Visuality and Geoaesthetics in the Era of Ecosocial Crisis. Analytical Approaches (VIGEO)

Jun 3, 2024

Period 2022-2024: Visuality and Geoaesthetics in the Era of Ecosocial Crisis. Analytical Approaches (VIGEO)

Director: Martí Peran

Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)

PID2022-139211OB-I00

Project Information
Affiliated Researchers:

  • Martin Peran Rafart, Principal Researcher
  • Ana María Guasch Ferrer, Researcher
  • Juan Vicente Aliaga Espert, Researcher
  • José Miguel García Cortés, Researcher
  • Isabel Valverde Zaragoza, Researcher
  • Federica Matelli, Researcher
  • Pablo Santa Olalla Moya, Team Member
  • Chiara Sgaramella, Team Member
More and more artistic projects are being developed from concepts, methodologies, and aesthetics related to geology and are motivated by concerns about the geological epoch implied by the Anthropocene, research into the social and environmental repercussions of extractivism, and the proliferation of visual configurations akin to stratigraphy. These are artistic projects that involve a material concern for the territory, both in terms of social struggles and the transformation of the Earth, addressing the future challenges of humanity as a whole and, in particular, its most vulnerable sectors.

This turn towards the geological was already evident in the work of Land Art artists, especially in Robert Smithson, who advocated for an “abstract geology,” drawing connections between the geological, the body, and mental processes. A geology whose sedimentations he interpreted as crystallizations of thought (Smithson, 1969). However, the current focus on geology within artistic practices is particularly aimed at making visible and finding solutions to social and environmental problems arising from the current climate and resource crisis, as seen in the works of artist Trevor Paglen or the projects of the collective Más Arte Más Acción.

Nevertheless, specific studies have not yet been conducted in the Hispanic context that analyze the visual configurations of contemporary artists within the framework of the Geological Humanities. Similarly, alongside retrospective analysis, it is urgent to prospectively address the future conditions of life on Earth and the possibilities of geo-aesthetic remodellings through the collaborative work between artists and researchers from various fields. This is with the aim of reactivating the convergences between contemporary art and ecological policies, as well as between visual humanities and environmental humanities. This should be done in the many ways in which artistic projects, art history research, exhibitions, and curatorial practices present themselves, prioritizing the “geological turn” over anthropocentric humanities.

Goals
1. The general objective of the research is to analyze the Hispanic artistic landscape of the last two decades with the intention of generating an archive of artistic practices that can be considered within the Geological Humanities.

2. Similarly, it aims to conduct a diagnosis through these artistic practices of the current ecosocial crisis and its relationship with geology.

3. The research also intends to study and disseminate prospective and cross-disciplinary investigations that are taking place in non-Hispanic contexts regarding the hypothesis of terraforming and other forms of planetary design.

4. Additionally, a general objective of this research is to foster an encounter between contemporary artistic practices and other fields of knowledge.

Impact
The expected impact in the field of knowledge advancement can be summarized in the following considerations:

1. Provide tools to consolidate the understanding of artistic practices within the Geological Humanities;

2.Contribute to expanding the extensive debate on the functions, values, and methods of art in the face of the ecosocial crisis, fostering an impact on other disciplines;

3. Emphasize the multiplication of intersections between the sphere of art and other disciplinary fields;

4. Contribute to establishing novel parameters for the History and Theory of Art focused on contemporary artistic practices.

International Impact

The project is conceived within the framework of a national and international network with various projects related to the proposed subject of study (Energia Territori i Societat GURB, Estética Fósil, Forensic Architecture, Strelka Institute, GeoHumanities European Network, Operational Images and Visual Culture, Translocal Institute for Contemporary Art, Center for Creative Ecologies), which ensures the presence of the research within the perimeter radiating from these projects.

Keywords:

Geological Humanities, Contemporary Art, Ecosocial Crisis, Anthropocene, Stratigraphy, Extractivism, Land Art, Geo-aesthetic, Visual Configurations, Terraforming, Planetary Design, Interdisciplinary Research, Environmental Humanities.