What makes environmental art different from other forms of social activism?
The basic difference between art and activism is that art can only hope to raise awareness on an issue, whereas activism hopes to achieve concrete change. I am more interested in how we think about the environment than changing laws, because our motivation for change has to be genuine to effect real change. What has been the most confronting experience you’ve had as part of your work? I make large installations in ice and last winter I created a piece in the Yukon, near the Arctic Circle. My ice collapsed in a matter of minutes after working on it in sub-zero weather for two months. My work with ice has become more and more difficult with climate change. What has been the greatest challenge you have had to overcome? For artists there are nothing but challenges, but the greatest of all is overcoming our own self-doubt. I believe that everyone has the capacity for being creative but most do not get past the self-doubt stage. This is why I believe artists to be the most courageous people.
