Two days of fun, information and more exhibitors than you can shake an eco-friendly stick at! The UK AWARE 2011 exhibitions are always among the best in the UK for the environmentally conscious and this year is going to be no exception. Not only are EcoSwitch exhibiting for the third year in a row, but a ton of other businesses as well. We are exhibiting at UK AWARE 2011, which runs on the 25th and 26th of March at Kensington Olympia from 10am to 6pm.

UK AWARE 2011 bills itself as being “Britain’s largest, longest running and best-loved sustainable lifestyle exhibition” – and that’s no exaggeration! Last year 133 exhibitors attended – a serious number in an economic climate that, let’s face it, could have been doing better. This year, 73 exhibitors have already signed up and there’ll be lots more by the time UK AWARE 2011 actually starts. And, not only that, but UK AWARE 2011 is a key highlight of Climate Week 2011. So the exhibition is truly unmissable, whichever way you look at it.

What is UK AWARE 2011?

It’s a Home and Lifestyle show for the environmentally aware, for those interested in sustainable living and for those who just maybe want to save a bit of money and look awesome at the same time. UK AWARE 2011 is not just for businesses or just for individual members of the general public – it is for everyone out there. There is even a kids interactive area to keep the little ones amused and two clothes swapping sessions each day – enabling you to re-vamp your wardrobe for nothing. With an ethical fashion show where ‘green’ is officially the new black, practical workshops where you can get all ‘hands on’ and free entry to seminars hosted by top notch speakers, there truly is something for everyone and everything for someone. There is an exciting food area where you can take a break and sample tasty nibbles – or perhaps something a little more substantial.

Especially of note is the test-drive area – it is indoors, there is a host of electric and low-carbon options and you get to have fun pretending that you are at Brands Hatch or taking part in Formula 1. What more could a car-lover (or, indeed, a motorbike-lover) want?

But does ‘green’ really mean that a business or a user is ‘green’? There are a lot of companies and people out there who call themselves ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly’, but how do you know which ones are telling the truth…and which ones are fudging the details and blurring the edges a little bit? Come to UK AWARE 2011 and see who’s attending this year – it’s as easy as that.

This year’s top exhibitors include:

Cheeks and Cherries – for all those “gorgeously green babies” out there.

The Woodland Trust – “The UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.”

Triodos Bank – “More green. Less greed.”

The Ecologist Magazine – “Setting the environmental agenda since 1970.”

And, of course, EcoSwitch Ltd. We’ll be there and we hope to see you as well – just come up and give us a wave. We’re friendly, honest!

If you’d like to find out more information about this prestigious event, please visit the site of UK AWARE 2011.

Posted under Climate, Events, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

It is vibrant and exciting. Jam-packed with must-see stands and must-attend seminars. And it’s back. First founded in 1908 by the Daily Mail (as the ‘Ideal Home Exhibition’) and now sponsored by Anglian Home Improvements and owned by Media 10, the IDEAL HOME SHOW is an opportunity to view the latest gadgets and get caught up with all the new ideas and revolutions in thought and industry that are relevant to all our needs and our daily life.

The show has been running from 11th of March and it will be finishing on the 27th of March – that is five more days to go and explore! The IDEAL HOME SHOW is a true adventure. Meet celebrity actors from TV and film, famous chefs and TV presenters and find answers for all of those pesky little questions. With the cost of living and energy on the rise, the IDEAL HOME SHOW is definitely a not-to-be-missed event that should be marked on your calendar. After all, where else could you take a tour of #1 Coronation Street, get Darth Vader’s autograph, learn how to turn your back garden into “that extra room” all of us so desperately need, sit and watch world-class chefs do their thing and then have afternoon tea in the Central Marina, all in one day?

There is a crèche open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., run by the award-winning Nipperbout Active Childcare with fun activities for the little ones so that the adults can tour the show without worrying. There is a free Beauty Bar offering manicures and massages and the Swap-a-Rama where you can de-clutter and update your wardrobe all at once. But if makeovers and fashion are not quite your thing, how about the Celebrity Chef Theatre? Sponsored by Siemans Home Appliances, it features a whole host of chefs – including Aldo Zilli, Henrietta Green, Paul Rankin and Gennaro Contaldo. Chef Jean Christophe Novelli will also be attending, working in conjunction with Ziganof Knives and giving demonstrations of world-class knives favoured by the top chefs that Ziganof have been able to make available and affordable to the general public.

