Digital eco-art: transformative possibilities

Abstract

Cave paintings bear witness that, early in human cultural development, art and the means to create it (technology) became a method of expression and translation of human interconnectedness with nature defined as the non-human-made world. Contemporary new media artists interacting with nature through the medium of digital technologies in situ continue this exploration within the genre referred to as “digital eco-art”. LocoMotoArt, an independently powered creative field system, was used as a vehicle for conducting media arts practice in natural settings during a three-year qualitative field research project. Findings indicate that human–technology–nature interconnectedness is a possible conduit for establishing a role for digital technology beyond social networking, computing, information gathering and gaming to engage with nature. We argue that digital eco-artists are at the vanguard of creating a new sense of aesthetic and environmental engagement, proportions of which emerge as transformative possibilities. The art experience of digital eco-art can change from being a contemplative one to a living experience.