CLS 2009
11 Earthly Matters Mural Magazine and Photography
11 Earthly Matters Mural Magazine and Photography
Mining and the Environment, 2007-2008
Of the many years Myths and Mirrors has explored themes with the public, engaging residents in collective creation community project about local issues, we have found ‘Mining and the Environment’ has been a difficult theme for public participation. We have also found many people simply do not want to know about the impacts of industrial pollution on our local environments and their impacts on human health. Throughout the years we have built fundamental partnerships and relationships in the community and abroad to help guide us collectively in grasping a broad understanding of the issues Sudburians face, and collectively create opportunities for working together on fun transformative projects using interesting models and methods for our coming together, understanding issues and be included in making big decisions together for our common futures.
Through community consults, a main response received was that the environmental issues we face can be very sad and paralyzing for some because it is about their lives and futures, their employers, and about the future of all of our children.
Through experimenting with different mechanisms through the process of trying and doing in our collective community creation projects, the groups involved built a sense of awareness, feedback and togetherness with those who did not necessarily know the science or have technical expertise involved with the Soil Study and Risk Assessments undergoing in our community.
Continually through the process, we collectively created alternative spaces for dialogue and built innovative ways of open participation through our collective learning, research, and response through creation, inclusively making decisions together about living together. We have felt it has been important that through working with the difficult theme, it was important that we cradled our focus to emphasize curative notions and antidotes to despair, empowering the bringing together of communities for remedial solution building without casting blame, or cause denial and feel this is an exciting time for people to be involved in coming together to build a healthier, safer, bright community.
In January 2008, a core group of youth interested in creating collective art reflecting the dialogue taking place about industrial pollution and began participatory research on the Sudbury Soil Study while awaiting the release of the Human Health Risk Assessment based on the soil study’s findings, results and conclusions. Health and safety partnerships were made with expert resources for supporting the participants in the projects who did necessarily have the background in technical aspects of the study preventing them from understanding the bigger picture of what was happening with high metal concentrates in their environments and how they impact our health.
A youth led collective bookwork entitled, “Earthly Matters”, was also created over the winter and spring of 2008, with partnership from local artist run gallery space and media arts network, “TAG and Film”. The incredible work came together into a dense range of articles and artworks into a creative 60 page booklet, a mixture of collective and self-expression reflecting interests around Northern Ontario’s environmental challenges, offers recipes for emanating change, shares values and beliefs, suggests our common generosity of spirit in coming together for important issues that impact us, and lessons learned through our experiences. The exploratory dive shown in the material tells a story of continual openness in learning and seats a range of issues encouraging active community participation in our collective involvements in creating change for our common futures.
Youth groups involved were interested in creating a series of artistic response pieces to share with the public. This included their questions, thoughts and ideas, reflections about their home town, and responses to a range of issues related to industrial pollution. The group publicly distributed their youth attractive collective creation, attracting a larger community in the coming together for their involvement. This moved the groups forward into solution suggestive artistic project planning as they felt their involvement should shift into focusing on reclamation, proper compensation and remediation in their next steps.
What’s the Risk photography project took a core group of youth and young adults on a 5 month exploration of Sudbury’s landscapes to learn about and take an inventory of the state of the environment. The groups met weekly for the outdoor adventures and soon found themselves accompanied with the collection of testimonies from local residents, mainly past and present workers from mining and smelting operations who wanted to share their stories and enthralling experiences about working in and around the mines. Their humble enthusiasm was generously shared helping us answer many questions about our history and helped us face our own human quandaries. The photography, film and video capture raw, passionate, fierce and powerful imagery and dialogue. The group met with environmentalists, environmental justice and protection organizations, scientists, health advisors, study groups, unions, and health and safety experts, to help shape and guide the project. This moved the groups into thinking about how they could participate in being included in the involvement in environmentally sound decisions to be made in our communities.
11 Earthly Matters Mural Magazine and Photography
11 Earthly Matters Mural Magazine and Photography
Mining and the Environment, 2007-2008
Of the many years Myths and Mirrors has explored themes with the public, engaging residents in collective creation community project about local issues, we have found ‘Mining and the Environment’ has been a difficult theme for public participation. We have also found many people simply do not want to know about the impacts of industrial pollution on our local environments and their impacts on human health. Throughout the years we have built fundamental partnerships and relationships in the community and abroad to help guide us collectively in grasping a broad understanding of the issues Sudburians face, and collectively create opportunities for working together on fun transformative projects using interesting models and methods for our coming together, understanding issues and be included in making big decisions together for our common futures.
Through community consults, a main response received was that the environmental issues we face can be very sad and paralyzing for some because it is about their lives and futures, their employers, and about the future of all of our children.
Through experimenting with different mechanisms through the process of trying and doing in our collective community creation projects, the groups involved built a sense of awareness, feedback and togetherness with those who did not necessarily know the science or have technical expertise involved with the Soil Study and Risk Assessments undergoing in our community.
Continually through the process, we collectively created alternative spaces for dialogue and built innovative ways of open participation through our collective learning, research, and response through creation, inclusively making decisions together about living together. We have felt it has been important that through working with the difficult theme, it was important that we cradled our focus to emphasize curative notions and antidotes to despair, empowering the bringing together of communities for remedial solution building without casting blame, or cause denial and feel this is an exciting time for people to be involved in coming together to build a healthier, safer, bright community.
In January 2008, a core group of youth interested in creating collective art reflecting the dialogue taking place about industrial pollution and began participatory research on the Sudbury Soil Study while awaiting the release of the Human Health Risk Assessment based on the soil study’s findings, results and conclusions. Health and safety partnerships were made with expert resources for supporting the participants in the projects who did necessarily have the background in technical aspects of the study preventing them from understanding the bigger picture of what was happening with high metal concentrates in their environments and how they impact our health.
A youth led collective bookwork entitled, “Earthly Matters”, was also created over the winter and spring of 2008, with partnership from local artist run gallery space and media arts network, “TAG and Film”. The incredible work came together into a dense range of articles and artworks into a creative 60 page booklet, a mixture of collective and self-expression reflecting interests around Northern Ontario’s environmental challenges, offers recipes for emanating change, shares values and beliefs, suggests our common generosity of spirit in coming together for important issues that impact us, and lessons learned through our experiences. The exploratory dive shown in the material tells a story of continual openness in learning and seats a range of issues encouraging active community participation in our collective involvements in creating change for our common futures.
Youth groups involved were interested in creating a series of artistic response pieces to share with the public. This included their questions, thoughts and ideas, reflections about their home town, and responses to a range of issues related to industrial pollution. The group publicly distributed their youth attractive collective creation, attracting a larger community in the coming together for their involvement. This moved the groups forward into solution suggestive artistic project planning as they felt their involvement should shift into focusing on reclamation, proper compensation and remediation in their next steps.
What’s the Risk photography project took a core group of youth and young adults on a 5 month exploration of Sudbury’s landscapes to learn about and take an inventory of the state of the environment. The groups met weekly for the outdoor adventures and soon found themselves accompanied with the collection of testimonies from local residents, mainly past and present workers from mining and smelting operations who wanted to share their stories and enthralling experiences about working in and around the mines. Their humble enthusiasm was generously shared helping us answer many questions about our history and helped us face our own human quandaries. The photography, film and video capture raw, passionate, fierce and powerful imagery and dialogue. The group met with environmentalists, environmental justice and protection organizations, scientists, health advisors, study groups, unions, and health and safety experts, to help shape and guide the project. This moved the groups into thinking about how they could participate in being included in the involvement in environmentally sound decisions to be made in our communities.