| By Laura Brearley Some people prefer to describe environmental activism as love-in-action. We’re facing these times as members of a community. We’re working together and inspiring each other. There have never been so many humans trying to serve life. Author and psychologist Tara Brach believes that when we recognise that we all belong to the natural world, we widen our sense of identity. We remember that we belong to something larger and there is huge creativity and love on which we can draw. |  Featuring the Sibyl Disobedients |
In Bass Coast, we were recently visited by members of an environmental performance group from the Mornington Peninsula, known as the Western Port Sybil Disobedients. One of the Sybils, artist Hannah Lewis, had read about the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign and reached out to offer the Sybils’ support from the other side of the Bay.
Hannah recognises that the Western Port region is special and unique. She became involved in the Save Westernport campaign because she was deeply concerned about what could happen to the beaches and foreshore areas where she walks every day. She has always been passionate about the environment, the arts and connection to place. As a printmaker, Hannah draws from her local environment, looking at the details of orchids and flowering plants for her inspiration. Her passion for the bush goes right back to her childhood days. Over the years, her art practice has become the driving force in her environmental actions.
In Hannah’s words, “In a world where so much is at stake and at risk, it’s easy to give in to hopelessness and despair and the feeling that we don’t have the capacity to change anything. In fact, we have tremendous capacity. Being part of the Sybils has given me the opportunity to thrive in my community, to feel a sense of connection and be inspired again’.
Hannah raised the idea of becoming involved in the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign with the rest of the Western Port Sybils. They all agreed to offer their support. They had been involved in the successful AGL Western Port campaign and they recognised that when communities come together, they have a strong and positive impact. In the words of fellow Sybil, Janine Wilson, ‘We express our concern for the environment in a very visible way. We become walking billboards. We support each other to take action’.
The Sybils make a strong statement through performance, ritual and messaging. They are a living demonstration that art is a powerful way of communicating with people about what stands to be lost. They help us remember that we’re powerless if we feel alone and separate but together we become empowered. That’s the kind of power that transforms and extends our sense of belonging.
In the words of Indigenous environmentalist Linda Hogan from the Chickasaw Nation,
‘Walking.
I am listening to a deeper way.
Suddenly all my Ancestors are behind me.
Be still, they say.
Watch and listen.
You are the result of the love of thousands.”
The Sybils remind us that we are all in this together.
Hannah raised the idea of becoming involved in the Save Western Port Woodlands campaign with the rest of the Western Port Sybils. They all agreed to offer their support. They had been involved in the successful AGL Western Port campaign and they recognised that when communities come together, they have a strong and positive impact. In the words of fellow Sybil, Janine Wilson, ‘We express our concern for the environment in a very visible way. We become walking billboards. We support each other to take action’.
The Sybils make a strong statement through performance, ritual and messaging. They are a living demonstration that art is a powerful way of communicating with people about what stands to be lost. They help us remember that we’re powerless if we feel alone and separate but together we become empowered. That’s the kind of power that transforms and extends our sense of belonging.
In the words of Indigenous environmentalist Linda Hogan from the Chickasaw Nation,
‘Walking.
I am listening to a deeper way.
Suddenly all my Ancestors are behind me.
Be still, they say.
Watch and listen.
You are the result of the love of thousands.”
The Sybils remind us that we are all in this together.
Special thanks to the Sybil Disobedients, from left, Talei Kenyon, Julie Edgerton, Marnee Wills,
Hannah Lewis, Jeannine Wilson, Noel Loft, Pam Bannister, Anthony Grimes and Jamie Edgerton
Hannah Lewis, Jeannine Wilson, Noel Loft, Pam Bannister, Anthony Grimes and Jamie Edgerton