Ecoventions: Johanson, Hull and trans-species art

Art is created by people, but is it only for people? Since the 1970s, artists have challenged anthropocentric assumptions about art. Sculpture parks have sprung up around the globe (e.g. Yorkshire Sculpture Park or Sculpture in the Parklands) exploring ecological awareness and human creativity. Some artists have taken further steps, proclaiming a dedication to trans-species art: art that is made by humans but which is meant to be enjoyed or at least benefit other species.

The artist and designer Patricia Johanson began in the late 1960s a life-long project: artistic interventions designed to interact with environmental conditions and to enhance ecological vitality. In 1981, her design for Fair Park Lagoon in Dallas, Texas (seen above) created a playful, sculptured landscape, mimicking rolling organic forms. The design had strong aesthetic qualities but also offered habitats for wildlife - places for turtles to sun themselves, shade for fish - while striking a symbiosis between vegetation and human architectural needs - the Delta Duck Potato plant was used to secure soil in order to prevent the erosion of the lake.

Eco-artist Lynne Hull also has an extensive body of works which largely focus on creative sculptures that are as attractive to look at as they are as habitats for birds. Seen below, her sculpture 'Lightning' provides safe roosting for birds of prey (hawks, eagles and owls) as an alternative to electric power poles. The sculpture was erected along Interstate 80 in southern Wyoming in 1990, and in the image, you can see a young ferruginous hawk nesting.

Hull and Johanson's works demonstrate the ability for the artist to successfully combine human aesthetic desire with non-anthropocentric values. 

At a time when design thinking is increasingly empathetic and human-centered, perhaps it is appropriate to balance these approaches with an inspiration from artists and designers who transcend anthropocentricity and realise work serves more species.