Ginninderry’s Inspire podcast: The artist taking on climate change in a unique way
What does a botanical artist who is consumed by climate dread do to make a statement?
She creates a monumental piece of art, in the same vein as the Bayeux Tapestry, and takes it to the world.
In this episode of Ginninderry’s Inspire podcast, host and Head of Sustainability and Community Development Jessica Stewart sits down to speak with Sharon Field about a remarkable project taking the world by storm.
Sharon is an Australian botanical artist waging a personal protest against global warming through her project “3000 days … and counting”.
It’s a visual response to the urgent call to address climate change after Sharon felt predictions on global climate catastrophe hit her like a kick in the guts.
The ink and watercolour-on-paper scroll is a massive undertaking, involving a commitment to paint small segments of nature each day until the year 2030. That will take 3000 days.
The artwork connects from a start date in late 2021, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told the world it needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030, and the cut-off date for action.
Sharon paints directly onto a paper scroll every single day and it is already more than nine metres long (she estimates it will stretch beyond 70 metres when complete).
The artwork has attracted international attention, having been presented live in New York, Vienna and Romania. The American Society of Botanical Artists has shown enthusiastic support, and Sharon has also received interest from the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens in London. She’s done a handful of virtual presentations in the USA and France as well as inspiring poetry and musical scores and prompting an Alaskan artist to start her own scroll.
When Jessica asks Sharon about the response to the artwork, Sharon explains that people have been moved to tears.
They discuss what propels her to get up each day, grab her paintbrush and commit a new image to this monumental artwork.
Want to know more?
Join the Ginninderry Conservation Trust for an afternoon with Sharon as they see how her artwork is progressing all while discussing how we can each take steps to reducing our impact on climate change.
Get along to The Link, 1 McClymont Way, Strathnairn from 2 pm to 4 pm this Saturday 22 June.
Bookings are essential, tickets available from Humanitix.
