With the Wild
Artmaking as Collaboration with Wild Landscapes and Their Inhabitants
abstract
This essay explores the intersection of art, nature, and culture, delving into the role of the artist as an agent who interacts and collaboratively creates with their surrounding ecosystem. The essay draws from examples like Pintubi song maps in Australia, the coastal pilgrimages of Jakarta-based duo Tita Salina and Irwan Ahmett, and Rashad Salim’s Ark for Iraq project. Through these examples, it discusses how artistic practices can emerge from dialogues with landscapes and communities, and how such practices can evoke new mythologies and worldviews. The text reflects on the blending of human agency with the elements of the environment, bringing forth a perspective of plural realities and decentralised designs, challenging anthropocentrism, and emphasising the inherent agency within these artforms that reciprocate and resonate with their ecosystems.
Keywords: Ecosystems • Vernacular design • Ecological art practices • Pluriversal ontologies