The Intersection of Art and Climate Change - How Photography can Inspire Activism
Art and activism have always been heavily intertwined from The Guernice by Picasso in response to the bombing of Guernica, Spain during the Spanish Civil War to street artists such as Banksy that use their work to provide critical commentary on social, political, and cultural issues. Even further, art and activism have been intertwined in the climate movement. From the Just Stop Oil protests throwing soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers to visual representations of the climate crisis such as the Climate Stripes created by the University of Reading, art in the climate movement is literally everywhere. It can be utilized through many different mediums to demonstrate and connect people with the climate movement, especially when a scientific understanding of climate change can be complex, dense, and often misrepresented by the media.
Oxford Climate Society is a huge proponent of using art as a key form of climate activism. OCS launched Planet Art in Michaelmas 2023 which is a large event in collaboration with art societies such as the Edgar Wind Society to explore the intersection of art and climate within many different topics. The last Planet Art focused on the use of art to demonstrate the importance of food within the climate movement. (Keep an eye out for Planet Art IV in Trinity 2025!) The evening includes visual art, presentations, poetry, film, and much more in order to demonstrate the vast diversity of art and voices that can be used to support the climate movement.
I have also found my own form of art for the climate movement through the medium of photography. Photography provides a realistic way to visualize the climate movement by capturing real-world moments, experiences, events, and much more. A few years ago I completed a photographic portfolio that demonstrated how the reality of the environment today can be utilized to visualize sustainable climate futures. This project involved capturing photographs of the everyday and then drawing positive climate futures into the photographs. For example, I drew solar panels onto houses in order to show how simple solutions can be implemented. Or I drew a plant growing out of a sea of houses representing the resiliency of nature to the increasing impacts of humans on the environment (pictured below).
‘Nature vs Industrialization’ by Sophie Williams
This kind of art demonstrates how art, specifically photography, can be used to inspire creativity and create a positive outlook in the climate movement. Art is a form of activism that is able to engage emotions and expand our capacity to connect with issues such as climate change. Photography does this specifically by representing our current reality, both the positive and negative aspects, to highlight work that has made an impact or areas where we must improve.
Photography not only can be used to inspire climate activism within communities but also allows people to get outside and into their environment to observe the world around them from a new perspective. You are able to observe the way people interact with the environment. This is even more so true in nature photography where people must situate themselves within vast landscapes for landscape photography or small gardens for macro photography. This forces people to not only observe their environment in a new way but also allows them to connect with the ecosystems and species that we work hard to protect. I did this in January where I traveled to Bagley Woods (just south of Oxford if you are looking for a simple hike) in order to take a few nature photographs. This experience allowed me to not only capture the natural environment in photographs to share with my community but to also take time away from the busy uni life that is Oxford and to spend some time appreciating ecosystems that I spend the majority of my degree and free time learning about and protecting.
To end this article, I just want to emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the climate movement and activism in general. Collaborating with new forms of activism such as different art mediums can provide a new perspective and approach to sharing climate information. So take out your phone or camera and start capturing the environment around you because I am sure it can inspire you or others in your community in ways that may not be possible through other forms of activism.
Written by Sophie Williams
Photography Website