And the attractions do not stop there. There is the Ideal Gadgets section – where Suzi Perry from Channel  5′s ‘The Gadget Show’ will be announcing the Ideal Inventor of the Year and where you can find out about the latest in plasma screen TVs, hoovers, Aerogardens, cameras, laptops and eco-friendly vehicles. In the Show Homes Village, you can tour a copy of a house from Coronation Street – Britain’s best-loved and longest running soap – that has been retrofitted with all the latest in eco-friendly and energy-saving appliances in a modern twist on the well-known idea of the ‘two-up, two-down’ terraced property, sponsored by B&Q, as well as explore just what the Prince of Wales believes is the answer to eco-living in the Prince’s House.

To get tickets please go to the IDEAL HOME SHOW. As an extra incentive, 50p per ticket is directly donated to the Ideal Homes for Heroes Appeal. So buy one, two or more tickets and you know that you are doing something special. And for all those late-risers, ‘Late-night Thursday’ means that tickets are only £5 after 5 p.m.

Posted under Articles, Events, Gardening & Outdoors, House & Home, Lifestyle & Fashion

Who’s responsibility is it to question and answer the ever-changing problems of the world? Traditionally it has fallen to the artists of civilisation to raise these never ending questions and invite us, the spectators, to participate and think. However, one thing has remained the same: there is no clear or set solution: no straight line.

And as science, technology and industry have reached their own contemporary boundaries, pushing these limits together and individually, they too have asked the same questions with their very own specific languages. So what is it that the arts have to offer to, what seems like, a question only a synthesis of the latter three can answer?

Never before have we seen such a direct and clear acknowledgment that planet Earth is under threat. Headline after headline reinforces these troubled times in waves. Climate change too has become quite a colloquialism, and one that, unfortunately, has become part of the mis-understood idiom of the 21st century. Rain forests are in decline, the O-zone layer is deteriorating and ice-caps are shrinking back into the sea. The only things that seem to be on the increase are pollution levels and the general sense of overwhelming bewilderment that all this information can weigh upon one mind alone.

Is there any hope or solution? A collection of exhibitions, talks and seminars held at the Royal Academy of Arts are inviting the public to respond to these very issues. Earth: Art of a changing world is one example of how art today attempts to grasp the discursive questions relating to climate change and the environment. Through the eyes of contemporary artists, looking to address topical, environmental issues, present time old questions in today’s more than relevant situation. The Royal Academy of Art explains:

“‘Earth: Art of a changing world’ brings together the work of over thirty leading contemporary artists in order to show how art can help us to explore and debate the issues surrounding climate change. Many works in the exhibition highlight both the beauty and fragility of the natural world, leading us to think about our own impact on the environment

As the title of the exhibition suggests, our planet is already experiencing change and the exhibition also invites us to consider the cultural as well as environmental consequences of rising temperatures.”

The success of this exhibition and exhibitions just like it being held around the country depend on its participating spectators. That being said, the very concept of this kiln of art exhibition begins to works its way into the imagination before even setting foot into a gallery. If art, artists and their spectators are to help ‘save’ the world, it seems highly significant that what must be done in order to achieve its result, is to hold a public exhibit: one where anyone is invited to simply turn up, look, and begin to question. Whatever those questions may be.

It’s true to say that everyone has a different interpretation, a unique way of understanding the possible meaning of a single piece of art, but whatever the maxim ‘seeing is believing’ may mean to you, the Royal Academy of Arts, regional galleries and artists up and down the country, are hoping to open your eyes, whichever way they can.

Posted under Articles, Climate, Events

With the transportation by vehicle of entire film crews, and the disposable props and bottled water of film shoots (not to mention entire large-scale sets being built and thrown away- think of the entire freeway that was built for the Matrix sequels), the sustainability of film-making appears to be a pressing issue.
As part of the BFI’s 2009 London Film Festival, a discussion on the sustainability of the filmmaking was held in association with Time Out magazine, featuring environmental writers and film industry insiders.

