Thick clouds of brown
smoke darken the sun
Eyes tear,
birds cry
The sun colors the evening
in the hues of the poison that
factories vomit
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
I feel it is my mission to make people aware of the beauty and at the same time fragility of nature. At the same time, this sometimes feels like hypocrisy because I am part of the society that causes the destruction of the earth's habitability. Even though I do my best to live simply and keep my ecological footprint considerably smaller than "the use" of 1 earth.
At times when I feel that, I also feel an urge to create a work with a more poignant message....
General info on this artwork
The artwork 'Birds Cry' is and artwork in the collection Drowned Earth. It is a digital transformation of a photograph, and will be printed with high-quality ink on museum-quality, acid-free cotton/rag paper (Hahnemühle Photo Rag® 308gsm). The work comes in a limited edition of 10, signed and with a certificate of authenticity. But of course, it is also available as Open Edition print, without signature and not numbered. Available in any size you desire !
Maximum size is 250Wx140H cm / 100Wx56H inches. The work can be printed in any size up to that maximum, so please let me know the size you would prefer.
I start with one or more photographs made by myself to create these artworks. Then I use digital painting, color adjusting and adding and transforming multiple artistic effects, until a surrealistic atmosphere is created that touches me and tells the story I want to tell.
Prints of the artwork 'Birds Cry' are available, ask for a quote or contact me through a message. Available in any size you desire ! Prices starting at €55 / US$60.
And available in my Saatchi Art portfolio at the artwork page. But of course I can upload a limited edition in any other size.
ALL WE NEED IS LESS CONSUMING
Through my artworks I ask you to reflect for a moment on the nature around you, on the beautiful feeling that nature can evoke. Thus to think about your actions to support the wellbeing of the earth and everything that lives on it. And on what humanity loses when many of us continue on the destructive path of ever more greed and consuming. And please, reflect on how you can survive in this rapidly changing world…
So do you want to know your ecological footprint?
Then visit this website: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
And do you want to reduce your ecological footprint?
Then ask me, I will help you. For free. Or simply visit my website and choose in the menu for Your Footprint.
And if you appreciate my writings and art and want to support me, you can buy me a piece of fruit here: https://ko-fi.com/jacobberghoef, thank you 🍏 !
Interested in more? Then read what I wrote about System Change, Man's impact on the earth, Organic Change, Regenerative Agriculture, Regeneration
Hi Jacob, thanks a lot for all the informative articles you publish regularly concerning climate change. Always interesting, we become aware of so many dangers for nature and earth. It’s important to take part of this effort to improve the situation but we all know that these individual efforts will not be enough if the politics don’t take their responsability facing this problem. Listen to nature and take decisions altogether is, up to me, the only issue to improve this situation.
Thank you very much Laurence. I think we all need to take part to make change happen: governments, companies, individuals… But we shouldn’t wait for each other, than no real change happens. Politicians are our representatives. They are not responsible, you and I are responsible.
I am convinced that politicians only start with measures if they are sure that people want it. So let’s show them that we want change. Not shout it, but show it.
Too many people only shout…
And companies, we have to force them. The only language they listen to, is money. So stop buying their junk.
Reminds me of ‘Sorrow’ by Pink Floyd – how much worse has it got since 1987…
The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking
He’s haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can’t be precise…
Great song, very fitting… Yes, it is going so fast… And no signs of serious change, not even of serious intentions to change…
Only empty words and hollow promises, agreements not respected. And whatever happens, keep on growing, keep on consuming.
Thank you Anthony
I agree Jacob and understand, but I think they are responsible, up to me, because they accept the lobbying of some companies and even help them. An exemple : in France we are used to drink, so buy , mineral water which is normaly pure. It has been prooved thanks to Associations that it’s not the case anymore. These companies have been sentenced by french justice but a part of the fine will be set by the french government not to avoid jeopardizing this business. So, for me, they are partners so responsible. But I agree now we have to stop buying this polluted and tranformed water.
That is a sad example…
Governments have been given a task, they are accountable to politicians in parliaments. These in turn are accountable to the voters, who once every 4 or 5 years show them in the elections what they think of how they performed, and what plans they want them to execute..
You could call it delegated responsibility, like a company board of directors. These in turn answer to a board, and they in turn answer to owners. Each with its own responsibility.
Here is an example of how I see it.
In the next election, would you give your vote to a party that introduces bans immediately and raises all prices to the true integral cost?
