Sustainability Science https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01252-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Arts, place, and sacrifice zones: restoration of damaged relational values in a Chilean sacrifice zone Teresa Sanz1 · Beatriz Rodríguez‑Labajos2,3,4 Received: 20 May 2022 / Accepted: 18 October 2022 © The Author(s) 2022 Abstract This paper aims to unpack the relational dimension of place and placemaking by analysing how creative actions underpin relational values towards socio-spatial restoration in the sacrifice zone affecting the communities of Quintero and Puchun- caví (QPSZ) in Chile. Sacrifice zones are places permanently subject to environmental damage and lack of environmental regulation. For affected populations in environmentally degraded areas, creative actions such as murals, music, and street performances have become a way to re-establish connections both among humans, and between humans and the environment. To date, little has been theorized on this connection. With this in mind, we use network analysis to analyze which and how relational values are mobilized by artistic actions, and to examine ensuing socio-spatial transformations. Drawing insights from 35 interviews with activists, artists, and residents in QPSZ, we observed relational effects of arts, especially in creation processes, and in representations of local elements and life histories. The materiality of artistic practices raised as a force of placemaking, and so did artistic spaces as promoters of networking and social cohesion, essential for socio-spatial restora- tion. By bringing together insights from aesthetic politics, human geography, and relational values, this paper contributes to the emerging literature on art committed to tackling socio-environmental crises, and to political–ecological theories on the transformation of degraded areas. Keywords Sacrifice zone · Relational values · Artistic practices · Restoration · Placemaking · Socio-environmental conflicts · Chile Introduction While global leaders debate whether or not to end coal investments (Harvey 2021) to meet the target of the 2015 Paris Agreement (UNCCC 2015), coal-related industries Handled by Christopher M. Raymond, University of Helsinki, keep turning many places around the world into sacrifice Finland. zones (Lerner 2010). A sacrifice zone is a term used to characterize a geographic area that has been permanently * Teresa Sanz Teresa.sanz@uab.cat subject to environmental damage and lack of environmental regularization (Bolados 2016). In Latin America, most of Beatriz Rodríguez‑Labajos beatriz.rodriguez@upf.edu the sacrifice zones derive from a development model based on neoliberal policies from the 1980s; the resulting empha- 1 Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, sis on the economy and economic dependence on external Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, markets caused degradation of the region’s natural commons 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain (Espinoza 2016; Montaña et al. 2005; Svampa 2012). Such 2 Johns Hopkins University-Universitat Pompeu Fabra development-based governance obscured the environmental Public Policy Center, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08002 Barcelona, Spain impacts and land degradation, on the one hand, and the dam- 3 age to local communities’ material, symbolic, and spiritual UPF Barcelona School of Management, Barcelona, Spain lives (Gudynas 2013; Svampa 2019), on the other. 4 Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, USA 13 Vol.:(0123456789) Sustainability Science In this sense, neoliberal processes are arguably sustained the analysed creative actions, and presents the relational by the promotion of privatization, alienation, and individual- values fostered by artistic experience and representation in ization throughout all political formations, interconnections the case under analysis. The next section explores transfor- and networks (Bridge et al. 2013; Peck 2010). As a result, mation trends associated to the described processes. The relational values subside. Relational values are meaning- final section connects the theorization of relational aspects ful human–environment connections and social relations of artistic practices, place, and the socio-environmental res- (Riechers et al. 2020) that represent the “ecological, cul- toration of degraded landscapes. tural, and social interdependence” of identities and commu- nities (Muraca 2016: 31). This term was proposed to widen intrinsic and instrumental values associated with nature and Sacrifice zones and crisis of relational values: include the values derived from human–ecosystem relation- introducing the sacrifice zone Quintero– ships (Chan et al. 2016), thus values that are relational in Puchuncaví content (e.g. stewardship, care, cultural identity, etc.) (Himes and Muraca 2018). Critical social-spatial theory points to A sacrifice zone is a geographic area where industrial devel- the role of social interaction for placemaking to identify opment has devastated the environment to the impairment the physical, social, and experiential fragments that con- of fundamental rights of the residents (typically low-income stitute places (Escobar 2001; Lefebvre 1991; Massey 2005; populations), including rights to life, health, education, Nicholls 2009; Pierce et al. 2011). Artistic practices have