According to Gen Z, climate change is the most urgent problem which requires immediate action. For this young population, each birthday they celebrate and each social gathering that wastes energy like there’s no tomorrow transform into a source of motivation to take action against global warming and the climate crisis. Science and art represent the most creative way to change the way executives think. So, what does sustainable celebration look like? Can we connect with nature for our moments of celebration? Happily, the curious minds that spark magical feelings in us and demonstrate extraordinary works are everywhere!
One of the works that explicitly state how we need to transform our moments of celebration is carried out by Studio Roosegarde, based in Rotterdam. Described as a social laboratory of design, the Studio’s founder Daan Roosegarde has set off on this journey with his inspiration from fireflies, flocks of birds, and stars and his desire to update the world-practiced firework rituals. He designs a poetic performance of thousands of bio-dissolvable ray sparks organically soaring through the air. Thanks to a combination of design and technology, thousands of rays of light made of biodegradable materials move about silently in the changing wind. In fact, it’s becoming an organic and sustainable alternative to fireworks! Considering the fact that fireworks are banned in certain states of the US and that some countries such as Ireland, Australia, Argentine, and Chile have implemented surprisingly drastic limitations regarding this issue, we see that our behaviours will continue to change for good, even in moments of celebration. Which would you prefer? Fireworks which are in essence dangerous, which hurt the seagulls flying across the Bosphorus, and are manufactured with solid fuels; or biodegradable, magical, and poetically soaring rays of sparks?
SCIENCE AND DREAMS
It’s one thing to invent a tool of celebration with inspiration from nature. It’s a whole other thing to turn nature into a festival, an illuminated celebration! Someone from Turkey has managed this. Artist İdil İlkin shared her fantastical work on “bio-art” which has also been picked up by the Turkish art scene. In her project, Paradisiaque, science and dreams fuse with one another! Featuring concepts such as light, radiance, diffusion, expansion, and reflection in her art, İlkin now investigates the topic of bioluminescence, which has been researched for some time at MIT. This time, the leaves that engage in photosynthesis by capturing light give off light. Meanwhile, the artist both questions her work due to ethical concerns, and shares it with us as a new area of discussion. Do plants have rights? Can bioluminescence be utilised as a humane argument that doesn’t deplete nature? Or, does it turn nature into a celebration when the artist collaborates with genetics and biology engineers to make plants radiate for a while and to share this through art? For us, the answer is “definitely, it does” because nature deserves an unprecedented celebration! Here’s how artist İdil İlkin explains the subject matter: “We filled nano-particles with luciferase enzyme that essentially permeates light through bioluminescence in fireflies and applied this mixture to leaves of plants to achieve a luminescence that is strong enough for our eyes to see. We succeeded in doing this not through genetic interference, but through chemical intervening. The result is a dream-like model based on which we can use bioluminescence, maybe even in urban planning. Scientists are currently working on this. By bringing this topic into my art, I invite the interested parties and, particularly, the energy industry as the direct cause of greenhouse gases to consider bioluminescence, which is planned to be a part of the future world.”
Let us share our own perspective: We’re grateful to have these unique ideas and inspiring minds that do away with limitations because they both remind us of our responsibility to praise and to celebrate nature in nature. We’re glad that they are trying to transform us for a sustainable future! It’s in our hands to multiply this -all we need to do is to think in multiple aspects and to create space for creativity! All that we need is beloved by all: flexibility!