There be Dragons
Human Impact on the environmentally sensitive Galapagos and Lord Howe Islands
Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger
“In the Age of the Anthropocene, this talk will explore how humans impact on our world both by their presence and indirectly by their lifestyle. This is a science-art investigation of tourism and its effects on closed eco systems, specifically the Galapagos and Lord Howe Islands (both World Heritage Listed). Through my art investigations I work to bring awareness to the public in order to create a more relevant understanding of the issues surrounding human impact on the environment and its long term effects.
Through the interaction between the worlds of art and science I explore evolution in the Anthropocene, a harbinger for the future of our human interaction on this earth. Increasing tourism instigated by economic change and the media’s current focus on the apparently pristine, remote and untouched landscapes, creates expectations of the natural environment. With the Islands of Galapagos and Lord Howe acting as microcosms for our biosphere, this dialogue will explore the uncertainties that surround population growth, extinction and the dissemination of toxic materials into the environment.
My research and resulting artworks explore, through photography, video, microscopy, sound and installation, connections on how utopia becomes a dystopia, we are trapped in our desires for a unique experience; how modernisation and the need for the tourist dollar become can become weapons for a bleak future for the Galapagos and Lord Howe Islands.”
-Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger
Lea Kannar-Lichtenberger is an artist exploring human impact on islands & isolated environments. Her interdisciplinary vision creates artworks & installations that examine the impact of the Anthropocene & consumerism on the Utopian destination. Her research, writings & resulting artworks have been published in peer reviewed journals & a book, she has been invited to deliver formal lectures incl. the Royal Society of NSW & papers at conferences both in Australia & around the globe.
https://www.leakannar.com/