No Plan(et) B:

No Plan(et) B:
Landscapes of the Anthropocene

An·thro·po·cene

ˈanTHrəpəˌsēn/

adjective

relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.

the Anthropocene period.

noun: Anthropocene

I first read this word in 2017 in a New York Times magazine article entitled

“Only Human” by Wesley Yang.  My first thought, “How do you pronounce that?” My second thought, “What does it mean?”

The article describes how persistent activities of daily living by humans, things like farming, building, driving a car, using electricity, shopping, and throwing out garbage, have become gargantuan forces that are interfering with the epic and sublime perfection of the Earth’s ecological systems and life.

This is something I immediately understood to be true, but had not realized was “unofficially” being decreed by scientists as an epoch. Of course, we all know it is true – how could it not be with 7.5 billion humans on the planet. About the same time as reading the New York Times article, I encountered the artwork, Continuous Service Altered Daily, by David Brooks at the Aldrich Museum. The physical art puzzled me, but the text that accompanied the work was a beautifully concise description of the intricate functioning of nature.

I continued to scour the internet for information about the Anthropocene and Ecosystem Services. I began thinking and daydreaming about the ideas that were conveyed in the article & Brooks’ art. I began collecting and lettering quotes, and painting landscapes.  My reading and research ranged from the beauty and reverie of Lewis Thomas, Lives of a Cell, and Loren Eiseley’s The Unexpected Universe, to small bits of the mind-bulging Eco-philosophy of Timothy Morton, to fact-laden EPA and NASA reports. I even attended a Brown Arts Initiative symposium at Brown University on the Arctic meltdown.

And there is no doubt – the data is real, my fellow humans – it’s the Anthropocene.

The paintings I have created are landscapes I have walked through in dreams. They are certainly distilled memories from childhood. They are also direct observations from walking around on the planet. 

The challenges of the Anthropocene are daunting. But, I find it reasonable to hope – hope in the intellect of humans, hope in the enthusiasm of youth, hope in the resiliency of nature.