The goal of my work is to bring an emotional sensitivity to the concept of "sustainable intensification", integrating agricultural sciences and art. It is a visual discovery through its rational content because the aesthetic elements of painting, albeit abstractly, have a specific meaning. I created the piece with code, using software and computer as a means of communication and expression. It is digital art in its purest form. However, the spirit in which I created this piece is as realistic as any written text on the subject, the only difference being the visual elements used.
Sustainable Intensification is an integrative concept derived from two seemingly different worlds: environmental management & increased productivity. This is represented visually by two half-circles opposing each other with offset positions. Orange, red, and pink colors depict 'intensification' whereas light green, and light blue colors depict 'sustainable'. The different agronomic views meet each other through concentric circles of violet colors that represent 'knowledge', the key input to be intensified for a better integration of environmental management with increased productivity across three domains:
(a) economic
(b) environmental
(c) social
The trilogy is visually represented by three sets of half-circles that are being 'enlighted' by sun rays (yellow lines) descending from the sky. Sun rays also represent the resource of solar energy that is sustainable and is an alternative to fosil fuels.
Water resources from rainfall and rivers are represented by dots of blue colors in vertical and horizontal columns, respectively. In the same way water from the river reflect light from the sky, pairs of light blue rectangles 'reflect' each other from the top right to the bottom center of the painting. Soil resources are represented as a series of squares of brown color in the center of the work, with the intensity of color suggestive of soil conservation practices.
Animal, plant and microbial genetic resources of importance in Uruguay are also represented with visual elements:
(1) animal resources are symbolized by a black quadrilater and a white line, characteristic colors of the cows and the dairy sector;
(2) plant resources are symbolized as green vertical lines 'growing' at the bottom center of the canvas towards the left, representing crops and cereals; and forest resources are represented by large green triangles.
(3) microbial resources so important in biological control processes and soil soil improvement are symbolized by circles in brown, white and pink with black lines in the lower right corner of the canvas.
The words 'sustainable intensification' are drawn as vertical lines in black on the left central part of the work. Each line has a length proportional to the numerical values of the letters ( 'A' = 65 pixels for example). Similarly, the word 'INIA' is drawn at the top right of the canvas.
White and gray rectangles are used to improve the illumination of the painting while the background light orange produces a 'positive emotion' associated with it.
Martin Calvino
INIA Headquarters
Montevideo
August, 2016
Keywords: Martin Calvino; digital art; computational abstract art; algorithmic art; sustainable agriculture; ArtScience; geometric expressionism