“The drawing Back4theFuture is a love letter to the Mediterranean”, Carles G.O’D.
Just before the pandemic, Save the Med started an artistic collaboration with the Majorcan artist Carles Garcia O’Donell (aka Carles G.O’D.), based in New York. Shortlisted in the World Illustration Awards, the Back4theFuture drawing, resulting from this unique collaboration, is a very special project both for the artist and for the foundation.
The drawing represents the foundation’s work, which focuses on marine regeneration through different projects that aim to reduce single-use plastic pollution, raise awareness about the marine environment and integrate land and sea regeneration. The art piece was printed as a giant banner to allow oral storytelling, much like medieval troubadours, and was presented during the 2022 Biennial of Thought in Palma, in the framework of the Crida de contractació de projectes de mediació 2022 CAC Palma.
Why did you decide to engage in this project?
I have always been very engaged in activism, as I believe everything is political. Brad, the founder of Save The Med, reached out to me and we had a meeting in my studio. His enthusiasm was so infectious that it only took a few minutes for me to be on board. He showed me videos of species I didn’t even know existed in the Balearic sea.
What is your background and experience from working with communities or social movements?
During my teens I got involved in activism. I realised lots of things needed to change, and social movements are crucial for making those changes happen. I became active in the squatting movement in Barcelona, and with time my activism would bleed into my artwork and vice versa. I encountered the Beehive Design collective in Maine, USA and it showed me how activism and art can merge into something powerful. That inspired me to come back to Spain and work on collaborative storytelling graphics. So far, I have worked on a huge graphic about abortion rights and another about the tourism industry. I also started one about human migration and borders. Activism has completely shaped my life.
How was the creative process behind this piece?
The creative process was very long and intensive. My connection to the subject matter and narratives is very personal. The first step was to meet with the foundation members, talk about their work and hear all their stories. Step two was to craft intricate mind maps with all the information and scenes that had to be drawn. The final step was to draw the image using Procreate, in a very intense process with a lot of feedback and many revisions.
How would you define this drawing?
I think it’s a tool to deal with complexity, a testimonial of a historic moment, and a love letter to the Mediterranean.
Choose one of the scenes of the drawing and tell us why.
The prairie of posidonia on the bottom left is a great starting point to tell the story of the drawing. Posidonia contributes to create the white sand of our beaches and filters the water to make it transparent. It also captures carbon and produces oxygen, which then travels into the air that we breathe. I think photosynthesis should be a religion [laughs].
What is your relationship with the sea and how important do you think the land-sea relationship is?
I grew up diving from the rocks and exploring the sea bed. I am part of the sea, I need to be near it. I have seen the reduction of marine species and changes in the ecosystem over time. The land-sea relationship is crucial. Ecosystems are part of us and it is so shocking to see how we treat the sea as a dump and an endless extraction pit. We are still fishing in the most destructive ways, dumping untreated sewage and dangerous plastics, and promoting polluting motor boats with anchors that destroy the seabed.
Which were your “take-aways” from the presentation in CAC Ses Voltes?
That we need to do more presentations!
