buy fresh produce from local growers without them incurring some fine for selling you a product that is not owned by the government!
So, in thinking about this, I began to realise that my focus is about informing the general public about issues that are normally expressed by 'minority' groups - yer know, the punks, the fems, the hippies!! (yep, I'm exploring all the activist stereotypes here!).
I want to explore why these messages aren't getting through. I want to look at ways to get these messages across without resorting to methods employed by previous activism ventures. I want the general public to make informed decisions about life-altering choices our government makes for them!
So over the next 9 months, this blog will be my Activism Dumping Ground - my offloading space of imagery, text, links, videos and anything else that may apply and inform my process and making - it is literally going to become a scrapbook for all of my research! I have already been made aware of so many resources that otherwise may have never made it to my radar, so be prepared for the onslaught - pick and choose and take what you fancy!
Welcome to my new adventure! :-) xoxo
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"The Big Clean Up" For Auckland Regional Council |
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| "The Chicken pays" For The Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals |
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| Not sure where this came from but its genius! |
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| BANKSY |
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| DON BINNEY - NZ Artist - I have had a framed print of this on my wall for the last 10 years! |
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| Joan Baez and her two sisters - to raise money for Vietnam draft resistance in 1968? |
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| BANKSY |
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| SAFE Campaign |
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| SAFE Campaign |
ALSO GO CHECK OUT MY PINTEREST PAGE FOR MORE IMAGERY http://pinterest.com/anaheramoon/activism-post-grad-imagery/
Ok so awesome, but from my perspective living in a country a 3rd world country that quite possibly never recieved any education along these lines of planet loving and being green is 1. Fashionable and 2. For the upper classes. What do you do? People who have not had to write essays about cfcs in 1993 or do not have recycling iniciatives in their communities. Its happening but like nz 30 years ago. The knowledge is there in the elders still but not embraced by the higher powers. Ill do some cutting and pasting about whats happening in chile. im so excited about what yourdoing melvis. Bring it. Xb
ReplyDeletethats so true... this is the thing, I guess Im just thinking about educating NZers at this stage, purely because this is where Im seeing it, yet we (kiwis) have had SO much education around these issues for many many years and we are, supposedly, so green and conscious and aware. Im just not seeing it though... am I a total pessimist? You'd think people would have had it drummed into them, living in NZ, but its just not imbedded the way that I think it should be... im still completely amazed when I hear someone say "yeah I'll have a bag" at the grocery store... or when a shop person shoves a bag down your throat telling you 'its store policy' (Yeah Fuck You SAVEMART! What the!?)...... NZ is FAR from the image it portrays in the media......
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