Abstract

Responding to Etienne Turpin and Heather Davis’ argument that “art and aesthetics are central to thinking with and feeling through the Anthropocene,” this thesis examines the transformative possibilities of immersive, embodied, and sensory artistic practices in addressing environmental change. Two case studies – Moving off the Land (2016-ongoing) by American artist Joan Jonas (b. 1936) and brise glace soleil blanc (2016) by Quebec-based artist Jacynthe Carrier (b. 1982) – explore how art can enhance awareness of aquatic ecosystems and provide critical ways of engaging with endangered bodies of water. This
research project focuses on the artists’ commitment to water as a pressing environmental concern but also as a medium of embodiment and immersion that evokes alternatives to patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist relations to nature. Furthermore, the combination of performance, video, and photography in these two artworks is examined as a sensory strategy that amplifies perceptions of contemporary aquatic environments.