Deep Ecology in Artistic Practice
Interview with Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck by Sarah Gissinger
Edited by Kylie Wrigley and Cristiana Voinov
In my interview with Johanna, we uncover her particular relationship with the philosophy of Arne Næss, and his concept of the “Deep Ecology”. Johanna’s practice is one characterised by a profound consciousness of the current environmental stakes and of the role of the artist in the mediation of these.
I personally believe that artists, while perhaps being less visible to global society, are the ones who know how to impact it. They create spaces in which to transmit and reflect. The development of such an environment is certainly observed in Johanna’s practice. A sense of humanity, of simplicity with fairness of actions — as small as these might be — are convened within Johanna’s work and initiatives. Through a touch of moderation, the observers are invited into projects and installations: from matter to word, to visual and sounds. Johanna chooses her mediums, such as textile, with an intuition for what they will convey: transparency, softness, their very own qualities and above all for their sufficiency. Knowing Johanna, if a paper is chosen to draw on, it will either be handmade or found and therefore holding a past life, or produced locally with minimal impact on the Earth.
SG: Johanna, in which context did you discover the philosophy of Arne Næss?
JTH: I encountered the work and philosophy of Arne Næss by way of Satish Kumar. In his 2013 book Soil, Soul, Society, Kumar refers to the practice of Næss; I was directly drawn to it and purchased one of his books in a local bookstore. While ecology and ecological awareness have partly defined my adult life thus far, they are also a large component of my upbringing in rural Alsace, France, with my grandparents who lived on and with the land. My grandfather had, among others, introduced me to the work of Masanobu Fukuoka. In the last decade, I felt an increasing gap between what was perceived as ‘ecology’ and ‘ecological awareness’ by mainstream media, and my own expanding commitment to harmonious and respectful living. It was soon after that feeling arose that I read Næss. I found his writing rich, abundant, so well articulated and I admired his holistic views. I must say while being directly influenced by his work, I also do know there is much left for me to read, explore, inquire about, and that does bring me hope and joy.
Arne Næss claims the importance of interpretation; in this way, there is a certain margin left open in Deep Ecology. How do you think you make Deep Ecology yours, even implicitly?
That openness of interpretation, of reinterpretation, as seen in Ecology of Wisdom, for example, is exactly one of the components that draws me to Næss. He offers space for revision that to me, implies that actions which might be defined as appropriate for Deep Ecology supporters of yesterday, might no longer be valid today. For example, I honestly do believe that supporting, contributing and partaking in the consumption and industrialisation of animal-based food products and fast fashion does not align with Deep Ecology. Facts and figures show clearly how these negatively impact the planet.
In 2013 I became a vegetarian (with a certain Eastern understanding of vegetarianism, as I also stopped eating eggs). In 2016, after several attempts, I became a committed vegan focusing on local foods. As my late grandparents did and my father does, I grow some food, while currently living in a semi-urban environment in England. My interest and personal experiments tend towards veganic (organic + vegan) natural farming, as well as permaculture. To have partaken in animal slaughter by consuming them for a part of my life is something I regret enormously; I wish I had awakened much sooner. Of course, death is a part of life, and I do accept that, yet consuming animals was truly unnecessary.
In 2019, I decided to push myself further in terms of how I purchased clothing. While I do love garments and did my best to purchase consciously over the past years, I felt there was room for improvement. There always is. As of March 2019, I have bought exclusively one newly made garment per season, made of 100% organic cotton or plant-based materials. My rule is as follows: one newly produced piece of organic plant-based garments per season. Any additional items are bought second hand from a charity shop or swapped with friends. Other garments are handmade by myself and my family using organic textiles or second-hand fabrics. While my practice as an artist at times requires travel to far places (Japan, Taiwan, India), I do not travel by air for personal vacations. When traveling for work, I find it is key to share ecological messages including demands for peace and harmony. In terms of my artistic practice, materials are researched, sourced, at times created, questioned, excluded, included, and continuously explored. I have recently explored paper-making using pieces of discarded organic cotton t-shirts leftover from production.
The notion of self-realisation is one inherent to the development of the Deep Ecology movement. Do you think this thought has contributed, in a sense, to refining your practice as an artist? Did it lead, perhaps, to defining and distinguishing your work and positioning?
Oh yes, very surely! While my artistic explorations, as a teenager were always about communicating positive messages, even very early on, it became central to open dialogs on compassionate living, inclusion and social insecurities among others. While my positions can at times be very strong and affirmed, the ways I communicate them are, on the other hand, rather smooth and soothing. I feel this owes much to nonviolent movements. I tend not to use colour combinations such as red and black, which are often present in practices rising against natural destruction or for social rights. I believe at times such visual languages can make audiences, especially those ‘not interested’ in these subjects, literally run away from the works and thematics. My project Penser, Manger, Partager 2016-present (French for: To Think, To Eat, To Share) is a series of installations of collected unwanted plant-based textiles dyed with peels and pits of fruits and vegetables consumed daily. The first installation piece from 2017 has a quote from the United Nations expressing that, as things are developing, 2048 will be the year of the last fish. The quote is hand-embroidered inside the tent that is the textile installation. This positively invites the visitor to think and potentially question their ways of living.