Andy Whitaker, of the distribution company Dogwoof, discussed how the premiere for his release of Franny Armstrong’s film The Age of Stupid was a ‘0-footprint’ affair, where big names like Vivienne Westwood turned up on a bicycle rather than in a limo. Next, the Guardian journalist Leo Hickman reflected on the Mayor of London’s recent ‘Green Screen’ report, which examined the capital’s film and television industry. Apparently, 125,000 tonnes of CO2 is emitted by this sector per year (that’s the equivalent of 24,000 households). According to report, the breakdown of the London screen industry’s emissions consists of 40% from studio production, and 17% from location shooting. The report also indicated that London is the third busiest centre for movie production.

Leo picked up on a fascinating project planned for Pinewood Studios, outer West-London, where a ‘living and working community for creatives’ will be created, consisting of 1,400 sustainable new dwellings situated in the re-created streets of New York, San Fransisco, Amsterdam and Paris. This somewhat bizarre place will enable people to live in an atmospheric re-creation of a foreign city, where crews can come and shoot scenes without having to constantly re-build sets or transport a film crew to the foreign city in question. Pinewood hope that the project will bring about a maximum 77% reduction in emissions for the average film or commercial (quite optimistic). A local resident of Pinewood pointed out that, at £300- £400,000 per property, these homes will be far from affordable.

This ‘re-usable set’ concept brought up the ‘Film City’ of Bombay, where a variety of indoor sets exist and are re-used, with slight modifications, by many film crews working on different films. It also brought up slightly humorous memories of the Hammer films and the gothic castle on the Thames which served in many of their 1970s productions.

An interesting company mentioned in the discussion was Green Shoot whose business it is supply green runners to film sets, who are responbible for on-set recycling. They also provide a film set recycling service (currently sets all go to landfill), and carry out green audits for productions. Green Shoot’s founders come from a standard film background, and its creation had more of a financial motivation that a green one, going to show that recycling the elements of film production can be a profitable venture. They’ve greened up productions such as the St Trinians movies, amongst others.

Another issue mentioned was the distribution of films throughout the UK cinema network. At four to eight weeks of release per film, and with over half of UK cinemas still using 35mm film, a lot of large and heavy cans of film (up to seven cans per normal-length film) have to be transported around the country, and indeed the world. The 35mm film is generally thrown away by the cinema at the end of the run.
Nicola Giuggioli of Brightwide.com discussed his own internet platform which streams high-quality eco, green and social film. A great example of a high-quality green film streaming online is ‘Home’, an aerial film of Earth available on YouTube in High Definition.

Despite the emotionally persuasive breed of environmental films ‘emitted’ by Hollywood (excuse the pun), whether they be disaster movies such as The Day After Tomorrow or child-based animation like Wall-E, many factions within Hollywood still stay away from environmetal film-making; one reason for this is that whilst the clients of advertising companies often want to look green for marketing benefits, and will therefore be open to ways to green up their advertisement shoots, larger feature-film companies exist on their own plain and have less to answer to.

However, the talk did highlight the perhaps little-known fact amongst the cinema-going public that Warner Brothers are actually leading the way in recognised, commended green initiatives. What with the wholesale Fairtrade conversion of Starbucks, the weather seems to be finally turning- another omen exists with the rumours of looming legislation, including a ‘landfill tax’ that will make it a financially necessity to green-up film. This pressure is perhaps what is stimulating some of this change.

Although, as one person at the talk aptly put it, if there’s a skip on every film set, why not put a ‘green skip’ there instead?

Posted under Articles, Events, Lifestyle & Fashion

It has stirred the hearts of thousands worldwide, changed the way the food industry sells its fish, and is the first major feature documentary film revealing the true impacts and growing threats of overfishing on the world’s oceans. The End Of The Line premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition in January 2009 but its campaigns still continue to discover and secure new found depths.

Dubbed ‘The inconvenient truth about the ocean’ by The Economist, The End Of The Line does have an affect of disgruntling even the most eco-conscious of its watchers. But why?

Fish have been a global must have on the food menus of the world for hundreds of years, but it is only over the past decade or so that we are truly discovering the effects of our appetites. The film explores firsthand the imminent extinction of species of fish such as bluefin tuna, which has only been brought on recently due to an increased demand for foodstuffs like sushi; it also examines the changing shapes of the ocean’s marine life and ecology; and considers the world without fish on the menu, and the implications that would lead to mass starvation.

