The Ecological Art Festival «Understanding the History of Pollution — ART PROSPECT & TRASH-5» started in Bishkek. The event will last until October 7, guests will be able to participate in discussions and a festival in Altyn-Kazyk residential area, and visit an art exhibition.
On the first day of the festival, 24.kg news agency journalist talked to the organizer of the event, ecologist and activist Bermet Borubaeva.
— How can art encourage a person to become ecologically aware?
— I have been thinking about this for a long time, because we have been working at the intersection of art and ecology for 15 years. Practice shows that ecology, like biology and chemistry, are complex disciplines accessible to a limited number of people. It can be difficult to understand environmental issues by reading only scientific articles. That’s why we work with artists who are competent in environmental issues to help translate complex topics into the language of art.
— Can the language of art be called universal?
— Unfortunately, it is not accessible to everyone either. There must be a certain level. We, of course, try to create projects that are accessible to the masses, we try to reach them in every way. As part of my profession, I have to deal with complex analytics on urban ecology, and art becomes one of the languages through which we can communicate.
— There are two main factors here. The first point is work with the population. That’s why our festival is open to everyone. Among the participants there are world stars of contemporary art, but many participants from Kyrgyzstan are far from this world. They also present their artistic projects on equal terms. This is especially important, because festival participants encourage representatives of their local communities to participate. The second factor is work aimed at increasing understanding of the root cause of environmental problems, that is, the structure of the modern capitalist economy and consumer society.
