Aesthetica #93
February / March 2020
Here we are, firmly in a new decade. The future is now. I remember the millennium and Y2K fears; it seems so innocent when you think of how things have changed since 2000. The internet was still new, Hotmail was a novelty and the concept of Amazon was still very alien – “what do you mean, we don’t have to go to a bookshop to buy a book?” The world operated at a slower pace and the concept of social media had not been realised. The iPhone did not exist. The rate of technological advancement has been unprecedented. What will this mean for the future? How will the next decade play out?
We are in a climate emergency and the rate of individual change is not fast enough. This new decade needs to be defined by transformation, so let’s have a think about what that means. The difference in CO2 emissions by travelling with Eurostar versus flying is considerable. It all boils down to doing things differently, acting locally as well as globally. Bring your lunch to work in a reusable container – cut down on your daily plastic waste. Cycle or walk. Get a jumper! Small changes do have a big impact – if everyone contributes. That’s my pledge for the new decade – I will be more sustainable in everything that I do. By the way, make sure you recycle this magazine (or pass it on) as well as the packaging it comes in!
This issue is about developing a new narrative and disrupting the status quo. Cornelia Parker has a major retrospective at MCA Australia that spans 40 years. We look at how her installations have made sense of the turbulent world. Claudia Andujar’s work with the Yanomami people in Brazil questions how Indigenous populations are treated and what we need to create a fairer world, merging art and activism. Emmanuelle Moureaux opens a NOW Gallery commission with Slices of Time. She visualises the next 100 years through cut-out numbers in this hugely impressive installation. In photography, we bring you works by seven photographers that redefine fashion, architecture, colours and textures. Finally, the Last Words goes to Angela Flowers as the gallery celebrates 50 years.
