We Are All Earth
June 16, 2025
Concept
An art installation that represents reintegration into life and inspires ecological humility by reminding us that we are made of the same living matter that forms the Earth.
#artInstallation, #art, #deepEcology, #culture, #manifesto, #humor, #weAreNature, #environmentaleducation, #intervention
How it Works
In public parks of large cities, sculptures of billionaires known for neglecting environmental issues — such as Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk — are displayed lying down as lifeless bodies. The sculptures are made from a mix of soil, clay, and covered with seeds of local grasses and wildflowers. Over time, the sculpture decomposes and blooms as a wild garden, symbolizing the return to Earth and reintegration into the cycle of life.
Each sculpture is accompanied by a memorial-style plaque with ironic phrases such as:
“Donald Trump — finally doing something good for the Earth.”
“Jeff Bezos — Your fertilizer package has arrived.”
The public — and the billionaires themselves — are invited to reflect on how our living existence is an inseparable part of nature, evoking humility before the gifts of the natural world that make life possible. It serves as a reminder that death is part of this cycle in which we are recycled and return to the Earth to feed other beings. It also exposes the (ir)responsibility of those who hold power in the (de)construction of the planet’s future, and what legacy they will leave behind.
Solution Context
We live in an era of deep inequalities and ecological collapse. Economic elites hold disproportionate power in deciding the planet’s course, yet remain disconnected from the natural cycles that sustain life. This living idea is a public, symbolic, and ecological provocation about belonging, finitude, and transformation. It evokes the principles of deep ecology, planetary justice, and Joanna Macy’s “Work That Reconnects.”
Taking Action
Sculptures made from soil, seeds, and biodegradable artistic molds.
Installation in public parks or squares, with the area cordoned off.
Plaques with provocative phrases + QR code explaining the work.
An Instagram profile shares weekly photo or video updates to document the decomposition/blooming cycle and publishes the most provocative messages left by visitors.
Potential Partners
Climate and environmental justice funds
Cultural institutions and contemporary art museums
Environmental and climate activism NGOs
Brands with a radical or provocative positioning towards regeneration and symbolic activism (e.g., Patagonia, Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion)
Foundations focused on education for social and ecological justice
Cultural departments of progressive cities