The Metanoia Project : Nature is Us
An Immersive, Digital Art Installation, the Metanoia Project seeks to help viewers connect nature to an emotional landscape; because when we are awed and inspired by nature, we will want to protect what we have.
Metanoia: Greek μετάνοια, is "a transformative change of heart”. Also, “to change one’s mind,” “change direction,” “turn around.”
The Metanoia Project (Nature is Us) is a new initiative of the Hamilton Pollinator Paradise Project to raise awareness of what we are at risk of losing if we do not act immediately to protect and uplift rapidly declining native species populations.
With its diverse habitats of marsh, and wetland, and Carolinian forest, escarpment and Lake Ontario, Hamilton is in a hotspot of biodiversity that supports hundreds of native species of insects, birds, mammals, plants, etc. But biodiversity, the Web of Life is declining rapidly; it is continuously threatened by habitat loss, disease, invasive species, climate change and pesticide use, amongst other factors. According to a recent United Nations report, one million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival that are unprecedented in human history. The UN has declared 2021 the start of the Decade of Restoration; we must act immediately to conserve, protect and restore biodiversity, before it is too late.
The Metanoia Project invites a radical shift in how we view/understand nature, of which we are a part of. The hope is that the project sparks interest in nurturing a positive engagement with nature/biodiversity (the variety of plant and animal species on Earth and the habitats they live in) around us, toward new relations with the greater-than-human world, which has intrinsic value.
The Metanoia Project (Nature is Us) is a new initiative of the Hamilton Pollinator Paradise Project to raise awareness of what we are at risk of losing if we do not act immediately to protect and uplift rapidly declining native species populations.
With its diverse habitats of marsh, and wetland, and Carolinian forest, escarpment and Lake Ontario, Hamilton is in a hotspot of biodiversity that supports hundreds of native species of insects, birds, mammals, plants, etc. But biodiversity, the Web of Life is declining rapidly; it is continuously threatened by habitat loss, disease, invasive species, climate change and pesticide use, amongst other factors. According to a recent United Nations report, one million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction, with alarming implications for human survival that are unprecedented in human history. The UN has declared 2021 the start of the Decade of Restoration; we must act immediately to conserve, protect and restore biodiversity, before it is too late.
The Metanoia Project invites a radical shift in how we view/understand nature, of which we are a part of. The hope is that the project sparks interest in nurturing a positive engagement with nature/biodiversity (the variety of plant and animal species on Earth and the habitats they live in) around us, toward new relations with the greater-than-human world, which has intrinsic value.
Contribute
As part of the digital art installation, we are collecting both images (photos) and audio recordings of Hamilton's **native species nature. We are looking for audio clips of nature, such as sounds of birds, frogs, insects, water, wind etc. We welcome contributions from the community. Please find a guide to recording nature in your backyard here.
For more information or to contribute directly, email Beatrice Ekoko, Project Lead at [email protected]
**Native species are those that originated in their location (ecosystems) naturally and without the involvement of human activity or intervention.
For more information or to contribute directly, email Beatrice Ekoko, Project Lead at [email protected]
**Native species are those that originated in their location (ecosystems) naturally and without the involvement of human activity or intervention.