[Scpg] No Fly Pledges: "We won't fly for art"

[LBUZZELL at aol.com]

The global warming crisis is giving birth to No Fly Pledges, which are  
flying around the internet right now. This one (below) is for art but other  
protests have been suggested: "we won't fly for academic symposia, corporate  
conferences" etc.  Transition Town founder Rob Hopkins made headlines when  
he refused to fly around the world teaching transition, preferring instead 
to  create videos and post them on the internet.
 
While some folks claim that without flying we'd become country bumpkins  
again (of course farming philosopher Wendell Berry would argue that this 
phrase  just exposes our prejudice against rural people, country life and  
farmers and is a form of anti-nature bigotry) with no culture or  sensitivity to 
other cultures, but perhaps the internet can help us with that,  at least 
partially. Plus we now have people from almost every culture living in  our 
towns and village to broaden our outlooks.
 
Is this kind of relocalization a good thing or will it turn us into  
provincial bigots?  Is staying home the new trend?  And what kind of  flying is 
justifiable at this point in the progress of global warming? Family  reunions? 
Teaching green subjects?
 
Can we begin to explore other alternatives like trains, ships?
 
The main idea is that we begin to question the carbon footprint of our  
easy-flying jaunts, even for "green events" and "eco-tourism"... at least until 
 planes are re-engineered to fly on less toxic fuels.
 
Let me know what you think.
 
Linda
 
 
We won't fly for art : Take the Pledge.

"I will not fly for art but  only if 6 other people will do the same AND
replicate this pledge."

—  Marc Garrett and Ruth  Catlow
http://www.pledgebank.com/wewontflyforart

Deadline to sign up  by: 26th April 2009

More details:
We won't fly for art

We will  not take an aeroplane for the sake of art. For the next 6 months
we will find  other ways to visit and participate in exhibitions, fairs,
conferences,  meetings, residencies. We will not fly for inspiration, nor
to appreciate,  buy or sell art.

But only if 6 others will do the same AND replicate this  pledge.

This pledge is designed for exponential growth so if you  persuade
another 6 people to do the same, within a year you could be one  of
millions of people changing the way the artworld works. So sign  up,
create a replica pledge and share your own experiences, observations  and
arguments towards reducing art flights. Post a link to it in the  comment
box so others can find their way to it.

This is a public art  experiment in the de-escalation of carbon-fuelled,
high altitude,  high-velocity, global art careering. For six months we
choose to cover less  physical distance, move more slowly between
destinations, to look futureward  with more attention to the view from
the ground and the network, for ways to  connect with others around the
world.

Who can sign up to this pledge?  Any individual involved in the arts:
artist (in the broadest sense), curator,  art administrator, art
appreciator, gallerist, art critic, art historian, art  academic, art
technician, art security, art transporter etc. Whether you  currently fly
for art 50 times a year or never, your engagement will change  things by
making your position in the artworld visible and by offering  an
alternative perspective. If you work with others you may need  to
completely revise your schedules and budgets and lobby for the right  not
to fly.

This is to light the blue touch paper of Gustave Metzger's  Reduce Art
Flights campaign using the generative and viral capabilities of  social
networks. We want to know more about the impact of air-flight on  the
artworld (and beyond). We intuit that abstaining from air flight  will
motivate and enable people (with more time, money, energy and  attention)
to relate differently to their own local cultures and to connect  more
imaginatively to other cultures.

Inspirations and  Observations

Artwork- 'Reduce Art Flights' by Gustave Metzger, reviewed  here
http://tinyurl.com/cnv44r

Sustainable Development- Social science  on the environmental impact of
economic growth
'Why Politicians Dare Not  Limit Economic Growth' by Tim  Jackson
http://tinyurl.com/6784zw

Investigative Journalism - What can  we do to stop climate change?
Heat (2006) by George Monbiot, summarised and  reviewed here
http://tinyurl.com/devyax
Monbiot's Guardian blog  http://tinyurl.com/dcew6o

Plane Stupid Campaign- 'bringing the aviation  industry down to  earth'
http://www.planestupid.com/
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