READING
Article: Seven Worlds, One Planet: Five ways climate change is affecting wildlife
Walruses: 'Asia makes up roughly 60 percent of the world's population, stretching from the Arctic to the equator, but ice in the continent is slowly becoming rarer in the summer, forcing animals like walruses to move to beaches over floating sea ice. What we see in the episode is 100,000 walruses crammed on to a tiny beach, where they are regularly attacked by polar bears. Sir David said: "It's one of the biggest gatherings of mammals to be found anywhere on Earth." The only place they can reach a feeding ground where they can rest, are ocean beaches, such as this one. To escape predators some walruses make it to the top of cliffs. but end up falling off as they try to get back to the sea.'
Albatross: 'In the Antarctica episode, we see how global warming is affecting the albatross - they're large seabirds that live in cold conditions. Their population has halved in 15 years because of warming of the Southern Ocean. This is causing more severe weather patterns than ever before and the young birds can't deal with it.'
Penguins: 'In spring, king penguin chicks are under strict instructions from their parents (who are no more able to tell them apart than we are, unless they can hear their voices) not to move. These guys have other ideas though and toddle off to investigate seedheads and elephant seals! King penguins live on islands scattered throughout the Southern Ocean, the waters surrounding Antarctica. The birds can swim as far as 310 miles, that's roughly the distance from Newcastle to London. But climate models show that this food belt will move closer and closer to the South Pole, forcing the penguins to swim farther to catch their meals.'
Golden Haired Monkeys: 'You'll find this bunch in northern China in places that are snow covered for at least five months of the year. It's so cold there the monkeys have developed thick furry coats which you can see here. If you look at their noses in this picture you can see they are really snubbed and barely look like noses, that's to reduce the chance of getting frostbite! This lot are really rare because they live in restricted and little visited habitats. It's thought climate change, along with other factors, is expected to reduce the amount of land most suitable for them to live in though.'
Orangutans: 'There are around 10,000 orangutans remaining in Borneo which is the third largest island in the world and the biggest in Asia. Did you know that half of these guys have been lost in the past 16 years? What's more females only have one infant every seven years. They're listed as critically endangered, meaning they could become extinct. One of the major reasons for this, is their habitats are being destroyed because of demand for palm oil. Sir David Attenborough said: "Asia has undergone a faster change in the past 100 years than any other time in its history." He also added "its forests are being annihilated."

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An injured koala receives treatment after its rescue from a bushfire at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on November 19. The hospital said the fires have "decimated" the area, which is a key habitat and breeding ground for the marsupials. More than 350 koalas are feared to have been killed by bushfires in NSW, according to animal experts. Tao Shelan/China News Serice/Getty Images

The remains of a property are seen in Bobin on November 9. Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images

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Article: Bushfires Rage Through Australia
'More than 50 bush and grass fires were still burning across the Australian state of New South Wales on Tuesday. Dozens of people were treated for asthma and breathing-related problems in Sydney as smoke from the fires engulfed the city in thick smoke. Strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity have fed the blazes as Australia experiences one of its worst droughts in decades.'
Book: The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause
Reading this book really made me aware of the different sounds that are around me that I just don't notice. I read this book sitting in my garden in Mid Wales and afterwards I just sat and listened to the wildlife around me: blackbirds, bluetits, robins, finches, and I even appreciated the sound of the pigeons!
Although Krause taught me to fully listen to my surroundings, he also made me realise how many background noises such as traffic, sirens, planes, lawnmowers and just the constant buzz from technology that I have learnt to ignore over the years, and how much of an effect these noises have on the welfare of both animals and people. I was shocked to find out how these noises that we just block out can actually increase the stress levels of all creatures, including humans, and cause them to act out such as the incident in Froso Zoo.

Photo from researchgate.net

Photo from http://samgrubersjewishartmonuments.blogspot.com/2015/11/happy-birthday-sculptor-natan-rapoport.html

Photo from haaretz.com

Photo from researchgate.net
Book: The Texture Of Memory by James E. Young
The Texture Of Memory was a useful book for me to read as it helped me to understand the theory behind memorials and monuments, especially their role in keeping memories of certain events of people alive. Young examines a variety of Holocaust memorials and monuments, examining the effect that they have on viewers and passersby, which led me to think about the aspect of memory in my artwork.

Photo from shimonattie.net

Photo from greatculturalrevolution.com

Photo from https://jochengerz.eu/works/exit-materialien-zum-dachau-projekt

Photo from shimonattie.net

Photo by Tom Bolton Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47536577@N00/with/49797213637/

Photo by Tom Bolton Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47536577@N00/with/49797213637/

Photo by Tom Bolton Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47536577@N00/with/49797213637/

Photo by Tom Bolton Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/47536577@N00/with/49797213637/

Book: At Memory's Edge by James E. Young
Following on from reading The Texture Of Memory, At Memory's Edge focuses more on how artists used the notion of memory to memorialise the Holocaust through contemporary art. The two artworks that I found most interesting were Shimon Attie's 'The Writing On The Wall' and Christian Boltanski's 'Missing House'. Both artists used the history of buildings and architecture which had either been destroyed or forgotten in order to remind viewers and passersby of the history of these places and keeping the memory of the past alive.
Book: The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard
Ballard's 'The Drowned World' is based in the year 2145 in London. During this time the world is mostly inhabitable due to high temperatures and frequent flooding caused by global warming. This extreme weather has caused London to become completely submerged, becoming a lagoon inhabited by gigantic lizards and bugs which had evolved to thrive in this new climate. The novel follows biologist Dr. Karans and his team as he is sent here to examine how plants are adapting to this environment. One member of his team grew up in London and refuses to leave the lagoon because of the memories he holds there. The main themes of this novel that resonate with my practice are climate change, the future, memory, trust and survival.
Book: Vanished City by Tom Bolton
Bolton's 'Vanished City' tells the stories of ten previously well known London neighbourhoods that have vanished. This book heavily resonates with the historical aspect of my practice. As Tom Bolton explores the lost neighbourhoods or London, I have been exploring and re-experiencing my hometown and uncovering its past before it is truly forgotten. My aim is to remind the local people of Newtown about its heritage and to challenge the idea that Newtown is a decaying town.
Book: Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes
In his short novel 'Camera Lucida' Barthes talks about the punctum of a photograph, something within a photograph that will jump out at the viewer for personal reasons, something that the photographer has no control over. For example, Barthes talks about how a necklace that somebody was wearing in a photograph acted as a punctum for him because he recognised the necklace. He claims 'in order to see a photograph well, it is best to look away or close your eyes', the small details that you remember from that photograph are the punctum for you. Although I can not control the punctum for each viewer of my photographs, it is definitely something that I can think about while taking my photographs and looking back at them. Local viewers may recognise these buildings and have specific memories of them and the canal, or relate to them for a completely different reason which I find quite exciting. I also resonated with the way that Barthes talks about how a photograph is that has been, it is proof of something existing and is sometimes the only remnant of that existence, for example, when these canal buildings eventually disintegrate and disappear.