The Art of Repair: Bridging Artistic and Restorative Responses to Environmental Harm and Ecocide

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors, who are members of a multidisciplinary collective of artists, activists, social scientists, and legal practitioners, elaborate and reflect on artistic research collaborations that they have co-developed to respond to environmental harms and ecocide. Ranging from “restorative trials” for ecocide and “walking-with” rivers repair practices, the collaborations led by environmental artist Maria Lucia Cruz Correia rest on the pillars of ecocide recognition, rights of Nature, guardian of Nature, climate grief, restorative justice, and artistic and sensorial practices. Meeting each other on the terrain of imagination the authors co-cultivate their right, duty, and power to imagine different ways of living together with the Earth, with other humans and with more-than humans, ways which are more just and ethical.