Noel Ashton - Mindful Nature
For ourselves, for each other, and for the planet
There is a part of each of us held in these artworks and their stories, for they speak of our search for what it means to be human, and to feel a deeper sense of belonging and connection within the wider living world...
Creativity with Purpose
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMMES
“Through the centre of Noel's life and work runs the emancipating theme of creativity with purpose, offering us opportunities to engage, encounter different perspectives, to reflect, and ultimately redefine our relationship to ourselves, to each other and to the natural world.”
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ELIZABETH CAIRNS
Shaping thoughts Creating journeys Enabling change
The Sacred Ocean Campaign
WITH ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS DESMOND TUTU
Our relationship with whales can help us see ourselves more clearly, for the dichotomy between those who feel a close affinity with these majestic mammals of the deep, expressed by the very human response to whales stranded on a beach, compared to those who treat these sentient beings as a commodity and fire explosive-headed harpoons into them in the name of commerce, shows us our inner potential for empathy or cruelty, two divergent actions at the opposite ends of choice.
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Unveiled by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in the prestigious Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, Sacred Ocean speaks to each of us about what it means to be human and helps us to explore our duality of choice. The accompanying Great Whale Debate invited visitors to participate in the campaign, and Sacred Ocean had video support from actor Pierce Brosnan and received a blessing from Rawiri Paratene, the grandfather from the iconic film Whale Rider.
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The campaign message was shared around the world through the Reuters News Agency.
Looking at Sacred Ocean, time has stopped, for a while. Standing nearly four metres tall, the whales face the viewer creating an emotive, physical presence. The viewer is somehow urged to feel something, to dig into his/her recesses and to start the inquiry. About themselves, about life, about the whales and about the future of the seas and the planet.
JANIS THERON
THE ORIGINATION OF SACRED OCEAN
'To live upon the ancient soils of Africa is to awaken to the primal language of being, when firesides were opportunities to allow the inner and outer worlds, the present and the past to fuse into the birth of the future, and to express these through stories, images and dance.
It was at a fireside under a rising African full moon that the image of Sacred Ocean came to me. That night was one of those rare moments when inspiration and creativity merged in a flash of focused energy, with the form of a sculpture slowly borne from the smoke and the sparks of the fire, and finally becoming real when I later grappled with large charcoal drawings in the silence of the studio.
It was only when the sun returned the next morning that the image was complete, and with it, the thoughts and deep connection to the message and motivation which I knew had to be brought into the world.
It was the beginning of a journey that would take over four years, but I knew that morning that I would call it Sacred Ocean'. Noel Ashton
Sacred Ocean
It was the moral compass of Archbishop Tutu's words when he unveiled Sacred Ocean that reinforced my vision when he said 'it is more for ourselves, even more than for the whales that we say no to whaling'. This echoed my own understanding that it is in our relationship with whales that we can begin to see ourselves more clearly, and through this artwork, to invite the millions who saw the sculpture to reflect on the choices we have to make between kindness and cruelty. For this not only affects the lives of the magnificent whales and so many other species that share our beautiful blue planet, but at its essence, it is a choice which has a profound effect on the inner peace and wellbeing of our lives as a knowing and reflective species.
The Whale Show & The Whale Walk
CETACEAN CONSERVATION WITH IFAW-SA
To spend time watching the whales from the shores of Walker Bay is an incredible experience, and if this can be combined with easily accessible and fascinating information, then the experience can be deepened, with the outcome that each person returns home not only having had an unforgettable time, but they also become advocates for the protection of whales and their threatened marine habitats. That was the motivation behind the creation of The Whale Show and The Whale Walk.
The Whale Show is a unique 25-minute Audio-Visual presentation that takes the viewer below the surface and into the fascinating ocean world of whales and dolphins, with a special focus on the visiting southern right whales. Developed using Noel’s paintings, illustrations and photographs, with an evocative script narrated by John Webb, the show has been sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and is shown daily in the Lecture Room of the Whale Museum in Hermanus. Since it was launched in 2006, many thousands of visitors to Hermanus have watched the show and been inspired by its deeper messaging.