work, food, and housing (TERRAM 2019). In these places, been recognized as relational and a constitutor of connec- pollution has not only impacted the water and soils that sus- tions among humans and between humans and the space tain traditional economies (e.g. fishing and agriculture) but (Hawkins et al. 2015; Dixon 2009; Whatmore 2006), espe- also devalues the local history, identity and practices that cially in the context of community fracture (Hawkins and were co-created with the space (Fernández-Llamazares et al. Straughan 2015; Yusoff et al. 2012). Nevertheless, a gap 2022). Local governments, civil society organizations, and persists on how the arts challenge the material and symbolic grassroots groups contest this model of production and land configuration of sacrifice zones through the activation of use because of its socio-environmental impacts and object to relational values. its lack of recognition of alternative lifestyles (Svampa and In response, this paper takes recent attempts to develop Viale 2014; Valenzuela-Fuentes et al. 2021). A clear exam- relational values for landscape restoration forward, includ- ple is the silencing of indigenous and local communities, and ing how territorial and community identities, social cohe- their values, knowledges, and ways of being by production sion, and cultural practices are mediated by the state of the focused decisions of power groups (Martínez Alier 2007). environment (Chapman et al. 2019; Riechers et al. 2019). The predation of history, culture, and traditions by indus- Our intent is to unpack the connection between artistic activ- trial activities is such that sacrifice zones become what Augé ism, relational values, and sociospatial transformations in (1993) defined as “non-places” (Hormazábal et al. 2020), environmentally degraded areas. Thus, this paper aims to that is, locations that cannot be defined as historical or rela- contribute to geographers’ theorization of the relationality tional spaces or spaces of identity. For Augé, place is a space of art (Dixon 2009; Hawkins et al. 2015; Askins and Pain of identity, affectivities, traditions, and histories dependent 2011) and place (Escobar 2001; Massey 2005; Pierce et al. to the space, both materially and symbolically. This aligns 2011), by exploring the role of artistic activism in placemak- with Doreen Massey’s theory on the central role of relations, ing. We explore the artistic expressions related to the Quin- embedded in material practices, in the construction of place tero–Puchuncaví sacrifice zone (QPSZ) in Chile, and cat- (Massey 2005). Such relations have important values associ- egorize the relational values connected to art practice. Then, ated to them, a point that environmental scholars stress to we analyse how artistic actions enhance damaged relational counter discourses on the commodification of nature and values, through representation and through experience, and the instrumentalization of its services (Gudynas and Acosta how this enhancement transforms the social and spatial 2009; Temper and Martinez-Alier 2013). dynamics of place. Our analysis engages with literatures on Attempts to analyse the relational values eroded by land- contemporary art theory, human geography, and relational scape simplification (Hanaček et al. 2021; Kaltenborn et al. values, and thus contributes to the study of art committed to 2017; Riechers et al. 2020) and social analyses of sacrifice the socio-environmental crisis, and to political–ecological zones (Hormazábal et al. 2020; Hormazabal et al. 2019) theorizations of the transformation of degraded areas. typically focus on cultural identity, social cohesion, and The remainder of this paper is divided as follows. The sense of place. In general, these approaches indicate that next section offers a literature review about sacrifice zones, overcoming value erosion entails the embodiment of new the crisis of relational values, and the relationality of art. identities and care. Authors analysing relational values After presenting the research methods, the paper overviews acknowledge that activities such as fishing, gardening, and 13 Sustainability Science bird-watching, as well as group activities that involve play- and how the artwork expresses it. The second is the spaces ing, celebrating, and struggling together convey care, and of experience of the art producers, especially in community create options to know the place and other inhabitants (Chan arts, through the production and reproduction of certain et al. 2016). Artistic practices connect with identity (Jenkins dynamics and values among the participants in the space. 