“There is still hope, and we are not doomed, not yet. Though destruction and death are the main theme of “After The Burn” [an exhibition; author’s addition], there is still a silver lining. At least we still want to believe that there will be salvation for all critters. This is best illustrated in the “Pine Tree Sapling” series (Figure 4 [see some works here; author’s addition]), which depict young pine tree saplings rising tenaciously from the burnt ground. The pine tree saplings are not optimistic or pessimistic about the future. They focus on the intense present, and they grow with other survivors on this scorched land. They are also not so ambitious as to focus on the “big picture” of restoring the land, but rather, they interact and exchange with other plants, which perhaps “unexpectedly” contribute to the recuperation of the landscape. To embrace a Chthulucene narrative, we are to let go of our ego that puts us at the center of the universe, and to recognize other species as crucial in determining the fate of Earth. A shared future is not for human beings only, but for all things existing on Earth. In our precarious time, let’s live together, die together, and dream together.” (Zong 2022)
Zong, X. (2022). A No-Man’s-Land. A Chthulucene Narrative. https://www.tusslemagazine.com/a-no-mans-land [2023-01-25]
Griffin, S. (1984). Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her. New York: Harper Colophon Books.
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hooks, b. (2005). The Will to Change: Man, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Washington Square Press.
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“She [Gaia] is what specifically questions the tales and refrains of modern history. There is only one real mystery at stake, here: it is the answer we, meaning those who belong to this history, may be able to create as we face the consequences of what we have provoked.” (Stengers in Haraway 2016)
Haraway, D. (2016). Tentacular Thinking: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene. https://www.e-flux.com/journal/75/67125/tentacular-thinking-anthropocene-capitalocene-chthulucene/ [2023-01-25]
“As far as inner transformation is concerned, there is nothing you can do about it. All you can do is create a space for transformation to happen, for grace and love to enter. (Eckhart Tolle)
“We will invent new lullabies, new songs, new acts of love, we will cry over things we used to laugh and our new wisdom will bring tears to eyes of gentle creatures from other planets who were afraid of us till then and in the end a summer with wild winds and new friends will be.” (Author unknown)
ZKM | Karlsruhe (ed.) (2021). Terrestrial University: Swamps and the New Imagination. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a179iNIWAPY [2023-01-27]
TheNexusInstitute (ed.) (2013). Margaret Atwood – On Fiction, the Future and the Environment. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FwVOsDrp7E [2023-01-27]
Chomsky’s Philosophy (ed.) (2018). Noam Chomsky – The Future of Capitalism. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkcDT4l7e4o [23-01-27]