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Pando Populus: When Words Aren’t Enough to Save the Planet

Pando Populus: When Words Aren’t Enough to Save the Planet

Last updated on: April 24, 2015 at 5:53 pm by Philip Clayton

Pando Populus: When Words Aren’t Enough to Save the Planet 2015-04-24T17:53:23+00:00 Philip Clayton

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All Together © Tucker Nichols 2014

As promised in my first Pando Populus post, over the next few weeks I’ll highlight some of the incredible people involved in our June 4-7 global conference for the planet: Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization. For this post, however, words are not enough.

That’s because today I’m introducing you to John Bielenberg and Tucker Nichols.

One of the leaders in the “Design for Good” movement, John Bielenberg sees design in terms of how it impacts the world. He has always felt passionately that inspired designers can do much more to make an impact than simply creating gorgeous websites, logos, or brochures. So, for example, he has collaborated with creatives in using “design thinking” to bring clean water to rural Alabama, to create a socially revolutionary restaurant and meeting place in a decaying urban neighborhood, and to support forest conservation in Costa Rica.

One of John’s regular partners in effecting real change is artist Tucker Nichols. Tucker makes art as a way of grappling with big ideas. Through his exhibitions, large-scale installations and published work, he brings a deceptively simple, wry approach to complex topics like philosophy, technology and how to save the US Postal Service. His work has been featured at the Drawing Center in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Den Frie Museum in Copenhagen, in the pages of McSweeney’s and The Thing Quarterly, the Op-Ed pages of The New York Times, and on the campus of Facebook, where he was an artist in residence.

John and Tucker have been instrumental in making the ideas of the Pando conference more fascinating and accessible, as you can see from the art below. At the conference John will be presenting a special session on Saturday, June 6 called “Designing for Social Innovation”.

Tucker’s art will be featured throughout the conference venues. Rather than tell you about it, however, it makes more sense to show you. Below is a sampling of some of Tucker’s recent creative output. You can also click through the pages of PandoPopulus.com to see how his drawings have brought its big ideas down to Earth. Enjoy!

blubberprint1

Artwork © Tucker Nichols 2014.

Please join John, Tucker, me, and almost 1,000 more cutting-edge leaders for our inaugural Pando Populus event, in conjunction with the Whitehead2015 conference. Go to PandoPopulus.com/conference to connect!

Next Week: Imagine a naturally bred grain that can be harvested every year, but doesn’t have to be plowed up and replanted after harvest – in other words, a perennial grain. The conservation of topsoil and greatly reduced fertilizer requirements would be a huge bonus for the environment. Such a grain is no longer imaginary, thanks to Wes Jackson and his collaborators at The Land Institute. In fact, it is already growing in numerous test farms.

Philip Clayton is the Ingraham Professor at Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California. Clayton has taught or held research professorships at Williams College, California State University, Harvard University, Cambridge University, and the University of Munich. His research focuses on biological emergence, religion and science, process studies, and contemporary issues in ecology, religion, and ethics. He is the recipient of multiple research grants and international lectureships, as well as the author of numerous books, including The Predicament of Belief: Science, Philosophy, Faith(2011); Religion and Science: The Basics (2011);Transforming Christian Theology: For Church and Society (2009); and In Quest of Freedom: The Emergence of Spirit in the Natural World (2009). He also edited The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science(2006).

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