Below you'll find work relating to the theme of the environment and the climate crisis from Eleanora Alis, Elizabeth and Emily.
Eleanora Alis Tofte
“As a contemporary artist I work across disciplines. Often using nature as my medium, observation of terrain over a long period of time allows me to examine the measurements and the proximity to social and environmental challenges.
As an artist I see myself as a storyteller whose personal space is a part of a larger, universal identity. I invite the viewer in, to engage with my work, to start a dialogue. On one hand it is a feminist approach but on the other I also believe in the power of connections and the interconnectedness of this world.
My conceptual art is often born out of serendipitous encounters between us, living beings and nature. I like to create multi- dimensional installations, reflecting on today's socio-cultural environment. Often letting nature dictate, I am exploring connections through a psychological distance.
I am fascinated about the past as much as the present moment. How most things have already been here long before and how we are connected. Working across different studios in different countries is helping me to maintain an open dialogue and perspective to bring these narratives alive.”
Find out more about Stage 3 Fine Arts student Eleanora’s work on her blog, she is currently working in nature on a large-scale sculptural installation.
Elizabeth Vessey
“As part of my final year project for my degree in Visual Communications, I was tasked to develop a self-directed project of my choosing. Fuelled by my increased exposure and interest in climate change and the climate crisis I knew that I wanted to use my graphic design skills to do some good, having been inspired by Ken Garland’s 1964 First Things First Manifesto.
I researched the topic of climate change and discovered that many actions I believed would make a difference, actually were low impact and that there are four key high impact actions which we can undertake; having fewer children, avoiding air travel, living car-free and switching to a plant-based diet. Out of these four actions, I decided to focus on Plant-based eating.
The result was Choose Plant! a digital campaign to encourage young people to take action against climate change, by choosing to switch to a plant-based diet. The main focus of the campaign is a one-minute motion graphic directing viewers to a ‘Choose Plant!’ digital guide Instagram page and website which provides information about switching to a plant-based diet and the positive impact this will have on climate change.
The campaign style is fun and friendly to create an informal tone, using hand-lettered headline type, an off-set style of illustration and a bright colour palette which makes the campaign accessible to the target audience.
Digital booklet:
A video showcasing the digital booklet:
Emily Everard
Stage 3 Graphic Design student Emily Everard has shared their project ‘Outside Type’ with us as part of our Summer of Sustainability.
“I challenge myself to go for a walk in nature (almost) everyday and search for the next letter of the alphabet. This is an attempt to spend more time outdoors and do more walking for my mental and physical health. The whole experience of being in nature looking for letters is very peaceful and it became an act of mindfulness. When I was looking for letters I wasn’t thinking about work or checking my phone, I was simply in the present moment.
When I started the challenge in February I was feeling quite down about the weather. I find winter to negatively impact my mental health because I sit in an office all day and by the time I finish it is dark outside so I don’t get much daylight. By doing this challenge it forced me to go outside on my breaks at work and walk around the block – these extra walks improved both my mental and physical health! As well as this, on my daily search for a different letter I would often pass the same plants/trees and I really noticed how they changed and I was witnessing the start of spring. I could see buds forming, leaves returning and flowers appearing and it gave me hope that spring wasn’t far away.
By doing something creative everyday, I found that it got me into a creative mindset which inspired me to work on my other projects more. The consistency of doing a creative social media post everyday has not only improved my creativity but also boosted my confidence as a designer.
In future I have plans to turn this into a usable font file. I also will have some kind of physical output from my OCA unit although I am currently unsure what exactly this will be.”
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