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Changing Ideas Award
In "Babel 1", I wanted to inspire people to consider their relationship with, and impacts on, nature by creating an image which encapsulates the influence of the technological world (represented by human structures) on the natural world, often with dire consequences.
My image refers to the cautionary tale of the Tower of Babel, where the attempt to build a tower to reach the heavens caused societal chaos and destruction. Bruegel’s famous image is full of wonderful detail of humanity’s hubris and recklessness and this was my starting point.
My Babel is a complex web of people, buildings and birds including a birdman and is underpinned by an ancient tree which is nearly completely obscured by the buildings. By obscuring the tree I aimed to highlight the ongoing degradation of nature.
I wanted to present a range of viewpoints and the need to bring people together to consider the diversity of human needs. A monumental figure attempts to climb into the bottom of the tower but does not succeed as they are too large, signalling their overlarge needs, other people idly wander around at the bottom of the tower seemingly unaware of the chaos around them, suggesting ignorance and carelessness, spectators in deckchairs helplessly gaze up at the ensuring chaos in paralysis. A woman perches on the edge of ruins holding a dove, a symbol of peace, seeking an end to the conflict between people and nature.
Scientifically, birds are bellwethers for the health of nature providing early warning of ecological change. My supersized egrets scatter and sound the alarm, the dove mediates for harmony between people and nature, and the avocet birdman symbolises positive action to restore nature, the avocet, a symbol of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. - the artist