Filmed on locations across the world, investigative reporter Charles Clover and ex-tuna farmer turned whistleblower Roberto Mielgo, together confront politicians, fishery enforcement officials and explore the lost traditions of indigenous fisherman and the theories of the world’s leading marine scientists.

Two years in the making, The End Of The Line is beautifully shot with a crystal acuteness that penetrates deep to the heart of overfishing, shattering the illusions that hold it in place. The film itself is shocking. As much as it is eye-opening there is still a sense of guilt that pervades each scene: a lack of knowledge; an innocent support for illegal markets; a disconnection which is preventing change. All these and more float naively on the surfaces of overfishing, unaware of the ominous depths below.

Is the end of seafood imminent? Scientists in the film predict that we could see the end of most seafood by 2048, if we continue fishing at the scale we are right now. The film details the responsibility of consumers who innocently buy endangered fish, fisherman who break regulated quotas and the fishing industry that turns a blind eye to looming threats.

A Must See. The End Of The Line has inspired a global campaign which has gathered the attention of leading international environmental organisations (such as WWF and Green Peace) to help demand better, more sustainable marine policies. The film is terrifyingly educational, intelligent and stirs clarity in some of the murkier pockets of oceanography. It has already achieved a lot since its release - for instance, it has provoked reactions from leading food retailers such as Pret a manger to remove a selection of their sandwiches, as well as being one of only two films to be shown at 10 Downing Street.

The film is being shown tonight (20th October 10pm, on More4) so ensure you can make a screening, and really set your sights on the main feature.

Posted under Articles, EcoWarriors, Events

As the total stands The Big Tidy Up has collected 53,246 bags of rubbish as a part of a nationwide initiative to encourage sweeping the country of its unnecessary waste. Working in partnership with CleanupUK, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Waste Watch and a few others, The Big Tidy Up aims to collect 500,000 bags of rubbish to bring together a community of Green cleaners willing to give an afternoon or two to help manage Britain’s waste problem. Businesses, schools, community projects and even a number of fantastic families are rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in to what what needs to be done, and what needs to be kept – a litter free, clean country.

When?

The Big Tidy Up is a part of a Keep Britain Tidy Campaign and has been in full swing since 2008. It is an ongoing operation to cleanse the country of its clutter, and you are free to join in when you can, whilst you can and as soon as you can. You can register online, or get your school or business involved and have them log on. Then, the Big Tidy Up will send you a guide to help you organise your very own tidy up. All that’s left you for to do then is getting to it: roll up your sleeves with friends, colleagues and family, and remember to update your very own tidied space with details on your progress and successes.

Where?

Events are happening right now up and down the country, and if you haven’t heard of one near you, then why not start your very own? Each year the Big Tidy Up recognises the hard work of its volunteers by celebrating their efforts with the annual awards ceremony. There are awards for the Best Supporting Authority; Groups Awards; and an award for one individual in particular. But you’ve got to be in it to win it, so get involved today.

There are various organisations who are working in association with this years ongoing Big Tidy Up who are more than willing to send you equipment supplies which includes promotional vouchers to help finance any litter collection products from PARRS.
*visit www.parrs.co.uk to see a full range of Litter Collection products and to claim your 10% discount.

Why?

Well, why not! After all it is your country. But if the satisfaction of doing a good, solid, hard days work is not enough to get you fully pumped and motivated to bag some of the roaming rubbish, then there is a page of tidy ups that will be sure to inspire some more magnificent waste-management. You really will be surprised how much is going on right now, and how easy it is to join in on the fun.

The Big Tidy Up is a great, green campaign that relies on volunteers nationwide to help out by sweeping up. So put you’re thinking caps on and set you sights on smashing that 500,000 goal by the end of 2009 - and as soon as you break through that target, just remember to brush away those figures when you’re done. Good luck!

Click here for further details about The Big Tidy Up, and to visit their website.

Posted under Articles, Events

Opened late this year on September 14th by guest of honour HRH Prince William, the brand new Darwin Centre in South Kesington’s Natural History Museum is a botanical and entomological treasure trove for all its visitors. The cocoon shaped building is, to say the least, a spectacle to behold. Eight-stories-high and, to the eye, wonderfully enigmatic from the outside; that is, all until you take your first steps inside what is actually the most significant development to have taken place at the museum since its opening in 1881.