The recently launched Whale Show in the Whale Museum is an experience not to be missed. This unique presentation is something every resident of Hermanus and every visitor must see. ​
Storm Kreusch, Hermanus Tourism
The famous writer and artist, Noel Ashton, has produced a stunningly informative video of the Southern Right Whale… ​
Liz McGrath, The Marine Hotel
I have known the Ashton’s for many years and have always admired their intimate knowledge of the region, their passion for its wonderful whales and dolphins, and their remarkable efforts to drum up urgently needed support for conservation efforts to look after them.​
Mark Carwardine, BBC Presenter
The De Beers Marine Species Panels
A UNIQUE WHALE AND DOLPHIN SCIENTIFIC DISPLAY
Many aquariums around the world support animal rights and no longer house any species of whale or dolphin, even though they are popular attractions. An alternative to this captivity of sentient animals are display panels that bring the powerful images of cetaceans, combined with the fascinating science and life stories of whales and dolphins, into an engaging encounter.
The De Beers Oceans of Africa panels – consisting of Noel's scientific illustrations, images, and his wife Belinda's handwritten text – introduce twelve of Southern Africa's most frequently seen species. Part of the broader 'Windows on the Oceans' initiative, the panels were launched in 2003 by Jonathan Oppenheimer of The De Beers Group and are now a permanent exhibit in the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.
Windows on the Oceans
BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE SEA - ORIGINAL PAINTINGS
Exhibited alongside the De Beers Marine species panels, Noel's original paintings of whales and dolphins took people below the surface of the sea and into the mysterious world of cetaceans. Each painting was based on his many years of detailed morphological research, resulting in a display of scientifically accurate and engaging works.
It could be said that this gold rhino linked these people to the land through a sacred thread of belonging...
Mapungubwe Revisited
RHINO CONSERVATION INITIATIVE WITH WWF-SA
Eight hundred years ago, at the Late Iron Age archaeological site of Mapungubwe, a member of the royal family was laid to rest, and within the grave was placed a little rhino, 15cm long and made of pure gold. This compelling artwork speaks through time, and as an artist Noel saw its significance not only as a symbol of the rich cultural legacy of Africa, but also that it speaks to how our relationship with nature has changed over time.
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Inspired to create a sculpture which encapsulates these ideas, Noel created Mapungubwe Revisited, and invited WWF-SA to collaborate with him as a way to encourage reflection and debate around these issues within the public domain. After a launch at the Everard Read Gallery in Johannesburg and the Mapungubwe Museum in Pretoria, special events were held around South Africa where a limited edition of bronzes, as well as a special gold leaf edition were sold, with all the proceeds going towards WWF's crucial rhino conservation work. Over R500.000 was raised for this important work.
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Ancient meets Contemporary
An excerpt from Noel's talk at each of the public events...
As it was not a fragment of horn or body part but a complete rhino, it thereby embodies a deeper connection with, and reverence for this magnificent animal of Africa. It could be said that this gold rhino linked these people to the land through a sacred thread of belonging.
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It speaks to me, and offers a signpost to something that we might have forgotten but fortunately not lost; for it can remind us that the natural world around us is much more than a commodity, a space or a view, it is an intrinsic part of who we are and where we have come from, and each rhino killed or tract of land destroyed is another part of ourselves lost. This little gold rhino makes visible the deep connection we have with the natural world, a connection which sustains our souls, and reminds us to tread more lightly upon the earth.
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Far too easily we as a species see nature and her gifts as mere resources, available for the plunder and taking, and in the case of wildlife such as rhino, to be killed with horrific brutality. This points to a crisis, not only for rhinos, but for us as well. By enabling these acts of cruelty and disregard, we make visible a fraying of the mortality, empathy, sanctity of life and wisdom which are surely the cornerstones to our civilization…
Noel and Belinda Ashton’s ‘Mapungubwe Revisited’ is a brilliant initiative to honour the rhino. The reverence of the ancient people for this wonderful animal is a sharp reminder to so-called civilised man to ensure that the species survives in our modern world.
DR IAN PLAYER
52 Artworks - A Year in Nature
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
A Unique Wildlife Exhibition with a Fascinating Story
Engaging with nature in a meaningful way is something few of us ever get a real chance to do, but in June 2011 wildlife artist Noel Ashton began a unique journey of reconnecting with nature, and by creating a new artwork each week for the period of a year, he was able to engage deeply in the experience, and to share many of his wonderful encounters through artworks and narratives. Coming face to face with otters, following elusive klipspringers, sitting quietly and watching herons quietly fishing at the edge of a stream, or waiting for a porcupine to appear at dusk are all captured in engaging large format paintings, offering unique perspectives of the extraordinary natural world around us, and inviting us to pause and share the experiences in this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. Africa Geographic Magazine
FUNDING & PROJECT PARTNERS AND WORK COLLABORATIONS
