militarisation, polarisation and environmental leadership

In the past months, we have seen an unfolding tendency towards militarization and unhemmed geopolitical aggression. Increased defense spending is diverting resources from environmental initiatives and numerous large corporates have followed Trump’s lead to abandon those hard-won climate agreements and targets that intend to collectively steer humanity towards a more prosperous future. A near-term future characterised by the relative stabilization of global climatic conditions seems more and more unlikely. As large parts of LA burn to the ground following years of increasingly intense wildfires, greenhouse gas emissions will now rise even further with increased global military activity. Even conservative early-stage investors, after a prolonged period of hesitancy to invest in defense technologies have turned the page, increasingly abandoning green solutions in favour of new missile technologies and digital warfare solutions.

As the world descends into another bout of global madness, I have questioned the viability of collective environmental action. It has felt almost immature to discuss the pressing environmental issues of our present moment in the context of the increasingly imminent threat of global warfare. As we descend into ever-deeper caverns of digital inundation, I can’t help but feel a sense of longing for a harmony with my biological rhythms. A sense of well-being and collective prosperity, abundance. A materially felt peace emerging from deep within the souls of humanity. Continually existing with the perspective of eternal love in this world which is so heavily pulled to hysteria and chaos feels at odds with the flow of the present. Yet I deeply believe that it is possible and all the more necessary. In the past weeks I felt an increasing sense of claustrophobia as I considered these issues. With the incessant deluge of taunting social media material and news reporting, I longed for a voice to speak about the future of environmentally-engaged actors in this ecosystem. How do we confront the new funding landscape increasingly oriented around defense and the development of new techniques of orchestrated addiction?

How can I perpetuate a fundamental vibration of well-being, the grounding frequency of the eternal hum in this context? In this article, I want to address three perspectives: the climate as a security issue, grounding in present moment awareness and practical considerations.

Climate and environmental change is a security issue. It may be tempting to focus on the current political opponent and the latest competition in military spending, but the climatic shifts we are experiencing, along with the continued erosion of viable ecosystems and increasing pollution are issues central to the survival of the human species as a whole. As climate change advances and ecological envelopes change along with sea levels, border-related issues are becoming more and more central. The mass of climate migration expected in the coming years will be vastly compounded by unstable geopolitical situations that cannot cater to ecosystems of care and resilience for those of us displaced.

Increasing defense and technology spending in the context of climate provides opportunities for the exploration of new practices of surveillance and border-making. Drone-monitored agricultural spaces and wildlife systems, biofeedback technologies and AI-steered systems of food production are pressing areas for artistic inquiry that artists are exploring to contribute to an accountable and harmonious application of these technologies.

Our development of new technologies of annihilation comes alongside an increasingly widespread understanding of subtle somatic practices – mindfulness, meditation, yoga. I believe that the recent focus on defense spending is counterbalanced by an increasingly positive awareness of the interconnection of global systems of humanity and environments. Here, I seek to connect to the deeper sense of fulfilment in this awareness. A stillness in relation to the madness of the world. Cultivating intelligence beyond the intellect through sensory observation, intuition and collective rituals of memory-making and future-building. I see the artist as connector to ground and spirit, to Source. The artist as guide to the harmonious interconnection of self with the Universe. The artist as peacemaker between worlds.

Practically, recent developments require some reworking of the frameworks that enable artistic practice. Reconsidering how funding opportunities and requirements align with political outlooks on the artist and the institutional side. But more importantly, considering how we choose to align ourselves in the new reality. We are entering a new world for artists. I imagine the artist as the spiritually enlivened mediator of worlds, facilitating direct exchange between communities, the development of individual and collective consciousness and the communication of new technological possibilities. I’m very excited by this prospect.