Penser, Manger, Partager by Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck, Nidi Gallery 2018:
How do you situate yourself — as an artist, citizen and actress of a certain critical thinking movement?
At times, I feel it is hard to be heard by the media who communicates about art in general or on my practice. When I am offered an interview, spaces in which I could develop conversations about veganism are not necessarily present. As if ‘Yes, NOW it is OK to talk about ecology and climate change, BUT please don’t go too far, there is only so much we really want to hear’. So, I feel there is a certain hypocrisy here. We all are hypocrites, it is part of our human nature it seems. The work I believe we all should do is to bring that trait to its minimum. As an artist, with a certain freedom, I do take my role rather seriously, while of course still having a laugh! Without thinking I possess any power, however. This manifests in my interactions with others (human and non-human), with the ways my practice is produced and diffused. For example, I requested for both publishers of books on my works (InOtherWords Imprint & Chose Commune) not to wrap the books in plastic packages, or I shipped artworks for my exhibitions in biodegradable packages. These are small actions some audiences might never be aware of, yet I see them as important. I have been a full-time artist and creative since 2014, and I feel responsible for the ways I ‘spend’ the money I have. I hope it can go towards conscious companies and individuals.
Despite the independence and autonomy of nature, human beings are often characterised by their sense of belonging to a geographical location. From Alsace to London, via India, how do you personally see these moments of presence on very different lands, with different history and lives?
I relate very closely to this subject, as we humans are not often only characterised by the place we have been born or raised, yet also by the place(s) our ancestors might have come from. In my case, my family originates from Alsace (presently part of France), Algeria (in North Africa) and a small island in the Caribbean. While I was born and raised in rural Alsace, speaking the local dialect that is Alsatian, others frequently came to refer to me through the origins and places of my ancestors from distant places I had not visited. Thanks to lectures by Trinh T Minh Ha including mostly her 1989 book Woman, Native, Other, among others, I have, in some way, come to terms with that. Personally, I feel that nature can be understood and observed in any place. Doing so at ‘home’ might simply be more comfortable and, perhaps in some ways, wiser. While I observe the differences of places such as London, rural Alsace, urban and rural Tamil Nadu in India, I tend to focus on the similarities. The likeness of trajectories. For example, since 2017 I have been researching and documenting through photography, film, and writing, the relation of women in Tamil Nadu with flora. In the past, flowers such as Jasmine or Marigold, which women would place in their hair, would simply have grown naturally. Presently these flowers are grown in extremely large numbers in huge flower farms. They look like one another and are fed with pesticides. The flowers also travel kilometres in trucks to be sold at markets where women will purchase them. Seldom does a flower go from plant to hair. Overall such experiences and exposures, while being informative and resourceful on our various possible cultural, social and religious beliefs, tend to reinforce how very similar we are.
Arne Næss invites us to redefine the notions of wealth and fulfilment by proposing to move towards a “quality of life” rather than a “standard of living” — towards a “gross national quality of life” rather than our classic “GNP”. Moreover, he wished “to make us aware of the existence of other ways of leading a life that is full of meaning, which have long been ignored or underestimated to this day.” How do you see this notion of wealth today?
The everyday relations of learning with others are very important in my life. Just as is process, I do not overvalue the finality of a project over the making of it, as well as living each and every day. I strive to make others and myself feel positive in their quotidian, to be generous without fear. And in my personal life, to maintain such happiness, I have not set goals such as ‘having a mortgage by thirty so that I can buy a house’. Loving, learning, making, questioning, good health, eating organic food, taking the time to garden, meeting others are what I consider my personal wealth and the joy of life. I am therefore extremely grateful for the companionship of my friends, collaborators at Poetic Pastel. I recall the following line, according to Arne Næss, “Human beings can grasp the diversity of their environment and take care of it.” I would like to develop and propose that each of us is co-responsible, to a certain extent — “invested with a creative and guiding force of history.” It is up to us all to cooperate, to believe in solutions and to act in favour of a continuous wealth of life on Earth, by its maintenance and preservation, rather than destruction.
Bios:
Johanna Tagada-Hoffbeck is a painter and interdisciplinary artist working across London (UK), rural Alsace (France) and rural Tamil Nadu (India). Her practice composed of painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, film, photography and writing often conceals ecological messages, rendered in soft and delicate methods. In several of the artist’s projects interaction with the environment and others plays a central role. Solo exhibitions include Épistolaire Imaginaire — Merci at Galerie Jean-Francois Kaiser and Take Care — きをつけてat Nidi Gallery. In 2014, Johanna founded the positive and collaborative cultural project Poetic Pastel. In 2018, the artist co-founded the publication series Journal du Thé — Contemporary Tea Culture. www.johannatagada.net
Sarah Gissinger recently graduated at DSAAD in Lyon with a four-year degree in applied Arts — specialising in fashion and textile. She is presently Normalienne at École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (Teachers’ and Researchers’ Training Higher Education School). Sarah’s current research explores the possibilities that are considering and weighing our daily actions both as a constituent and contributor of the Earth. This ongoing investigation is punctuated by constant back and forth between textile researches, creation of imagery, writing and editorial work. Sarah believes in the strength of transmission and is deeply interested in a forthcoming position as a researcher-teacher and textile designer. www.sarahgissinger.fr
