Art for the Anthropocene

Like an airborne samurai, talons drawn, green eyes squinting fiendishly, a thing of beauty swoops down on its panicked victim. And each had to show one interesting behaviour trait of the hummingbird — I learnt about ‘nectar thieving’, when they cleverly pierce through the flower’s base to reach the nectar; but this short-cut means the bird does precious little for the plant’s pollination.” Kadur now takes nature journalling to children through her GreenScraps project where they can hold and study and sketch from nature. The illustrator of this image, Bengaluru-based Nirupa Rao, adds an interesting fact: “The long stem helps keep the flower well away from the leaves — so pollinating insects don’t get caught, and can carry pollen on to other flowers.” Speak of nature’s perfect design. Rao thinks that the return to nature is a response to the loss of the wilderness but professionals and hobbyists alike are also using their art “as a means to slow down and rethink our lifestyles.” Listen to the silence Pillars of Life also features sketches by Sartaj Ghuman, who is introduced in the book “as a trained wildlife biologist who prefers poetry to academics.” He confirms that when we meet him, telling us that his breathtaking paintings are just art, and if he uses science, it’s for composition’s sake. He says, “Odisha is unique in that local movements have successfully delayed acquisitions, thus influencing the departure of international corporations.” Leaders of primarily non-violent groups of peasants, fishermen and tribal people can be heard speaking in ‘The Sovereign Forest’ — the idea is to build up evidence against the crime committed and also to ask vital questions: can an artist intervene in this scenario?