2010; Serafini 2018), care (Barros 2020) local knowledge (Rodriguez-Labajos et al. 2021), and agency (Molina Barea Artistic representations and place 2018). Yet the scientific literature lacks contributions that address how engaged arts can be the pathway to restore the Artistic actions have historically expressed humans’ diverse degraded landscape through enhanced relational values. meanings of nature. For instance, the paintings by Caspar In Chile, like other export-oriented economies, the spatial David Friedrich or J. M. W. Turner expressed “nature” as a transformations led by foreign capital, resulted in spatial and divine creation against the artifice of civilization—in line socio-cultural sacrifices (Bolados 2016). In 2019, former with the Western Environmentalism’s notions of “nature” as President Sebastian Piñera promised to end the dependence something separated, distinct, and independent from humans on coal by 2050 (DW 2019). Nevertheless, 28 coal-fired (Muraca 2016). Outside the museums and professional artist power plants still operate throughout the country. All but circles, local environmental movements and communities one operate in the five heavily environmentally impaired around the world use their creativity to express their discon- areas known as “sacrifice zones”. After 1980, neoliberal tent over projects and to promote environmental transforma- policies started a territorial articulation around industrial tions (Sanz and Rodriguez-Labajos 2021). These paintings, development and exploitation of Chilean natural resources. banners, street performances, and songs directly express Polluting industries clustered in rural areas without a regula- people’s relationship with the environment (Belalcazar tion by state authorities (Espinoza et al. 2016), giving way Valencia and Molina Valencia 2017; Jenkins 2010; Merlin- to intense environmental degradation. The area selected for sky and Serafini 2021; Ogaga 2011). In other words, local this research is a clear example. communities use certain representations (i.e. images, icons, The QPSZ is one of the biggest industrial complexes of words) in their artworks to express their meanings of place. Chile, pivotal to the development of the national economy Scholars addressing relational values acknowledge the (Espinoza 2016). The industrial park hosts more than sev- meanings imbedded in certain cultural elements. Trees enteen industrial facilities, including power plants, petro- (Chan et al. 2016; Eriksen and Ballard 2020) and regional chemical and oil refining industries, chemical processing food (Riechers et al. 2021) represent community values such companies, gas terminals, and a copper processing plant as local identity. In Hawaiian culture, certain concepts refer- (EJAtlas 2020). The region of Quintero–Puchuncaví, as ring to human–ecosystem relationships embody notions of other sacrifice zones, has turned into a non-place. Local balance, care, and responsibility (Gould et al. 2021). Like- residents started suffering health issues presumably caused wise, arts contribute to repairing the “social bond” (Dixon by industrial pollution (Navas et al. 2022) and the loss of 2009: 412) by re-defining notions about the commons. livelihood and traditional practices eroded sense of place Dixon (2009) draws on Jacques Rancière’s work (2002) and local identity (Tironi and Rodríguez-Giralt 2017). In this to argue that artistic representations of biodiversity chal- context of unceasing impacts of pollution and degradation lenge the current configuration of politics, focusing on the on the collective identity, scholars acknowledge the emer- idea that artistic practices “reframe the network of relation- gence of new identities ranging between everyday suffering ships between spaces and times, subjects and objects, the and resistance (Hormazábal et al. 2020; Valenzuela-Fuentes common and the singular” [2009: 412]. Community arts et al. 2021). In parallel, care—expressed both as self-care against fracking in Argentina used paintings to represent the and as mutual support—becomes a mode of “knowing and material processes behind the environmental struggle, thus acting upon their harmed bodies and environments” (Tironi shaping “symbolic, relational and material forms of cultural and Rodríguez-Giralt 2017: 92). This case offers the oppor- resistance” (Serafini 2018: 10). Again, through the lens of tunity (and the urgent need) to analyse the impact of resist- Rancière, aesthetics is political as it has a role in shaping the ance identities and practices in the re-configuration of the collective worldview. public space. Critical thinkers acknowledge the relational nature of place as symbolically constructed (Escobar 2001; Lefebvre 1991; Massey 2005; Nicholls 2009; Pierce et al. 2011). For Artistic actions and relational values instance, Lefebvre’s classification of the space describes “spaces of representation” as all the mental inventions To explore the relationality of artistic practices, this paper (including codes, sign discourses, imaginary landscapes, explores two components. The first is art’s representation symbolic spaces, paintings) that confer new meanings to potential, that is, the content of the artwork that is expressed, spatial practices (Lefebvre 1991). 13 Sustainability Science In turn, the new meanings constructed by acts of imagi- seen as more productive in disrupting the status quo than nation operate as material forces in the production of place, traditional methods of protest (Sharpe 2008). Rightly so, as Harvey (1989) notes referring to the political, social, and since leisure activities serve as a social space for individuals economic action that aesthetics and arts motivate. However, to organize, dialogue, and identify with one another (Hem- human geography theories confine themselves to acknowl- ingway 1999). These “eventful” protests sustain feelings of edging artistic expressions as sources of information about solidarity, agency, and the sense of community (Dellaporta communities’ meanings of place, without elaborating on 2008). Ultimately, these kind of spaces support movements their role in placemaking. In particular, there is little atten- and their