A Fallacious Choice

Recently I participated in a discussion on the differences between scholarly articles and artistic interpretations of place. Some believe that the scholarly interpretation is superior others say that an artistic interpretation is more effective. This reminds me of a debate going on at a university I attended on whether emphasis should be placed on scientific investigations or design theory. To me this has always been a bogus argument. It is a result of a competitive educational paradigm that places much value on specialization. The amount of information we need to absorb in any subject matter today forces us to enter specialized fields of study in order to progress in any one of them, however it cannot be seen as superior to those pursuing a more holistic and inclusive path. Buckminster Fuller once wrote: "Science is an attempt to set in order the facts of experience." Experience of course acts on all our senses which promote emotions, aesthetic appreciation and wonder. To encompass all of these in a 'scientific' or 'scholarly work' that is targeted only to our reasoning prowess is a fallacy. We are complicated and wondrous beings that perceive at many levels and appreciate all that life offers through all our senses, so why should we choose preference of the rational over the rest? In fact in order to fully understand an experience an inclusive perception is more real than an exclusionary one. For example I can describe all the shades of the color red or I can view the canvas 'Red' by Rothko. I get different information from the two experiences, both valid, except that the scholarly article would have to assume that I have a basic conception of that color that can only be arrived at by my sensory experience of it, otherwise when red is written as a word there is no way for my rational mind to be associated with it. What would the difference between, azure, teal, aquamarine, indigo be? They are all shades of the color blue, only when I experience each in relation to the other can my understanding of them come to be in my rational mind. I can also experience them without ever having to name them however that is also a handicap, rationalization is part of our comprehension. What if I were color blind how would this change my experience and interpretation of the world? Would I be considered less than human? Our fellow creatures all experience the world slightly different, some can see clearly in the dark, others can see ultraviolet light, some can detect space through sonar. Life is more than the sum of its parts. To quote Buckminster Fuller once again “behavior of whole systems unpredicted by the behavior of their parts taken separately”; therefore if we place more value on specialization we will not get an accurate account of the whole picture.

So why this concern? We are faced with some crucial decisions in education in the US. Much has been said about the lack of mathematical and scientific knowledge of our student population. Much of which I agree with, however in order to achieve higher standards in these subjects cuts are being made to the creative subjects. This is skirting the real issue, it is not arts that cause neglect in other fields; in fact one may argue that having artistic gifts can strengthen scientific observation. Sacrificing the arts to promote math and science is like cutting one arm to strengthen the other. In order to resolve the challenges we face we will need both arts and sciences, one strengthens the other. We are too concerned in this country defending the ultra-rich at the expense of a holistic education system. There is no lack of money; the problem lies in its distribution. Unfortunately we have entered the blaming game, the fault must lie with the parents or teachers or administration. NO, the fault rests at the top, a more equitable distribution of wealth will mean that all children will have access to education; that all schools can be properly equipped and no child goes hungry. Specialized interests have corrupted the system. To quote Buckminster Fuller once more: "Specialization breeds biases that ultimately aggregate as international and ideological discourse, which in turn leads to war." This war is perpetrated by globalized corporate interests against the citizens of every country.

To illustrate the argument I have included two works on the same subject I completed not too long ago. Does one interpretation diminish or support the other? Is one preferable to the other? Why would we need to make a choice of one over the other?

This 3D panel is meant to be exhibited at a gallery setting:

 

This is an article that was feauterd in Erigenia, Journal of the Illinois Native Plant Society:

Sacred Space and Restoration Ecology

by Domenico D’Alessandro

Short Pioneer Cemetery Prairie in Grundy County was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in1988, 131 years after Lemuel Short was deeded the land in 1857 from Martin and Ursula Luther, the original homesteaders. In 1894 Warham and Mary Short deeded 100 square rods (0.65 acres) to the Oak Ridge Cemetery Association. Additional 0.65 acres where deeded from John Fred Wilneow, the neighbor to the south making, the 1.3 acres total deeded land that persists to this day.

The nature preserve is not easy to find, the old road connections have been severed and access now is only from Carper Road through an unmarked gated trail; the cemetery is about 96 yards in from the road. and is located about one mile south of the Goose Lake Prairie Preserve. The cemetery prairie is somewhat degraded although still home to many native species. The surrounding woodland has many invasive species that have encroached into the boundaries of the cemetery. This article is not concerned with the flora composition. An extensive account on the subject is given by others including John Ebinger. My approach is from a cultural perspective, in particular recognizing the role of the sacred places such as cemeteries in restoration ecology.

Short Pioneer Cemetery Prairie was surrounded by strip mining operations for coal that changed forever the hydrology and topography of the region. This place and its plants survived because they were on sacred ground that even the powerful mining companies would not disturb. Restoration ecologists owe much to such consecrated lands; their cultural place in our psyche has assured continuity of minimally disturbed ecological communities. Ironically though it is the neglected sacred places, those without the constant care needed to maintain carpets of lawn, which have served as refuge to the native flora.

