The Frontier Thesis and the idea that wilderness is free for the taking as proposed by Frederick Jackson Turner was once a heavily agreed-upon idea that has now become rather outdated. Seeing as only five percent of the U.S. is “true” wilderness (two percent if you exclude Alaska) the U.S. is truly facing a shortage of open land to take, meaning the Frontier Thesis mindset can no longer be supported by the amount of land that we have left. (The Wilderness Society) Due to the rather low percentage of wilderness left, I believe that we should focus on living with the nature around us rather than destroying it completely. While it is truly impossible for the human race to stop damaging the Earth due to our large population size, it is at least possible to slow down the damage by following sustainable practices such as following “cradle-to-grave” guidelines when buying groceries or household products. (Weintraub) I know that it is hard to follow this practice, I don’t even truly follow it (being a college student makes it hard to buy local anything with the hefty price tags involved), but the ideas that come from thinking sustainably can help to at least be mindful of the nature around you. Some of my mindset can also be based on Price’s “Thirteen Ways of Seeing Nature in LA: Part I.”
"Our foundational nature stories should see and cherish our mundane, economic, utilitarian, daily encounters with nature - so that what car you drive and how you get your water and how you build a house should be transparent acts that are as sacred as hiking to the top of Point Mugu in the northern Santa Monica Mountains and gazing out over the Pacific Ocean to watch the dolphins leap, the ducks float, and the sun set."
This quote in particular from Price represents how I feel about living with nature. Nature is not just going for a hike up, it's driving to campus for class every day, it's buying groceries, it's sitting in a lecture hall (made from natural resources) listening to your professor lecture about Chemistry 101. Nature is already everywhere, we just need to acknowledge and embrace it so that we can better live with it.
The piece of art that I chose to reflect my personal philosophy is Édith Meusnier's installation "Sortilège." This particular piece of art was produced following the theme of "Water and Fire" for the Festival ARTEC in La ferté Bernard, France which included 42 sculptures of various sizes. This installation encapsulates the notion of living with nature. Many of Meusiner's installations are built in and around nature, including this piece, as it was woven across the river and through the town itself. The connection of both nature and town in the setting of the piece shows that Meusiner is also a believer in the idea of living with nature. Plus the way the art works with the river, not impeding or halting it, adds to that notion. The flowing hues of red, orange, and yellow placed above the water work well to portray the theme of "Water and Fire," as the coloring exemplifies fire, while the flowing from one color to the next is similar to the way water flows downstream. The grid design of the artwork itself allows the viewer to see through each installation and to the water beneath, also adding to the view of working with nature. The slightly biomorphic shape that the sculptures take on show a particularly organic side of the installation, with edges that flow from one to another much like the water below it. Meusiner's artwork also follow's part of the "cradle-to-grave" practice. Each sculpture is made out of gift ribbon, which is highly durable and weather resistant. The durability of the materials that make this art allow each sculpture to be taken down and th individual components to be reused again and again, making this installation rather sustainable. Through the use of varying elements of art, Meusnier's "Sortilège" is an artistic example of living seamlessly with nature.
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