Upon arrival to this spectacular new wing of London’s very old and frequented museum, it comes as quite a shock to see that a spacecraft has, quite suddenly, crash landed its way inside. But its not long before this initial shock is turned into awe, and you become totally overwhelmed and over-excited by its futuristic and pod-like appearance. Sharon Ament, Head of Public Engagement at the Natural History Museum, says this about the pod’s design:

“A cocoon literally turns a museum inside out. Its a fantastic store which holds 20 million of our most precious specimens; botanical and entomological. And its great visitor experience. People can go through the cocoon, journeying through the space where we keep our specimens in.”

Then, after being handed your personalised Key Card – to upload and store online all the information you discover throughout your visit – and once you’ve been transported by elevator to the exhibit’s heights, it becomes clear to see that the Darwin Centre has been impecablykitted-out with the highest-spec, touch screen, interactive learning devices now brought to your fingertips.

The personal I.D. Key Card is an innovative way to promote learning and engage its users. What you do is simply carry the card with you around the exhibition, stopping off at the learning stations punctuating each section; join in with the interactive encyclopedias and, using the supermarket style scanner, swipe your card to store the information you’ve just learnt about in a virtual deposit (which only you can access) to revise and enjoy when you get home later.

It is practically impossible to resist engaging in any level of the Darwin experience. And what seems to be a great success with kids of all ages is the in-house-scientist rooms that let you watch and ask questions to real life, hard working scientists keen on developing your passion for nature.

The Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity is an additional room located on the lower ground floor of the Darwin Centre where such scientists contribute their work. A hive for amateur naturalists, budding enthusiasts and anyone interested in studying wildlife, the MarmontCentre offers access to UK specimen collections as well as supplying a free identification service to help you with your very own discoveries.

As far as the eye could see, this new citizen-science is a great way to invigorate minds young and old with the facts and figures of local ecology and biodiversity. The Darwin Centre is a mind-opening experience from start to finish; one that will show you exactly how science, technology and man-power are doing all they can to unite our environments with an understood modern harmony.

website: The Natural History Museum

Posted under Articles, Events

The slogan for this year’s Working Buildings Energy Solutions Expo reads ‘Efficient, Sustainable, Renewable’.  Such is the overall aim of an Expo that looks to inform and educate its attendees as to the possibilities inherent within sustainable and renewable business.

On show too, will be several exhibits from numerous organisations, showcasing their own approaches towards renewability and sustainability.

Certainly, The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo will support such causes from both a practical and a theoretical point of view, through its various exhibits and seminars, keeping that underlining theme present throughout.

To that end, the The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo mission statement, as detailed on their website, is as follows:

“Energy Solutions Expo is dedicated to the ongoing support of everyone involved in keeping their organisation efficient, sustainable and renewable. Supported by key associations, Energy Solutions Expo helps professionals from both the public and private sectors limit the impact of rising energy costs whilst staying cost effective and compliant with legislation“.

Seminars and Features for Inclusion at The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo

In order to aid the impact of the exhibitors, the The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo has provided a number of seminars on its key themes. One of its main attractions is the Sustainable Reality Seminar Theatre, which will house “A series of dedicated seminars providing expert opinion and advice on the challenges and issues ahead for the industry“, and will look to answer the following, highly discussed and very important questions:

In reality, is sustainability achievable in a downturn? Can you accomplish your goals affordably? Are  there opportunities despite the current climate?

The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo is keen not to have such seminars perceived as purely theoretical, though, stating that the Sustainability Seminar in particular, will look to discuss the practical implications of renewability and sustainability:

“With an emphasis on positive action, these seminars will provide real insights. Practical information and direction to help put your sustainability roadmap in practice“.

Other seminars at the event include the Technology & Innovation Seminar Theatre, the Be2Camp at Working Buildings, the Workplace of the Future, the Innovation Awards, the Envirolink Northwest Pavilion and The Green500 Energy Efficient IT Conference.

All, no doubt, will adhered to the philosophy of discussing practicality in the industry.

Exhibitors at The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo

The event will of course boast a large number of exhibitors. A total of 194 stalls – with places yet to be confirmed – will be on show, giving attendees a diverse and stimulating array of organisations.

For budding exhibitors, too, there is much to gain: some 6000 delegates are expected to attend the event over the two days, meaning a chance to meet with and discuss business sustainability with a vast number of people

For more information on The Working Buildings 2009 Energy Solutions Expo, please visit their website.

