research
Extinction Rebellion
Time: January 13 – January 20
Brief: Engage a diverse audience on the theme of species loss.
XR group: Riezan, Jason, Kai, Pat, Ana, Jiayi, Jae, Tonicha, Amber, Sanjana, Carol
This term‘s programme involved working with an external collaborator. Our group was paired up with Extinction Rebellion and assigned the brief of engaging with a diverse audience on the topic of species loss and mass extinction. On Monday we met with our collaborators, where they presented their work and the brief in more detail. As this topic is quite complex, we joined forces with the other two groups assigned to this project.
First, we wanted to educate ourselves on the topic of species loss and since I did some research on this subject in the past, I tried to summarise my knowledge, combine it with new research and share it with the group. As we all know, our planet is facing a global extinction crisis. Apart from the fact that two thirds of animals and plants that once lived on Earth have already become extinct, scientists predict that more than one million species are also at risk of becoming extinct in the upcoming decades. This will result in catastrophic effects if not addressed in time. We looked into how our way of life in this society is affecting the animal kingdom in many ways people cannot even imagine. Nature is made of interconnected complex systems that complement each other and if one piece is removed, the whole system is affected.
Preparing the model and ideas.
Afterwards, we wanted to explore what Extinction Rebellion does, so we went to see the protest in front of the Australian embassy that was directed against the Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s pursuit of fossil fuel developments and the fires in Australia caused by climate change.
Protest interviews and observation.
We interviewed the participants and filmed the protest. Due to the unfortunate hour in the middle of a working day, the number of participants was quite small. We learned that some of them are part of Extinction Rebellion, whereas others just saw posts on social media and joined the protest. Most of them wanted to spread awareness because they believe that something has to be done.
Protest video.
Finally, we wanted to see what designers, artists and performers have already done on this topic. We found out about the following artists who have done some amazing work: Urbanimals, Space hijackers and my personal favourite, Dr Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, who has managed to connect various fields through different forms of design. Our goal for the next week was to look deeper into different ideas and means that could help us in our pursuit of engaging more people in this topic.
Presentation.
References
Cusine, D. and Grant, J. (2019). The Impact of Marine Pollution. Milton: Routledge.
Fuller, R., Warren, P. and Gaston, K. (2007). Daytime noise predicts nocturnal singing in urban robins. Biology Letters, 3(4), pp.368-370.
Goines, L., & Hagler, L. (2007). Noise pollution: a modern plague. Southern Medical Journal, 100(3), 287.
Longcore, T. and Rich, C. (2004). Ecological light pollution. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2(4), pp.191-198.
Markham, A. C. (2019). A brief history of pollution. Abingdon: Routledge.
McNeely, J. (1992). The sinking ark: pollution and the worldwide loss of biodiversity. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1(1), pp.2-18.
Preeti, J. K. R., Thakur, M., Suman, M., & Kumar, R. (2018). Consequences of pollution in wildlife: A review.
Suuronen, A. (2017). Ocean Acidification. The Canadian Science Fair Journal, 10762017(1), 2476.
