Hope is radical
In 2017-2019 I studied a Masters in Fine Art (MFA) in Design at the Belfast School of Art, specialising in illustration and communication of sustainability and peace issues. I spent the two years exploring society's emotional response to the ecological, social and economic crises of our times, and how to build resilience within social movements seeking positive change. I took as my starting point the idea that these global crises can be emotionally difficult to face, and indeed, many of us avoid them – not because we do not care, but because we feel overwhelmed, numb or unable to believe we can make a difference. I sought to visually communicate narratives that explore this despair, overwhelm, loneliness, and ultimately, courage and hope.
The final product of my project was an illustrated book inspired by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone’s 2012 book Active Hope: how to face the mess we’re in without going crazy. This is widely seen as a key text in the emerging field of eco-psychology. Indeed, for more than five decades Joanna Macy has been a core figure in working within the ecological movement to build resilience and increase our capacity to face the global challenges of our time, including climate change, mass extinction and ecological destruction.
As a homage to Joanna Macy’s work, my final project also included a series of prints (taken from my illustrated book) with three condensed messages from her lifetime of work: ‘gratitude is radical’; ‘hope is radical’; and ‘we are the living planet’.
You can find out more about Joanna Macy’s work at workthatreconnects.org and activehope.info.