Contemporary art to save the nature – A collaboration with Fondation Cartier Pour L’Art Contemporaine
Yesterday we attended the opening of “Siamo Foresta” exhibition at Triennale Milano in collaboration with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporaine. We are forest is the language of contemporary art focused on nature and aiming to save it from human impact.
Beyond anthropocentrism
“Siamo Foresta (we are forest) draws its inspiration from an aesthetic and political vision of the forest as an egalitarian multiverse of living peoples, human and non-human, and as such offers an allegory of a possible world beyond our anthropocentrism. The exhibition stages an unprecedented dialogue between thinkers and defenders of the forest; between indigenous artists – from New Mexico to the Paraguayan Chaco passing through the Amazon – and non-indigenous artists (Brazil, China, Colombia, France).” – source
Siamo Foresta: the artists involved
“Focusing on artists from Latin America, We Are Forest presents, amongst others, the works of Jaider Esbell (Macuxi, Brazil), Cleiber Bane (Huni Kuin, Brazil), Floriberta Femin, Angelica Klassen, Esteban Klassen, Marcos Ortiz (Chaco, Paraguay), Sheroanawe Hakiihiwë, Joseca Mokahesi, and Ehuana Yaira (Yanomami, Venezuela and Brazil), Johanna Calle (Colombia), Alex Cerveny, Bruno Novelli, Santidio Pereira, Solange Pessoa, Adriana Varejao, and Luiz Zerbini (Brazil).” – source
We recommend you visit the exhibition, it’s open until October 29!
As we entered the rooms, a quote caught our attention:
“The forest is alive. It can only die if the white people persist in destroying it: if they succeed, the rivers will disappear underground, the soil will crumble, the trees will shrivel up, and the stones will crack in the heat. The dried-up earth will become empty and silent.”
David Kopenawa, The Falling Sky 2010
Siamo Foresta: nature-focused contemporary art
Captured by green in every shade, and two corners of a forest installation with large, lush plants we could walk through. And bright colours. But also some impressive black and white imagery, all with potent imagery and a touching sense of light. Indeed, we were amazed to discover the drawings created by some indigenous self-taught artists using just a ballpoint pen. A fun detail: a man saw Cri standing next to a painting in her anis slipdress by Marc Le Bihan and said: “Your colours perfectly match this painting. You should be in it! Let me take you a picture!” Indeed, we all wore colours in line with the exhibition. Perhaps when we made our Spring-Summer 23, the forest mood inspired us!
In the end, another quote made us reflect:
“It began with separating man from nature and establishing him as a sovereign kingdom; it was thus believed to erase the most irrefutable character of him, namely that he is primarily a living being. And, remaining blind to this common property, the field has been given free rein to all abuses.”
Sustainability is ridiculous. Not because the concept per se is foolish or does not make sense. But because it is too broad, too vague, and, therefore, deceptive.
Sustainable fashion? This is greenwashing
Sometimes for ignorance or superficiality, yet in most cases, intentionally, as those who play the sustainable game are perfectly aware of what they do. But, in the end, sustainability is just a new way to make money by showing a green facade. The industry, that goes from consultancy to fashion brand retail to NGOs, is flourishing. As a matter of fact, industry players spend time on “eco – green – conscious” labels, but it seems they are playing a shell game. The purpose is to hide and manipulate truths.
In most cases, the effort is all about running after the latest eco-friendly label. But is it enough to achieve sustainability? It is the case of Chloé, for instance. Richemont hired Gabriela Hearst for her eco credentials, and now, three years later, the designer is exiting the company. Though they say revenue increased by 60%, their design is far away from the beauty of the past.
Why sustainability is ridiculous
Ultimately, we have some doubts about the strategy Chloé has promoted so far. How can a luxury brand based on seasonal trends manage its business without damaging the planet? We wonder how fashion brands that shift to a purpose-driven business can be credible if they still run their activity on an overproduction pattern. Also, they attain the status of B-Corp. Most importantly, we wonder how B-Corp certification can combine with overproduction. That seems contradictory. In fact, in this context, sustainability is ridiculous.
Specifically, we wonder if a drastic reduction of supply by offering only beautiful design garments made with “sustainable materials” and respecting the production chain would be an effective strategy.
But, of course, we understand that manipulating reality with the effect of fueling overconsumption is the most effective way to make money. So keep up promoting a green world!
Saturday, April 22, we celebrated the Earth Day 2023. Even though it may seem absurd, some brands used this day to release promotions to sell more products. Maybe the purpose of this day is not clear. Or people just don’t care.
Why do we celebrate Earth Day?
Earth Day was established in 1969 when US Senator Gaylord Nelson witnessed a natural disaster caused by the explosion of an oil well next to Santa Barbara, California.
What is the purpose?
For those involved in achieving a sustainable lifestyle, which goes beyond the empty slogan bombarding us at any one time, Earth Day doesn’t mean a celebration. In fact, there is nothing to celebrate. What’s the point of celebrating? The destruction humans bring? Or maybe give it a pause for one day? Surely not.
