Login | Register

Points of interest at the center for land use interpretation : a tour in the margins of social ecology

Title:

Points of interest at the center for land use interpretation : a tour in the margins of social ecology

Bélanger, Gentiane (2008) Points of interest at the center for land use interpretation : a tour in the margins of social ecology. Masters thesis, Concordia University.

[thumbnail of MR45276.pdf]
Preview
Text (application/pdf)
MR45276.pdf - Accepted Version
2MB

Abstract

"Dedicated to the increase and diffusion of information about how the nation's lands are apportioned, utilized, and perceived," the Center for Land Use Interpretation (or CLUI, as it has come to be known) is a non-profit research organization that "aims to improve the collective understanding of the human/land dialectic." 1 Centering its gaze on human-altered landscapes, the Center scours, tours, charts and archives the land in search of clues that might elucidate the convoluted and conflicted relationship we have with the environment. This thesis delineates the particularities of CLUI's ecological perspective and demonstrates the extent of its interaction with an equally singular art legacy. While CLUI's polymorphous practice can be situated amidst a broader repertoire of environmental art, the Center's artistic underpinnings--that is, the complex merging of relational aesthetics and conceptualism--also lead to a postmodern form of tourism and a modulated ecological consciousness. Looking at CLUI's practice through the prism of what is sometimes called social ecology, this thesis affiliates the Center's liminal identity to a specific conception of ecology, one that is inclusive of human culture in the broad scheme of natural evolution. In conclusion, CLUI's art-informed criticality is presented as a vector for pushing social ecology toward more pragmatic and self-reflexive ends. In so doing, this thesis implicitly brings to light the critical agency of contemporary art--as exemplified by CLUI--and its potential contribution to the discursive development of ecological thought.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Fine Arts > Art History
Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Authors:Bélanger, Gentiane
Pagination:viii, 157 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Art History
Date:2008
Thesis Supervisor(s):Sloan, Johanne
Identification Number:LE 3 C66A35M 2008 B45
ID Code:975992
Deposited By: Concordia University Library
Deposited On:22 Jan 2013 16:18
Last Modified:13 Jul 2020 20:09
Related URLs:
All items in Spectrum are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved. The use of items is governed by Spectrum's terms of access.

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads per month over past year

Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
- Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
Back to top Back to top