Just imagine…
A 300% price increase on gasoline and diesel and other petroleum products, 250% on gray electricity, 200% on everything that has plastic in or around it, 300% on all food for which pesticides have been used, and 350% on all animal products from industrial animal husbandry…. A total ban on anything for which forest has been cut down, on flying, on anything brought in by ship or plane, on anything that perpetuates inequality on earth…. And a tax increase for everyone, from 10% for the lowest incomes to 90% for the highest incomes, to repair the damage caused by overconsumption….
And it must be immediate, no more phasing in, no more subsidies…. There is no time and money for that…
Even if a government would put only 1 of these actions in its election program, they will lose votes. A lot.
People get the government they deserve, or in other words: the policy they are willing to accept.
Danke lieber Jacob für Lyrik über Trauergesang der Vögel und Natur und natürlich
wieder großartiges Kunstwerk und Aufforderungen, endlich mehr Eigeninitiative zum
Erhalt funktionierender Natur zu zeigen. Ich stimme Dir, Laurence und Anthony zu und halte “Sorrow” auch für sehr passend .
Frage bleibt nur, wie die gierigen, verlogenen und betrügerischen Machenschaften großer
Wirtschaftskonzerne zumindest zu vermindern sind und Regierungen und Politiker nicht nur
ihre eigenen Interessen zur Wiederwahl etc. focusieren, sondern endlich wirklich Verantwortung tragen .
Vielen Dank für deine Kommentar, liebe Ute.
Am besten wäre es, wenn alle Parteien etwas unternehmen würden, um gemeinsam für eine Welt ohne Überkonsum und ohne Wirtschaftswachstum um der Gewinnsteigerung willen einzutreten.
Aber ich bleibe bei meiner Überzeugung, die durch das, was ich sehe, untermauert wird, dass Politiker niemals ohne Zwang tun werden, was ihre Wiederwahl ernsthaft gefährdet, und Unternehmen niemals ohne Zwang tun werden, was ihre Gewinne gefährdet. So ist unsere Gesellschaft nun mal strukturiert, das kapitalistische System.
Meiner Meinung nach muss der Zwang vom Volk ausgehen. Die Mehrheit des Volkes entscheidet, was Politiker tun. Die Mehrheit der Verbraucher entscheidet, was ein Unternehmen tut.
Solange die Mehrheit der Menschen nicht von der Notwendigkeit einer Veränderung überzeugt ist und entsprechend handelt, wird nichts passieren.
Siehe auch meine 2. Reaktion an Laurence.
Danke Jacob, ich stimme Dir voll und ganz zu. Bedenke aber bitte daß wir, das Volk, oft desinformiert werden zumindest Vieles vorgegaukelt bekommen, buchstäblich gar nicht mehr wissen, wem wir trauen und wählen können. Diese Verunsicherung und all das was auf der Welt passiert lähmt zu viele Menschen, und mir scheint, daß Überkonsum zum
Ausgleich verleitet, anstatt sich auf Wesentliches zu beschränken. All das in zu vielen Ländern, wie auch Laurence ausgeführt hat .
Du weißt aber selbst, daß Dein Vorschlag Utopie ist !
In der Tat, liebe Ute. Desinformation, widersprüchliche Meinungen, Illusion… Deshalb gebe ich ein utopisches Beispiel.
Und genau deshalb habe ich keinerlei Vertrauen in die Entschlossenheit und den Veränderungswillen von Politikern und Unternehmen und sage immer wieder, dass wir es selbst tun müssen.
Ich bestimme meinen eigenen Weg, tue selbst, was ich kann, wähle die Einfachheit und stelle sicher, dass ich auf das vorbereitet bin, was kommen mag.
Danke Jacob, ich denke schon, daß ich Deine Haltung richtig verstehe. Auch ich weiß,
daß “man” grundsätzlich erst selbst als bestes Beispiel vorangehen muß, zumal Massen sich nur zäh bewegen, bin aber dankbar für Menschen mit großem Engagement trotz aller
Hürden .
Danke auch dir, liebe Ute. Es ist wichtig, sich weiter über diese schwierigen Themen auszutauschen.
Aber ja, natürlich Jacob, bedauerlich nur, wieviele Menschen abblocken, zumal, mit
persönlichen Schwierigkeiten klarzukommen haben.
Der Mensch hat nur eine begrenzte Fähigkeit, mit Problemen umzugehen, und immer mehr übersteigt unsere Kapazität, sie zu begreifen und zu umarmen.