David CassNovember 22, 2020

Books to Influence Change: Part III

David CassNovember 22, 2020

Restraint

“What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.”

— Aristotle

This is Not a Drill Extinction Rebellion

We Are the Weather Jonathan Safran Foer

A Life on Our Planet David Attenborough

Monograph Katie Paterson

Hotel Absence Fiete Stolte

We’ll open with a punch, in this third (and perhaps most eclectic) instalment of our recommended reading posts. The topic this time is restraint. So, it makes sense to open with an organisation who carefully hover at the edge of restraint, whilst simultaneously urging communal caution.

We’ve also included books from two artists who offer unique responses to the topic. Artists Katie Paterson and Fiete Stolte show what is possible if we think beyond the boundaries of convention: from Stolte’s eight-day-week, to Paterson’s forward thinking Future Library.

This is Not a Drill is a short must-read for anyone unsure of XR’s aims and approaches. The book is sincere and passionate, whilst also being informative. These are ordinary citizens who truly care, presenting themselves in unvarnished fashion, embracing the imperfections that such mass protest involves.

As the jacket-sleeve says, ‘Extinction Rebellion is a global activist movement of ordinary people, demanding action from Governments. This is a book of truth and action. It has facts to arm you, stories to empower you, pages to fill in and pages to rip out, alongside instructions on how to rebel – from organising a roadblock to facing arrest.’

We Are the Weather enforces the notion that we have the power to make a difference. There is one small change that each of us could make that would have a far-reaching impact on climate change: eating fewer animal products.

In the words of the publishers: ‘It is all too easy to feel paralysed and hopeless in the face of climate crisis, but the truth is that every one of us has the power to change history's course. We have done it before: making collective sacrifices to protect our freedoms, our families, our way of life. And we can do it again.

In this extraordinarily powerful and deeply personal book, Jonathan Safran Foer lays bare the battle to save the planet. Calling each one of us to action, he answers the most urgent question of all: what will it take for things to change?

It all starts with what we eat for breakfast.’

Attenborough’s new autobiography (also see the accompanying Netflix film) sends a powerful message about restraint. In his own words:

“I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary.

As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world – but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day – the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity.

I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake – and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right.

We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.”

Katie Paterson’s Monograph is an elegantly composed volume grouping each of the artist’s key projects to date, describing a body of work which firmly places her at the forefront of contemporary art. Paterson is wide ranging in her outlook, but her works can clearly be bound by a care for the Earth, and our place in it. Like Robert Macfarlane, Paterson too looks to deep-time.

We would also highly recommend visiting her Future Library website.

On the topic of time, Fiete Stolte’s Hotel Absence is a revelation: in particular, descriptions of his eight-day-week project, in which the artist’s daily routine for almost three years ceased to obey the established rhythm of the 24-hour day, structured by the rising and setting of the sun. His days each lasted 21 hours; his week eight days.

Though the artist is not overtly exploring issues of climate change, Stolte shows us in a playful way what is possible if we break from the norms, if we re-shape and re-structure.