In his landmark book, The Sacred & The Profane, 1957, Mircea Eliade distinguishes two spaces: the sacred is the structured, significant place that anchors life’s orientation while the profane is the amorphous, inconstant, chaotic place, one in which humans feel powerless. In lieu of scientific knowledge our distant ancestors interpreted natural occurrences in anthropomorphic ways as the realm and power of gods on whose mercy we depend. Sacred places were chosen based on the characteristics of a particular god (genius loci). Since most major gods were associated with the sky or heavens, sacred places tended to be located on higher ground. These were the places where humankind could approach and befriend the gods to appease their temperament and thus gain favorable outcomes. Burial grounds became powerful sacred spaces, as thresholds to the realm of the gods; here human souls leave this world to be in one shared with the gods themselves, away from everyday toils and finite life. If any harm be done to these places the whole community would suffer from the ancestors’ wrath and that of the gods to whom the space was consecrated. To consecrate a space a religious ritual needed to be performed and a marker such as a temple built to house a god that would oversee the territory. The records do not give a reason for selecting the location for Short Cemetery; however it is described as “an upland site” in the dedication proposal, which fits within the traditional high ground selective process.

When Europeans began to settle the New World the consecration marker was typically the Christian religious symbol of the cross. For them, the New World was unknown territory, often considered hostile or at best pagan, although some accounts record its natural beauty as a found Eden. The religious marker signified consecration, ownership in the name of a higher being and thus rid of maleficent spirits. Away from their ancestral land, Europeans’ consecration of religious space would assure continuity with a home left behind. The simple act of declaration replaced the genius loci of the ancient civilizations; an opportunistic means, given the lack of intimate knowledge they had of the New World. The nostalgic desire to transpose a homeland onto the new landscape undermined the existing community. The consequences of settlement to the native peoples and their association with the land are reprehensible, but nonetheless in line with the traditions of creating order out of the perceived chaotic (pagan) land. It is a strange turn of events that those very places that represented Manifest Destiny, such as the railroads and the consecrated appropriated land for cemeteries, be the very places of refuge for the native flora. In fact a reversal of roles has occurred, where the pagan entities of a European perceived wilderness, drastically curtailed, have found sanctuary in the neglected spaces of their nemesis and in time became the hope of ecological regeneration.

Archaeological works in the twentieth century have amply demonstrated that the pre-Columbian Americas were home to highly evolved, ancient civilizations that rivaled those of the Old World. The territory was heavily populated throughout and the wilderness the Europeans perceived was in effect an anthropogenic landscape. By the time face to face contact was made with aboriginal societies the waves of diseases brought over by the Europeans had decimated the population, thus accounting for the erroneous perception of poor and primitive inhabitants. (Mann)

Dr. Robert Betz recognized the importance of pioneer cemeteries, inventorying 824 of them in 64 Illinois and Indiana counties. He founded the Illinois Cemetery Association with a membership of one to advocate the protection of these sites. He also reintroduced fire ecology as a management tool in prairie restoration at a time when fire was still considered a great threat. (Bowles and DeMarco, 2007) It was the start of the road back to the anthropogenic landscape of pre-Columbian America.

In 1988 when Short Pioneer Cemetery Prairie was designated as a nature preserve the sacred status did not change. It transformed from a religious consecrated space with remnant scientific interest to a science-based consecrated space with remnant religious interest.

Nature preserves serve other purposes, in addition to sustaining ecological communities, which trigger emotional connections for people. The anthropomorphic portrayal of natural phenomena is not limited to religious beliefs. The interpretation may also be part of local community folklore and even express a sense of community humor. In 1998 I was given the task to create an ecological restoration plan for my home town in Italy. I decided that part of the restoration would include what I termed mythological landscapes. These were natural features that inspired local folkloric tales as late as the early 20th century when a rock outcropping was named: ‘The Pope’s Eyeglasses’ referring to the similarity in shape to the glasses worn by Pius XII, who had become a sacred hero to many. My task proved harder than anticipated for most of the inhabitants, with the exception of a few elders, had forgotten these tales handed down through oral recounting. Few were still farming and even less practicing animal husbandry. The majority were working in urban centers, visiting the town periodically. The farmers rode in air-conditioned, stereo-equipped tractors with enormous shock absorbers to provide a smooth ride. The wind, the sun, the odors of the soil and the land formations no longer played a role in this experience; whereas the folk tales were created by my ancestors walking on the ground, noticing the form of rocks, the gurgling of springs and the sound of the wind moving through a mountain pass. Their bloodline solely connected to this place, building on generations dating back to antiquity. This I realized was a lost world and the only remnants were the names bestowed on particular features in the landscape. However naming the landscape insured some protection. Even though the original motives had been forgotten, a respect lingered and it was in these locations where environmental disturbance was minimal. In my restoration plan I proposed sculptural storyboards to be placed at specified locations linked by a heritage path so that the tales and associated cultural connections would be preserved with the physical formations that inspired them.

In 2009 a talk given by Ed Collins at the Wild Things Stewardship Conference held at the University of Illinois at Chicago, brought me back to this work. Ed presented a series of personal encounters with the landscape as experienced by restoration volunteers and himself. These were heartfelt, visceral episodes; not experiences as when visiting a national park for a short stay. These were based on personalized intimate knowledge of the landscape that comes with continuous contact over time. What I had proclaimed a lost world had reincarnated itself. The contemporary local nature preserves are a way to reconnect to a primal relationship to the land for those that wish to do so; to recognize and perform our role as stewards, and this too is of value and somewhat transcendent.

 

Bibliography:

1491- New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2005.

The Sacred and the Profane – The nature of Religion, Mircea Eliade, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1959.

Notes from talks given by Marlin Bowles and Marcy DeMauro at the Dr. Betz Memorial Symposium, Fermilab, July 7, 2007.

Vascular Flora of Short Pioneer Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, Grundy County, Illinois: composition ad changes since 1977’ - Loy Phillippe, Paul Marcum, Daniel Busemeyer and John Ebinger.