The purpose is to raise public awareness. Therefore, making people understand we only have one planet, and we must preserve it. Protect it. We need to give mother earth time to heal herself from the mess we massively put out on a daily basis. So the tons of waste which is the byproduct of our economic system. Of our lifestyle. The byproduct of progress: something we cannot renounce.
But if we follow people who promote sustainable growth, green growth, sustainable fashion, and sustainable tourism, we go nowhere. Indeed, as Herman E. Daly said:
We expected any day to hear about “sustainable sustainability.”
Herman E. Daly
Earth Day 2023 & marketing
We received newsletters offering promotions: shop now, and get your discount to celebrate Earth Day! Really, this is it? Another chance for promoting products? For marketing? Is selling more an effective strategy for fighting global warming? Is it the strategy to protect our planet?
Let’s be serious. That is just marketing to sell more. There’s no such thing as sustainable growth. Likewise, there’s no such thing as sustainable fashion or sustainable tourism without a dramatic reduction in consumption.
“What is needed in the first instance are reduced levels of consumption, not just changed patterns.”
Herman E. Daly
In the end, brands can play with marketing to celebrate the Earth Day 2023. So, tourism, fashion, and any other industry can create their sustainable bubbles. But the truth is, we won’t solve any problem unless committ—every single day—to saving the planet by actively reducing our consumption.
Milano Design Week offers the opportunity to reflect on the language of design, though we hope it won’t be another chance to spread more sustainability fluff. By the way, Milano seems to be involved in design more than fashion. In fact, the town is full of events, and the atmosphere is lively and engaging.
Design: clothing & objects
The clothes and objects we use daily form a language–the language of design. As a result, fashion reflects contemporary culture and tells our story. In other words, fashion is culture. And so is design, of course. But while design maintained a high-level positioning, fashion has lost its allure. From top brands to fast fashion, the industry identifies with a disposable culture or transient trends that lead to compulsive consumption. Now, the image of fashion is cheap, and the industry itself has undermined it. So, the mixture with design adds that patina of class, enhancing fashion portrayal.
However, the modern language of design is all about sustainability. Yet, we’re bombarded with catchphrases that are nothing more than empty claims. These buzzwords serve one purpose: marketing, driving more sales. And since sustainability is a hot topic, many jump on the bandwagon simply to tap into a wider audience.
Back to the core: the language of design
Now back to the core: the language of design. What matters to us? Good design with an ethical approach. Certainly, people should be active thinkers and not just consumers. But designers also have a responibility: to create original pieces, artisanal rather than standardised mass products. Good design means thoughtful consideration of the materials, craftsmanship, production chain, and the people involved–while understanding the impact on the planet. It means caring about the entire creative and productive process.
Sustainable design, recycling, and upcycling–as part of a circular economy, are designer’s work. So, do that!
In the end, the dialogue between fashion and design implies shared values. But the outcome of this reciprocal contamination must bring a tangible change, not empty slogans. The planet needs action!
On March 22nd, the EU Commission released a plan against greenwashing to protect consumers from unreliable green claims. However, these new rules leave some room for interpretation, which is likely to lead to further confusion.
Environmental claims aren’t reliable
Over the last five years, we started digging deep into sustainable matters. And how tricky it is for people to understand which label is sustainable or not. That is because of greenwashing: the process of brands and companies deceiving consumers to believe they are green when they are not. Obviously, brands release fake green claims to sell more. Indeed, the sustainability business is flourishing. And perhaps, those who believe in fairy tales are happy with it!
The data on greenwashing
These are the data on greenwashing: 53% of green claims are vague, misleading or unfounded information. 40% of claims have no supporting evidence. 1/2 Half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification. There are 230 sustainability labels and 100 green energy labels in the EU, with vastly different levels of transparency.
So, the new criteria aim to make green claims more reliable across the EU, protecting consumers from greenwashing. They also contribute to fostering a circular economy centered around reuse, repair, and recycling.
Expected impacts
“With certain consumers purchasing products that will be truly better for the environment, it is estimated that the impacts on the environment will be highly positive.”
Now the above statement may sound like greenwashing, too. In fact, the only “better for the environment”comes from a drastic reduction of new products and not more eco-products!
The controversial point
“However, it remains a decision of companies to include (or not) environmental claims in their voluntary commercial communications. This means that the companies can control their costs by determining the scope of the claim (if any) considering its expected return on investment. In short, the costs of substantiation are of a voluntary nature to companies as they are part of one’s marketing strategy and therefore credible estimations of the overall cost for the Union market are difficult.”
Therefore, these rules aren’t mandatory for companies. In fact, businesses have been given some leeway on how to provide evidence of their green claims. Likewise, governments will have the discretion to modify the guidelines when transposing them into national legislation.
In conclusion, without unified regulations, the EU plan to fight greenwashing won’t stop greenwashing!
