washing off the collective #mindmap mural

Artist Àgata Alcañiz takes responsibility for her artwork once her residency at the Chinese Arts Centre is finished and she washes it off.

"I thought I could remove the charcoal and leave the wall as I found it by just using water and old clothes but I could not."

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As an artist and as a human being I like taking responsibility of my actions above all the ones affecting the environment more than to a human level, though with the time I've learned that these two are not separated. Said that, since a child I always have had a natural inclination to respect the natural world above humans.

That's why I have always considered what I do, how I use my time, and the things I use. In that respect I chose to do and have as little as I feel comfortable with. That's the only way I know by first hand I can be friendlier to the environment.



In my art practice my main concern is to raise awareness on the amount of waste, in a very broad sense, humans are generating, and how is affecting not only the natural world but also our health and lives.

I also like taking responsibility of the artwork I make or engage with. In that respect I always consider to have the less environmental impact as I can. 

Sometime, nonetheless I feel like just portraying how I perceive our contemporary times, and I do and use all the things our society does. See ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE_ HUMAN BIN for example. I portray what could be a main stream woman who goes to the hair dresser, has make-up and might like luxury apartments.


But even if I want to have less environmental impact, doesn't matter what I do, it always seems it has. That's why I prefer to do as little as possible and If I do something, focus on:

• planting trees
• designing systems that are sustainable like growing food or recycling humanure.
• encourage people to do and have less (children included), and if anything, use the most sustainable solutions.
  

When the Chinese Arts Centre asked to few artists how art practices could be friendlier I saw the complexity of such an issue and I opened the dialogue to people within the arts or whoever could have any views on the subject.

I also had clear that I would try to respond to it by having the less environmental impact as possible, so:

• I sourced charcoal made in England with local coppiced branches. 
• I invited people to be part of a collective #mindmap using this charcoal and write and draw on one of the centre's wall
• I washed it up just using water and old cloths.
  

I thought I could remove the charcoal and leave the wall as I found it but I could not. It will need a layer of white painting. I also encouraged people who could not come to the centre to leave their messages on twitter or by email so the process of making the collective #mindmap used computers, new phones and therefore electricity...


People says to me.. Àgata computers can be re-cycled. Yes, but once you bought them, they already had committed environmental crimes.


People says ... you should focus on small solutions. Yes but small solutions won't solve the major environmental and human crisis we are confronting.


Also it is obvious that what is friendly for you it is not frienly for me.


The act of making 'becoming life friendly' collective #mindmap shows the complexity of being life friendly."