S02 E03: TIM - ALL ART IS ECOLOGICAL

Apr 4, 2025

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How Can Words Take You Somewhere You Didn't Expect To Go?

This episode was going to focus on "All Art is Ecological" by Timothy Morton. Book 3 of Penguin's Green Ideas. And it does. Kinda. But what this episode is really about is how books are like time machines. They transport you (back) to places you didn't expect to go; but are glad you did. For me, that place was Westminster Bridge, October 2019....

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Good books are like time machines. That’s how I felt when I was reading book number 3 in Penguin’s Green Ideas series – Timothy Morton’s “All Art is Ecological”.

I didn’t expect to go where the book took me at all and that’s why I love it.

It’s why I love books.

If this was a real book review, I’d start by telling you about how Timothy Morton is a distinguished philosopher and professor, currently holding the Rita Shea Guffey Chair in English at Rice University. (I was teaching there last year myself, since it’s the place where JFK gave his famous “Moon Speech” which I lecture on quite a lot). They were born (“they” pronoun) in London in 1968 to musician parents where they pursued English literature at Oxford University and earned both degrees focused on Romantic poets, before focusing on ecology, philosophy, and object-oriented ontology.

We could talk about the Interconnection of Art and Ecology and Discuss how artistic practices can reveal and influence our understanding of ecological relationships

Storytelling in the Anthropocene is a GOOD one: Examine the role of storytelling in reshaping narratives around human and non-human relationships in the current geological epoch. Discussing Practical Applications of Ecological Thought:

Tim are renowned for introducing the concept of “hyperobjects,” which describes entities so vast and distributed in time and space that they defy localisation - examples include climate change and Styrofoam – so we could talk about how the concept of hyperobjects can inform purpose-driven leaders about the complexities of global challenges like climate change.

Tim has written 25 books, translated 47 times into 20 languages - and 300 essays on philosophy, ecology, literature, music, art, architecture, design and food. If you were to ask Tim what they did, they’d say, “I write sentences about ecological awareness.”

All Art is Ecological explores the strangeness of living in an age of mass extinction, and shows us that emotions and experience are the basis for a deep philosophical engagement with ecology.

But that’s not what this is about for me.

As I was reading about how EVERYTHING is ecological, from stroking your dog to playing a guitar, I was transported back to October 2019, when I stood on Westminster Bridge, just opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, with thousands of other climate activists as part of the Extinction Rebellion protests.

It was one of the most colourful and intense days of my life. Which is saying something.

Even in the middle of a glorious Autumnal day in central London, it can be a pretty grey place. Everyone rushing to work on the tube dressed in dark colours – and getting off the tube at Embankment to walk down the river to Westminster, many of the buildings are not what you see on the postcards or in films, but boxy brutalist concrete structures where “serious work” takes place. I worked at IBM on the Southbank in one of those places. We did great work! But it was an UGLY building.

It was during this week of XR protests that I was introduced to Timothy Morton. My friend said they were the most inspirational thinker alive today – and when someone you know says that to you, it’s worth taking a bit of notice to figure out who they are.

You see, in the middle of the explosion of colour which took over the roadblocks at Westminster Bridge and Whitehall where Extinction Rebellion protesters were camping out were plants, skate ramps, flowers, art, chalk drawings, yoga classes, kids dancing, streamers, flags. The air smelled of insence. There was a happy and positive vibe. Everyone was smiling. It was like Glastonbury. But in Central London.

But underneath all that positivity was a “climate grief” which I got introduced to. Young people SO overwhelmed by the climate crisis that they were literally struggling to cope, and process what to do.

I’m as inspired as anyone by Greta’s book “No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference” but that’s not the sentiment I felt when I got talking to protesters and activists that day.

They spoke about hope budgets being eroded and the fact they didn’t want to bring kids into the world because it was all too depressing.

Timothy Morton talks openly about this a lot. As someone who suffers with PTSD, they often share their depression diagnosis, by way of trying to help other people who might be struggling to save the planet against overwhelming odds.

“Climate grief is a serous thing”.

I hadn’t heard about it before then.

It was like this weird juxtaposition of a vibrant London, full of hippies who cared about Mother Earth, but who at the same time were fighting internally with internally by the kind of “dementors” that J.K. Rowling wrote about so powerfully in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

And then I met Cam Cole.

A gypsy and a one man band who lives in a van at the back of an industrial estate just outside London, and who was playing his “one man band show” at the end of Whitehall just down the road from Westminster Bridge.

I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it.

The thing is - “All Art is Ecological,” part of Penguin’s Green Ideas series, delves into the intrinsic connection between art and ecology, where Tim argues that art inherently embodies ecological principles.

They propose that experiencing art can heighten our awareness of ecological interdependence, emphasizing that emotions and personal experiences are foundational for deep ecological engagement.

And that’s where this book took me. As vivid as the moment that it happened, Tim’s book transported me back to that moment when I saw a musician, sharing his art, among all the struggles of the climate crisis, surrounded by people who we suffering from “climate grief” – sharing the most uplifting music with unbridled joy!

It was like the sun had just broken through all the clouds and as Cam played his battered guitar – the mood of the entire area changed, and people were uplifted.

There’s a video I’ll share in the notes which was taken just in front of me, so you’ll get the vibe, but it’s hard to capture the magic of what happened after that short gig.

My takeaway from “All Art is Ecological” is that we need to become more connected to our surroundings, and spend less time scrolling and more time experiencing the environment around us.

Jacques Cousteau once said “You protect what you love” and that’s what I think Timothy Morton is challenging us to do.

Your environment – ecology – “eco” which literally translates as “home” – is important.

Morton asks: Do you have a cat? Do you pet your cat?

Well, that is ecological.

Want to make a difference but you don’t know where to start?

Go to the garden store and smell the fragrance of the leaves.

Start there.

It might sound a little like hippy flower-power wisdom, but given all the challenges that we’re facing in the world right now – we need to stay positive and seek out all the joy that we can find. Wherever that is. And however small.

I don’t know about you, but for me, today, it starts with a gypsy guitar player!

Thanks for listening.

See you next time.

The Truth in Ten is a cross between a podcast series and a storytelling masterclass. Each short episode shines a light on a different inspirational leader; someone who shared a short story which changed the world in some way. This is a show for anyone who wants to make a difference by sharing their story.