Learn more about Stephen Bush’s eclectic journey as a painter in thiscatalogue from his recent exhibition at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne University.

Stephen Bush depicts modern furniture and dwellings as invasive objects that have been plopped into the natural landscape. Is there an alternative approach to contemporary design that generates a more symbiotic relationship with nature? Driven by sustainability concerns, many designers and architects are using biomimicry to create designs that optimize resource use and recycle byproducts into productive uses. The resulting products and structures follow nature’s lead and are more responsive to, and integrated with, their natural surroundings. Learn more about the exciting potential of this design movement in thisTED talk by architect Michael Pawlyn.

Housing is a key component of our Ecological Footprint. In constructing, maintaining and furnishing our homes, we use a variety of natural resources, and have the opportunity to employ principles of sustainable design. This includes selecting “green” building materials and furniture. We also generate emissions of carbon dioxide from a variety of activities in our home, including electricity use, heating and waste processing. Learn how you can reduce the carbon footprint of your home in this guide from Shrink That Footprint.

From our interview with Stephen Bush:

AWFC: In many of your paintings, your placement of man made objects and dwellings into pristine landscapes creates tension and dissonance. What story lines do you want your viewers to find in these scenes?

Stephen Bush: The landscape in these paintings read as a pointed metaphor that speaks to our increasingly frayed relationship to the environment. The depicted views continue to seduce and disturb. Inhabited by costumed participants and icons of visual culture, my figures confuse easy readings of time, place, and meaning. Their considered presence also draws attention to my ongoing explorations of pictorial style. In my paintings, contradictions abound. Modernist design commingles with démodé narrators, and dilapidated structures overhaul their futile utility. Regeneration and transformation share duality with the images depicted and the physical material itself in its fluid, dripped, pooled, brushed and scraped state. For me, the act of painting is one of ponder, revision and improvisation.

Read ourfull interview with Stephen Bush.

Hydroelectric power is a relatively clean, renewable source of energy with low operating costs. Hydroelectric power plants use the force of moving water to push a turbine, which turns an electric generator. Typically, the force of water is harnessed by damming a river. The dam alters the ecosystem by creating a reservoir and disrupting the natural flow of the river. The extent to which a dam alters the ecosystem will ultimately determine the severity of its environmental impact. Learn more about how the design of a dam can drive its environmental impact in this interactive graphic.

Stephen Bush’s work visualizes the transformation of natural landscapes into stages for human drama. If you are inspired by his work, you can take action in your own life. Select one or more pledges listed below and spread the word. You can also learn more by visiting our Pledge Center. Let’s #EndOvershoot and save our #OneEarth.