Book Launch: Green/Blue. From Glaciers to Oceans
On Wednesday, October 17, we presented our second publication on stories of biodiversity from the south of Chile. A book that guides you through glaciers in the Andes mountain range to the Pacific coastal edge, where endemic species and very old environments are found that must be understood and valued.
LAUNCH: Wednesday October 17th, 2018, 7.30 pm, at the Museum of Visual Arts Santiago (Plaza Mulato Gil). To be presented by Chilean illustrator Paloma Valdivia and the director of the Museum of Natural History, Claudio Gómez.
Green/Blue. From the glaciers to oceans. Stories of Biodiversity in Southern Chile is a book that invites one to explore from different points of view how ecosystems are intrinsically connected as an important factor to take into consideration for their proper care and conservation. It is part of the research work and artistic residencies that have been taking place in Bosque Pehuén, in the Araucanía Andina over the past 10 years.
The project began in 2016, with 8 illustrators in residency, Chileans and Nordics, in Bosque Pehuén and Chiloé. That year we also published a small book on the research and ideas about the forest and its territory. We then explored, together with expert collaborators in Mapuche culture, forests, glaciers, and fungi, diverse visions. The creativity of illustrators completes a multiple exploration, from geological history to personal history.
Without blue there is no green and without green there is no blue: this conservation slogan, which observes the territory as a whole, marks the purpose of this book, that is, to understand that protecting the earth implies looking towards the sea. Climate change, the constant challenges of contemporary life, make it this an urgent matter.
The illustrators in residence were the Chileans Tomás Olivos, Sebastián Ilabaca, Daniela William and Matías Prado, along with the Nordics Katrine Clante, Linda Bondestam, Bjorn Rune Lie and Siri, Ahmed Backström. They elaborated joint and individual works for the book. The texts, meanwhile, propose to explore and learn about the formation of the earth millions of years ago to the newly explored connections of trees and waters through fungi, plants and epiphytes. Glaciers, forests, wetlands, marine currents, are some of the environments that form the histories of biodiversity, in addition to personal texts written by our collaborators: Alejandra Carimán, on the relation of respect with the territory of the Mapuche people; Iván Díaz, on the longevity of trees; Giuliana Furci, on the magical world of the fungi kingdom, and Danish illustrator Katrine Clante narrates her life according to her relationship with water and forests. In addition to abundant photographs and information explained at various levels, this book also contains a brief guide of Chilean inhabitants: flora, fungi and fauna.
