torytelling beyond the anthropocene: S A quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms ILKA BLUE NELSON BA (Hons) Visual Arts Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Research (Arts) Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology October, 2012 IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE THIS A4 VERSION IS A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL THESIS. IT IS A COPY PRODUCED FOR ACADEMIC AND DIGITAL STORAGE REQUIREMENTS ONLY. THE ARTWORKS IN THIS A4 COPY ARE REPLICAS. TO READ, LISTEN, TOUCH, SMELL & ENGAGE THE ORIGINAL THESIS, PLEASE TRACK DOWN A COPY OF THE A5 VERSION, WHICH IS NAMED - THE LIVING SCRIPT - (to find its location visit www.latorica.net) IT IS BOUND IN CLAY AND HOLDS THE ORGINAL ARTWORKS. Creative Work 1: The Masters Thesis as Living Script (Ilka Nelson, 2012) This collection of explorative work is printed on Recycled Pure+™ 80gsm, which is manufactured from 100% Post-Consumer waste (collected from office waste), de-inked and bleached in a Process Chlorine Free (PCF) process. ~1~ Storytelling Beyond the Anthropocene: a quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. Name: Ilka Blue Nelson Signed: Date: 18/04/2013 Storytelling Beyond the Anthropocene: a quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms ~2~ KEY WORDS Key words: artist; complexity; ecocide; ecological thinking; deep ecology; mythology; practice- led research; Quantum Narratives; relationships; storytelling; transdisciplinarity; transformation. ~3~ Storytelling Beyond the Anthropocene: a quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms ABSTRACT This project is a passionate and sometimes enraged thrust toward a biodiverse future. Weaving stories with deep thinking beyond the limits of the anthropocene, I am trying to recall myself in a more-than-human world. Our planet is suffering human induced ecocide which is a global crisis threatening the existence of multiple life forms. The alchemical mix of storytelling and ecological thinking could be part remedy for humanity’s adaptation: a transformational mix to re-pattern the crisis into an opportunity and shift anthropocentric structures toward networks of dynamic relationships. The purpose of this project is to explore this cultural remedy. This is a quest, a search for tools that can germinate the hypothesis: storytelling in relation to ecological thinking manifests human potential in a more-than-human world. The practice-led research is guided by the philosophy and practice of Mythology, Deep ecology and Transdisciplinarity. Further navigation is sourced from Systems Thinking, Indigenous Methodologies, Biomimicry, and Quantum Physics. The journey unfolds by reawakening the Artist’s function as caretaker of Mythology and pattern inciter for the collective. The resounding discovery of this adventure is Quantum Narratives: a storytelling tool for today’s world, a method to connect multiple ways of knowing and diverse languages with the purpose of engaging, relating and working with living knowledge. Quantum Narratives are used to test the field study research into the Future of Water in context of Coal Seam Gas Mining in the Murray-Darling Basin and to materialise the collaborative results as the Water Stories. This thesis is a Living Script, full of imagination and complexity. Within its folds are strategies for systemic change ready to be adapted by policy and planning brokers and those who hold power for widespread remedial action. Storytelling Beyond the Anthropocene: a quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms ~4~ TABLE OF CONTENTS Statement of Original Authorship .................................................................................... 2 Key Words ............................................................................................................................ 3 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 4 Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ 5 List of Figures, Tables and Creative Works .................................................................... 7 Aspect, Key Terms and Abbreviations ............................................................................ 9 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 11 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 14 Prologue ............................................................................................................................. 15 SEEKING: TRANSFORMATION Introduction ................................................................................................. 22 FINDING: RELATIONSHIPS Chapter One: Evolution & Entropy ............................................................ 56 Letter One: On Strategy ............................................................................................. 56 The Roots of Ecocide ................................................................................................. 58 Ecocide Is the Death of Nature Not the Nature of Death .................................. 59 Crisis as Opportunity: Systems Thinking................................................................. 60 Strategies for Transformation .................................................................................... 60 From Despair to Empowerment: The Practice of Deep Ecology ...................... 62 Chapter Two: Continuum & Change ........................................................... 64 Letter Two: On Mythology ....................................................................................... 64 The Stories We Tell .................................................................................................... 66 Power and Potential .................................................................................................... 67 Stories Told in Wisdom .............................................................................................. 68 Quantum Narratives: Thinking like a mountain .................................................... 70 Chapter Three: Dynamic Connection .......................................................... 73 Letter Three: On Connection .................................................................................... 73 A Quantum Leap in Pattern Recognition ................................................................ 75 Languages that Connect, Languages that Divide ................................................... 77 Dialogue: New Networks from Old Webs .............................................................. 79 The Functioning Artist ............................................................................................... 80 ~5~ Storytelling Beyond the Anthropocene: a quest through the crises of ecocide toward new ecological paradigms METHODS: PRACTICE Chapter Four: The ‘living pattern’ ................................................................ 86 Types of Knowledge .................................................................................................. 87 Why Transdisciplinarity: the Art of Complexity .................................................... 89 Artlab: Methods and Analysis ................................................................................... 92 Testing the Research: Field Study in the Pilliga Scrub ........................................... 95 New Knowledge: Quantum Narratives .................................................................. 103 WATER: REMBERING Chapter Five: Water - Resource or Relationship? ....................................... 108 The Art of Stories ...................................................................................................... 110 The Water Stories: A Quantum Narratives Model .................................................. 111 LEARNING: LISTENING Conclusion: Seeds & Ripples ...................................................................... 148 Seeds............................................................................................................................. 149 Growth ........................................................................................................................ 149 Pollination ................................................................................................................... 150 Epilogue ............................................................................................................................ 153 Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 155 Appendix A: Bat/Human Project (Artlab - Lab 2) .............................................. 155 Appendix B: Water Lab & Deep Ecology workshops (Artlab - Satellite 1) ..... 158 References and Bibliography .......................................................................................... 164 Storytelling