Sustainable Public Art; Re-creating Urban Environment

The concept of “sustainability” arises in response to the increasing degradation of the naturalenvironment and perceived environmental deficiencies of a city.This thesis is based on the latest research of various developments of artistic practices anddiscourses that are related to nature, ecology, environment and sustainability from the1960’suntil present; and the ways in which they can be designed to be more sustainable. The challengepresented with facing a complex crisis of current unsustainable worldview and striving towards asustainable one, demands a reform of thought and exploration of pathways towards acivilizational evolution. Consequently, the arguments and discourses relevant to a discussion ofart, culture and sustainability are of crucial value.By redefining their role, artists can become agents of change and bring new approaches,reflexivity and discussions, which better fit to the challenges of sustainability.“Systemsthinking”,“ecological literacy” and proposed methodology of transdisciplinarity, seeking theunification of knowledge, self-transformation, new lifestyle and development of dialogue acrossdisciplines, professions and practices, leads toward a culture of sustainability.Westerner’s conceptualization of Daoism has been rooted mainly in Chinese classicalphilosophic tradition through its foundational texts. More recently, scholars have begunassessing the possible contribution of Daoism to the fostering of an ecological consciousnessbased on historically and theoretically informed studies. Daoist ideas can be used in response tocontemporary ecological issues and offer sustainable alternatives to the dominant culture ofunsustainability by encouraging appreciation of nature and the cultivation of the art of living in aharmonious balance with our surrounding environment. In the subsequent pages, I intend to pointat key features about connection between Daoism and ecology in efforts to search forsustainability. The analysis of several case studies explore how public art projects promote change inapproaches toward nature and simultaneously by combining art, science, and technology inpublic space develop effective educational strategies.