public erasures
an interactive art performance drawing attention to the increase in numbers of endangered species due to climate change, habitat loss and pollution
Our actions or inactions today will determine the fate of
millions of species and
ultimately life, itself, on earth
All prints for Sale - See header menu
10% of the proceeds go to the World Wildlife Fund
public erasures
Public Erasures are interactive art activations where the artist, Frances Gynn, invites the public to erase her detailed drawings and paintings of endangered species, raising awareness of this worldwide crisis. The interactive element combined with the subject matter offers both a visceral and intellectual experience, resulting in debate and discovering how, as individuals, we might make a difference.
The world is facing a total ecosystem collapse brought about by the steady destruction of wildlife.
Scientists believe this biodiversity loss will begin a new mass extinction if these losses are not reversed.
Species are being lost today faster than any previous extinction event. Where species have been lost and recovered without causing an ecosystem collapse, research has shown that we are approaching a tipping point from which ecosystems cannot recover.
‘Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins could be extinct by 2100 and other species may follow if we don’t act’ In Public Erasure - Emperor Penguin, I invited the public to choose from three different-width paintbrushes and strike through a penguin with oil paint. The effect, as well as the emotive response to this metaphor for destroying life, from the participants, was to take them into the cold environment for a greater experience. A metaphorical obliteration of the Emperor Penguin species was replaced with a bleak landscape of white paint.
ecologically-driven
Environmental approaches towards art and nature are very varied, from raising awareness to ecological activism. Artists try to raise public awareness to create a better world, one which so often is the inspiration for their work. The effect is toplace humanity in harmony with the natural environment.
Driven by what the artist experiences around them and across the world, an individual voice can arise from what is produced in the form of visual art or a whole host of art disciplines.
On a personal note, as an artist, my dialogue with conceptual activity, observational drawing, painterly experiments with nature, and communication with my audience is intensely varied.
My work is affected by its conceptual aim. The drawings of endangered species are deliberately representative, a decision I made (and still experiment with) to create the biggest impact for the cause. If people can connect more easily with the subject, its disappearance through erasure probably has more impact.
Interestingly, the partially rubbed-out, smudged image means the viewer is often enveloped by the pathos of the narrative.
fine art giclee prints
From both pr-erasure and post-erasure images, a selection of more than fifty fine art prints in a choice of sizes.
10% of the proceeds go to World Wildlife Fund
