Abstract

If we accept that art has a role to play in the influence of popular opinion on issues of ecology and ethics, we can then also question the effectiveness of various approaches and methodologies that are at the disposal of the contemporary artist.

As we endeavor to extricate civilization from fossil fuel dependence and pull ourselves back from the brink of ecological disaster, the existential debate over the purpose of art deserves renewed attention. Is it possible for art to contribute actively to solutions to the problems that confront us? Can interdisciplinary solution-based art with hyper-constructivist relevance inspire social change?

As the trend in architecture sees buildings move towards zero-impact and positive-impact construction, and energy generation becomes more nodal and diversified, perhaps the trend in urban infrastructure will follow. Since the new means of energy generation do not pollute in their daily operation and can therefore be integrated into the fabric of our lives, will the design of public space, and therefore public art, also seek to incorporate renewable energy technology as we endeavor to create holistic urban ecologies?

What does art have to offer sustainable infrastructure and the future of city planning? And, more fundamentally, can art maintain its conceptual purity while fulfilling practical functions such as energy generation?

The relationship between art and technology is an ancient symbiosis. From the earliest tool-making that manifested aesthetics beyond pure utility, to the rich array of contemporary media works, both sides of the coin have gained riches from the company of the other. Art can use technology as a medium not only for the expression of ideas but also as a tool for the creation of solutions that, through their sublimation of the everyday, have a dual purpose role: both demonstrating while inspiring.

The organizers will present their work in the context of the Land Art Generator Initiative and host a panel discussion regarding the issues related to aesthetics and infrastructure, and interdisciplinary art.

• Elizabeth Monoian is an interdisciplinary artist and designer who uses the Internet, public spaces, electronic noise, video, and performance. She is currently working on large-scale international public art projects that both address and expose models of environmental sustainability. Elizabeth is the founder and director of Society for Cultural Exchange, a non-profit organization that is developing international exchanges between communities, academics and artists. She is the Principal and Co-Founder of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI). LAGI is a worldwide public arts initiative that offers the opportunity for collaborative teams of artists, architects, landscape architects and designers, working with engineers and scientists, to create new ways of thinking about what renewable energy generation looks like. The LAGI project calls on design teams to conceive of large-scale public artworks for specific sites that, in addition to their conceptual beauty, also have the ability to harness clean renewable energy from nature, convert the energy to electrical power, and distribute the power to the utility grid of the city. The project has received featured articles in numerous local and international press outlets, including The New York Times and Dwell Magazine. Her work has screened and exhibited internationally in venues including: The First Biennial of Oran, Algeria; Video’ Appart, International Video Art Biennial, Paris & Dubai; the XXIII Moscow International Film Festival, Moscow, Russia; Anthology Film Archives, NYC; Open Screen Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Festival of Actual Kino, Novosibirsk, Russia; The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland; and the International Media Art Festival at the Armenian Center of Contemporary Experimental Art, Yerevan, Armenia. Elizabeth received an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, and is currently Assistant Professor of Art & Design at Zayed University, UAE. landartgenerator.org  studiedimpact.com/projects.shtml
• Robert Ferry RA, LEED AP BD+C, is a USA licensed architect and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, USA. His architectural focus is on designing buildings and other public objects that go above and beyond current popular notions of sustainability to achieve complete harmony with their local and global environments and with the people that use them. While based in the UAE, he has consulted on such projects as MASDAR City and ADNOC HQ. He is the designer of less-than-zero-impact or positive-impact buildings that double as a renewable energy power-plants. He is an Ambassador in the UAE for the Living Building Institute. He is the Principal and Co-Founder of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI). LAGI is a worldwide public arts initiative that offers the opportunity for collaborative teams of artists, architects, landscape architects and designers, working with engineers and scientists, to create new ways of thinking about what renewable energy generation looks like. The LAGI project calls on design teams to conceive of large-scale public artworks for specific sites that, in addition to their conceptual beauty, also have the ability to harness clean renewable energy from nature, convert the energy to electrical power, and distribute the power to the utility grid of the city. The project has received featured articles in numerous local and international press outlets, including The New York Times and Dwell Magazine.