The Nature of Cities 城市的本质
“The Nature of Cities,” created by the nonprofit Art Works for Change, includes 16 short videos from artists, animators and architects from around the world addressing the theme of urban biodiversity. The result is a visually compelling and entertaining exhibition, combined with effective storytelling, that informs and inspires viewers to respect nature and its habitats. The exhibition asks, "How can cities exist in harmony with the natural world in a way that support both people and the planet?" It is a delicate balance.
Ri Crawford, Abyssal City, 2010, 3:45 min
Cities are alive — with people, trees, critters, and all the diversity of life. Like all living creatures, cities consume oxygen, transform food and fuel into activity, and create waste. They can be healthy or ill, sprawling or spare, bustling with life or eerily devoid of activity.
Cities make up just 2 percent of the Earth’s surface, but they house half of the world’s people and consume 75 percent of its resources. Cities have a voracious appetite for energy, materials, water, food, and more. When we over-consume those resources, we don’t merely harm the natural environment, we affect the quality of our own lives, as well as those thousands of miles away.
城市的本质
“城市的本质”——这个由非营利性机构“艺术改变生活”所创造的展览包括16个由来自世界各地的艺术家、动画大师以及建筑家所创作的短片，用以诠释城市生物多样性这个主题。这些短片不仅可以让人们获得视觉的冲击和精神的愉悦，同时通过生动的故事讲解，可以让欣赏者了解更多的知识并且尊重大自然以及栖息在自然界的各种生物。本次展览所探讨的问题是“城市如何以一种和谐的方式与自然共存，从而即能维持人类的生活又不威胁我们的地球？”这是一种很难掌控的平衡。
城市是一个有机体——由人类，植物，动物以及各种各样的生命组成。如同所有的生命体一样，城市也有自己的循环系统，需要消耗氧气，将食物和燃料转化为能量动力，在此过程中会产生废弃物。城市的状态可能是健康的或病态的，它的发展可能是扩张的或萎缩的，城市可能是充满生机的或者毫无活力的。
城市的面积只占据地球表面积的2%，但是它却聚集着占全世界一半的人口，消耗着全球75%的资源。城市的生存发展需要消耗大量的能量，原料，水，食物及其他各种物质。当我们过度消耗这些资源时，我们不仅仅破坏了自然环境，更影响了我们的生活质量，甚至也影响到了千里之外的人们的生活。
那么，城市应该如何与自然环境和谐相处，从而使得人类与地球能够共存发展呢？这是一个微妙的平衡问题。
Exhibition sponsors and partners:
View Abyssal City
View Metropolis
Press release
ArtWorksforChange.org
info@ArtWorksforChange.org