Posted under Articles, Events

The Barbican Art Gallery- Radical Nature
Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet 1969-2009

Forty acres of baffling axis: seven floors of future-heritage; it must be the Barbican Estate, London. In a quiet foyer of the Barbican’s dedicated Arts Centre, staircases spiral and elevators hover. The Arts Centre can shift itself against the grain of gravity, or else impose its own depth charge. Within this colossal transfer-unit (moving us through planes, trajectory, space), the Radical Nature exhibition is nestled.

The sense of mutated elevation continues inside the exhibition- trees grow from the walls, grasslands float on wheeled trucks. Upon entering the exhibition one instantly walks into the territory of a guardian-wolf, its eyes and nose raised; what seems to be merely a fashionable piece of taxidermy, standing on a two-wheeled trailer (it seems as if the animal might be driven away at any moment to a new freak-show) has more significance than that: Mark Dion’s tightly-packed corpse (situated in sniffing distance from the gift shop) warns us visitors away from the cataloguing and commodification of nature, urging a native caution in regards to the roots and branches on display. The exo-cadaver of the wolf (not nature at all, but a sculpture slid inside a hide) possesses a realistic sadness; it knows better than us the dangers of holding on for too long to a lifeform that needs to die.

Out of the wolf’s glass sight, and away from its cautionary message, we walk on to more fertile sections. On the left, chicken wire pens of British crop specimens, a re-staging of 1972’s Full Farm (the show delves as far back as 1969). In the centre of the gallery, a bubble-chain: a series of plastic pods floating with the assistance of wires and hooks, forming the plan of Air-Port-City, Tomas Saraceno’s situationist utopia: a visionary architectural model of a flying cell of conjoined cities and transport terminals, ‘similar in status to airplanes in flight, which are bound by international law rather than the rules of one country’. The un-realistic construction of the piece, from transparent plastic sacks, adds another level of interpretation to the model, another shift from the ‘real’; its position inside the Barbican, a realised utopian complex, another.

A room on the left holds plans for symbiotic buildings by the Parisian architectural firm R&Sie(n). Amongst the thin veins of data, blueprints and schema that climb and spread over the white gallery walls- mirroring the viral shoots and nodes of the creeping life that their architecture ‘clones’- rests a snapshot of a mutating architectural mission- unstable and necessary. Amongst the patterns (it seems wrong to call them blueprints) flow mutations of repetitive elements, organic graphs eating into themselves, cloning, hybridising, grafting, perpetual. From the unstable substitutions, the genetic cartographies and territorial alterations, the ‘plans’ of ‘structures’ stutter smoothly out of the blueprints to become something else; the buildings themselves, mirroring the topography of their sites, are colonised and made invisible by invasive plants. Truly impressive.

In a dim room a recycled plywood/MDF bench faces a projection of two films by Robert Smithson. Spiral Jetty, barely heard through the musty fuzz of the audio, nevertheless impresses with its Jurassic maps and hovering camera angles. Spiral Jetty itself is a monumental earthwork on the Great Salt Lake in Utah, USA, constructed with black basalt rocks and earth in 1970- a 1,500 foot long coil that stretches from the land out into the water of the lake. Spiral Jetty is best viewed from above, and an image search on the web will uncover certain photographs that appear to show a blue-green sun (the rounded edge of land) spouting a sun-storm of white flame (the jetty) into red space (the translucent lake).

A grass hillock rests on the gallery floor nearby- as if the peak of a hillside had been surgically sliced and implanted here. Hans Haacke’s ‘real-time system’ Grass Grows, dating from 1969, is alive and fresh, one of the pieces of the exhibition which is nature, regardless of its surroundings. The mound seems to be pushing up through the floor, making the viewer cast their eyes around the Barbican space and view the apparently solid and grounded floor with new eyes. The piece creates a sense of reassertive nature, or else highlights our un-natural level of height, here in the Barbican centre, as in the multi-levels of the surrounding city also.

