What is the role of the artist in the time of climate change?
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Part handbook, part history book, part art book; this guide is a love letter to San Diego. To write this, we began with a deep exploration of the beautiful place we call home. From hiking around the most biodiverse region in the continental US (surprise, it's San Diego!) to connecting with Kumeyaay community members to better learn the history of this land through more lenses than one — what resulted was a whole bunch more questions that we attempted to answer in a few hundred pages.
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What is our role, as designers and artists — the movers and shakers of our world — in the 21st century? Can we combine traditional knowledge with modern technology to create regenerative and culturally relevant designs?
Our answer was to turn to what is already around us including the traditions, history, native and non-native plants, and synthetic waste.
Thanks to the support of Patagonia & A Reason to Survive, E.A.R.T.H. to San Diego was birthed in September 2021.
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For artists and dreamers worldwide, reimagining where their design supplies come from can not only provide a new path for expression but also benefit our planet. If food is the nourishment we put into our bodies, art is the nourishment we put into the planet. It’s the entertainment that inspires us; the building materials we stand on. It’s the culture that sets trends and shapes how we live and interact on this Earth. Art describes a unique time and place in our collective history.
Turning to localized supplies (instead of globalized) not only reduces our overall carbon footprint but connects us to the wisdom of the environment around us more intimately. To do this, we’ll have to look at our surroundings and our process through a new lens. The concept of slow art does not merely see nature as a linear relationship, where we simply take and justify it in the name of human expression. Instead, our relationship with nature is circular, whereby by creating art we actually benefit our environment and not solely extract from it. Creating the paint that is used to make the painting should be as important as the painting itself. Art itself should be the solution, not just the poster for it.
This book is the first step in making this vision a reality in cities all over the world. Our hope is that it will help other artists, scientists, and makers create art & culture that breathes in harmony with their respective landscapes. ​Until then, sign up for our growing series of workshops to learn how to create using materials found in San Diego.
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Example chapter on California Fan Palm
A brief history of San Diego
Take your own notes and share your findings with us :)
Example chapter on California Fan Palm
EARTH to San Diego was written by Itamar Lilienthal with the help of Kelsey Bair and graphic designer Kaidan Pascua. Special thanks to David Hopkins, Micheal Wilkins, James Halliday, Sula Vanderplank, Yolanda Meza, Gaurav MK Wali, Liz Spencer, Richard Carrico, Ethan Banegas, Tom Hamilton, Omar Quintero, Adela Bonilla, Rick Zazueta, Precious Plastics, ClearStory Printers, y Talco.
​**PLEASE NOTE**
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO CURRENTLY BE SOLD OUT OF EARTH TO SAN DIEGO.
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