Shelby x Lucie Temple

Zine

Dec 5

Art + Climate Change

An interveiw with Lucie Temple; zine-maker of Art + Climate Change: 5 WAYS ART IS IMPORTANT IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS movement

Could you start by introducing yourself. What's your name, where do you live and what are your creative interests?

My name is Lucie Temple, I am a sixth form student living in South London. I currently study Fine Art, and look to pursue that (and all things creative) in the future, I am interested in ecological/political art. In my own practise, I love to paint and am fascinated by conceptual and performance art.

How did this zine with Shelby x Studios come about?

Shelby x Studios gave me an amazing opportunity to make a zine as work experience. The theme for this zine was inspired by the ideas I have been exploring in my EPQ (a research essay project) about Art and Climate Change, and long-term questioning of how I can use my art to make a difference in the world.

What was your process with it? What did you enjoy most about making it? Did you learn anything new? Will you be making any more zines in the future?

This was a completely new experience for me, and I had so much fun! I was able to explore ideas in a new way, and the format helped me to prioritise the most important points. After I had done some small sketches to figure out what was going on each page, I started thinking about what it would look like. I wanted the zine to feel handmade, and have some nice textures, so I experimented with scanning in some random bits of paper and envelopes. I also knew I wanted to have a 'do-it-yourself' section. I was inspired by the kitchen Lithography process that uses household items to make prints, but upon further research I found that the materials needed were still too specific, or expensive to buy. So I did some experiments with things I found around the house to find a process which was truly inexpensive. I finally landed on the method which gave the most consistent results and did my own drawings, one of which is the front cover of the zine! I definitely want to make some more zines in the future, I think it was a very fun way to explore ideas and a great form of political communication in a visually interesting way.

What are your thoughts about the role of art in the climate change movement?

I think that art will always have a place in political discussions, it has been used to communicate ideas throughout history and I don't think it is reasonable to imagine a world where art in some form does not exist. Therefore, the question that interests me lies in how art can be useful in the climate change movement. I think that art has a unique capacity to evoke critical thinking about a situation, shed light on new perspectives through story-telling and therefore forge personal connections to complex issues. Conceptual art is particularly strong in this regard. The arts definitely has a responsibility to function sustainably, and prioritise accessibility, and I think there is a lot of potential for the art sector to influence change, both in other industries and on an individual level.

Finally, if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

This is a very difficult question, but I think what I would want to change is the mindset, often held by states and large corporations, that growing the economy is the most important thing. I think that this is a dangerous mentality that inevitably results in exploitation. If those in power prioritised other things, such as the environment and the wellbeing of the general population, we would be in a much better situation globally.

Buy the zine here