The next ‘exhibit’ is one of the boldest and most real/unreal. The deep-brown trunks of tropical trees- again, real specimens- grow slowly in height and girth under a sustaining field of artificial light. The thing about this authentic 16-metre-square rainforest segment, however, is that it grows on its side- the forest ‘carpet’ is a base-board situated at 45 degrees to the gallery floor, through which the trees are inserted, their roots immersed in nutrients behind. A square of whispering, weeping forest drapes a leafy canopy gracefully downward through the air, brushing the floor. Suggestive of hurricane detritus or jungle warfare after-effects, Fallen Forest (2006) gives the viewer a one-on-one experience with nature that many will have never had. Actual rainforest, in the flesh; the stuff that everyone talks about so much and that most people vaguely accept as somehow key to the existence of the world, is encountered through a simple physical distortion; a first-experience that, possibly, questions the first-contact with nature that most people experience, occurring through the medium of HD Satellite television and Ipod LCD imagery, or even the banal language of postcard pictures; the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, &c. In a more obvious way, the forest segment is a brought-forth commodity; a ‘bought-back’ forest; shipped timber; or waste from rainforest destruction, the primal form of office paper. The forest seems to grow towards us in attack-mode, facing us like a mute rhinoceros, defensive and instinctively expressive. The great thing about this and other pieces is that the natural forms do much of their own talking, and their presence is the most convincing argument.

Elsewhere on the ground floor, a room of mirrors echoes and reverberates a square of lush inflorescence into a shaky and mis-printed infinity. Another criticism of artificiality and reproduction, and of false space. An outdoor garden on one of the Barbican balconies gives us our first taste of fresh air.

Upstairs there is less greenery, and more architectural, photographic and performance work. Here one has the strange vantage point of seeing Fallen Forest from above- on the ground, we could walk its length and feel that we had climbed to the top of a rainforest; up here we can fly around the side of the forest, reaching the canopy only by a strange circuit on the upstairs mezzanines. None of this surveying of the forest is done in natural or easy movements.

Philippe Rahm’s indoor installation Pulmonary Space is a baggy form with arms that lead to wind instruments; when blown, the bag inflates at different points. A video of a György Ligeti piece being played ‘into’ it (Ten Pieces for Wind Quartet, 1968) is shown behind the saggy form, along with a chunk of printed theory concerning Hegel, idealism, and physicality.

The 1970s design group Ant Farm are represented by Dolphin Embassy (1974-1978), a funny/serious project (documented with video, designs and promotional material) to promote interspecies communication with dolphins, including a sea-top embassy. An interview between a human ambassador and a dolphin, to see how the dolphins feel about all this, says it all. Ant Farm are particularly admirable for their forward-thinking sense of the ridiculous whilst acknowledging the profound and the important; this is one of the valuable exhibits which question the natural art movement in a major way. Artists such as the British Bruce Mclean made similar jabs at land art in the 1960s whilst still creating ‘profound’ works; Pulmonary Space also questions the possibility of ‘connecting’ in any real way with nature, denouncing philosophical idealism (and romanticism) and claiming physical materiality as its successor.

Next, a construction material. Wolf Hilbertz’s original process of ocean-based mineral accretion promised a natural, regenerative material that was stronger than Portland cement. In the mid-1970s he trademarked Biorock® and drafted his model of Autopia, a spiral shaped island accreted underwater- basically a frame that develops hard ‘muscle’ in the form of a mineral bulk attaching and surrounding itself to it. A scale model of this island is displayed along with sections of life-size Biorock®, in its barnacle- and skeletal-like manifestation.

Elsewhere, Joseph Beuys’ ‘healing and regenerative’ work Honeypump at the Workplace (1977) is on display- two tons of honey being pumped through two ship’s motors lubricated with margarine. Apparently ‘the honey embodied energy as well as the nutritional value of a natural substance produced by an ideal collaborative community’.

Luke Howler’s Bogman Palmjaguar (2007) is a dirty-misty land/mind-scape documentary film about the mental state of the ancient bogland of Flow Country in North East Scotland, as well as its inhabitant, Bogman Bluequartz Palmjaguar, diagnosed as schizophrenic by the local authorities. Definitely worth watching, the film’s projection in a very dark room, in-between the gallery walls, makes one feel that the bogland doesn’t exist in this world, just as this viewing room doesn’t seem to.

Lara Almarcegui has kindly printed booklets for visitors to take away and peruse; ‘Guide to the Wastelands of the Lea Valley’ gives us basic photographs and magazine-style histories of East London’s Lea Valley canal ruins, an area popular with artists and given significance by the impending London Olympics, but covered more definitively and in more splendid detail by the writer Iain Sinclair.

Elsewhere Tue Greenfort showcases his camera-traps, urban ghost-catchers disguised with plastic bags and soda-cups which contain a disposable camera with flash, triggered when a fox nibbles and tugs at the frankfurter attached by string. Photographs are displayed of the surprised foxes, caught in the act- another suggestion of animals as being elsewhere, like the wolf-skin; only mindless vegetable matter can be caught and taken into this gallery, where they rear towards the artificial ceiling from their unnatural bed of air. Greenfort’s Wardian Case (Alustar-Sonatural) (2007/9) is also here- a flatpack green house containing mass-produced orchids.

Radical Nature is a good collection, notable for its international scope and its focus upon the uncontrollable, even as it it cuts, moves and stimulates nature. The lack of indulgence in artists such as Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy is a good indicator of the exhibition’s focus on dialogue, warning and interrogation; the inclusion of popular artists like these might have added an extra aesthetic appeal to the show, but, as it stands, the exhibition is distinguished by a respect, admiration and awe of nature, in which the place of humans is ambiguous. The visitor sees snapshots, moments, surprises- the glanced portions invoke nature as a wider force despite their disparateness. The autonomy of nature is the centrepiece here, and our place within it is merely as another mutation, a growth. The name says it all- this isn’t a show about shining beauty, but the radical intersection of nature and human projects.

Note- the gallery guide is printed by ‘an energy efficient stencil duplicator’, with soy inks, on 100% recycled paper, and is printed in batches to avoid large-scale waste. The gallery is open daily from 11am-8pm (Wednesday 6pm, Thursday 10pm). Tickets are £8 for adults and £6 online/concessions. Radical Nature runs until 18th October.

The Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Nearest tube- Barbican/Moorgate.

http://www.barbican.org.uk/radical_nature

Posted under Eco Reviews, EcoWarriors, Events, Gardening & Outdoors, Lifestyle & Fashion

It is a typical late summer’s day in the city’s park; the grass is still lush, the thick trees whirling along the borders, the frizzbee-throwers and dog walkers are doing what they do best. Everything’s as it should be… that is… until Rupert the Bear and a Mr Motivator type character kick-start the day and fire-up those warm-up exercises for thousands of participating go-getters, stretching their eager limbs to set off on a charity run with a difference! Sound strange to you? Well these were the opening scenes of last years 5K Tree-Athlon Charity Run, organised by Trees for Cities.

The brains behind the body for this year’s running event, Trees for Cities, is an independent environment charity working with urban communities on rejuvenation, training initiative and planting projects throughout the UK. Some of the goals facing this gang of green-fingered eco-warriors is to tackle global warming, create social cohesion and support the country’s naturally beautiful land- and cityscapes. And how are they doing this? All through the planting of trees trees trees!

The idea is that by setting up city projects, community events, skills training and public awareness campaigns, Trees for Cities can continue what was first set in soil in 1993.

Since planting its very first tree back in the early 90s, Trees for Cities has really taken root. Its motivation to improve the quality of life for everyone living and working in urban environments has branched further afield to other cities and areas in the UK, including; Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Reading, Brighton, Sheffield, Nottingham, and more.

The independent charity focuses its body of volunteers and participants on staying active, and encourages a range of programs that can easily be adopted throughout their respective cities. Coming up from this September, in three of those same, very well cultivated cities (London, Leeds & Manchester), is a darling-bud ready to blossom: the Tree-Athlon 2009. There is even still time to register. The London Race at Battersea Park is on Saturday 19th September; next in the running is the Leeds Race at Temple Newsam on Sunday 27th; and the last, but by no means least, is the Manchester Race at Heaton Park on Sunday 4th October.

There is a £20 registration fee, and participants are expected to raise a minimum of £25 each – which is no task at all. Then all that’s left to do is lace up those running shoes, grab a bottle of water, and head out for a spot of pre-race training in a park where the trees already seem to be a little greener.

But wait! There’s more…For those who are unable to run but would still like to give Trees for Cities the support they deserve, the organisers of the event have also set up a Volunteers scheme for anybody willing to help out on the day. You will be provided with refreshments, a special volunteer T-shirt, goody bags and a great day full of like-minded people all there to lend a hand to the cities you love to live in. For more information on how to apply, register, and volunteer, go to www.tree-athlon.org and see more for details.

Posted under Articles, Events