vision of change (Prentki 2017). tion to the way artistic representations of place enhance Human geographers have theorized the physical and alternative human–environment relations in places commod- embodied experiences of participatory art-making as a place ified by extractive projects. For example, in Southern Chile, of encounter for fostering intercultural exchange (Askins the Mapuche–Pewenche indigenous people’s culture, his- and Pain 2011) as well as particular human–environment tory and spirituality is based on a reciprocal relation with encounters (Dixon 2009; Hawkins et al. 2015). Arts-based the Pewen (Araucaria araucana trees) (Ibarra et al. 2022). interventions such as public murals and singing encourage There are artists, e.g. Leonel Lienlaf (1989) (see Ibarra et al. connections between people, sense of community, inclusion, 2022) and Cecilia Vicuña (see Barros 2019), that represent and dialogue (Baumann et al. 2021), and promote social and enhance through poems and visual arts these alterna- cohesion and solidarity (Fancourt and Finn 2019). tive worldviews that have been historically silenced through The transformative potential of artistic interventions— colonialism and stereotypical images of indigenous identity e.g. songs, art installations, and street performances—does (Contreras 2021). Therefore, from an environmental justice not only stem from the symbols it projects. Instead, its perspective, representation is critical to overcome the mis- ephemeral and “ordinary” character disrupt the represen- recognition of identities that challenge the hegemonic model tations and forms of imperative realities (Mekdjian 2018), of production (Bolados 2016; Bourdieu 1991; Escobar 2001; fostering alternative ways of inhabiting the public space. Kojola and Pellow 2020; Peluso and Lund 2011). In the process, these interventions challenge the dominant hegemonic forces of privatization, thus creating conditions The experience of the artistic practice for political change. Yet, researchers addressing the role of creative initiatives in environmental struggles have rarely The force of art as a social practice (Denis and Daniels 1988; assessed art practice as a catalyst for relational values in the Hawkins et al. 2015) lays on its potential to engender new transformation of place, especially in degraded landscapes. worlds and alternative futures in the face of socio-ecological In sum, this research aims to contribute to literature crisis (Hawkins et al. 2015). Nevertheless, artistic and cul- on relational values, human geography and art theory by tural practices by local communities receive relatively little answering to the question of how engaged arts can be the attention in environmental research. The indigenous’ Water pathway to restore the degraded landscape through enhanced Ceremonies during the Standing Rock protests against the relational values. Dakota Express pipeline exemplify the use of people’s cul- tural resources, in this case ceremonies, to resist and assert an “alternative perspective of care” (Jewett and Garavan Materials and methods 2019: 52). Similarly, when activists use performances in their demonstrations, including songs, drumming and dance, The gaps in the literature presented above led us to an their bodies occupy the space and create counter-sites that empirical exploration of the relation between four concepts: enhance unique social encounters (Whatmore 2006), a kind relational values, artistic representation, artistic experience, of situated utopia, that contest and invert the real sites and and socio-spatial transformations. The compilation of back- propose temporary alternative forms of organization (Fou- ground data started by reviewing regional press, relevant cault 1984). social media posts, and webpages of activist groups. The Examples in this line are performances by the Chilean selected case study focuses on a sacrifice zone highly influ- feminist collective Las Tesis catalogued as prefigurative acts enced by neoliberal policies that have been analysed by of solidarity and collectivity (Serafini 2020) that foster alter- scholars from different disciplines (Bolados 2016; Espinoza native ways of experiencing the public space. Similarly, the et al. 2016; Tironi and Rodríguez-Giralt 2017; Valenzuela- Occupy movements went beyond legal territorial strategies Fuentes et al. 2021), but without focussing on the growing to generate “material practices and representations of terri- influence of artistic movements. tory” that challenged ideas of land privatization (Halvorsen Fieldwork took place between December 2020 and March 2017: 453). In fact, the potential of activist spaces of leisure, 2021. The first author of the paper conducted 35 semi- like music festivals, is such that sometimes these spaces are structured interviews with activists, artists, and researchers 13 Sustainability Science related to the QPSZ, contacted through snow-ball sampling. represents the relational values activated through arts that Interviews were conducted in-person or online (whenever were more influential for local transformations. interviewees preferred, in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak). Interviewees were asked to describe any artwork related to the QPSZ that they remembered and the experi- Results and discussion ence, impressions, and feelings the artwork evoked. Length of the interviews varied between 30 to 90 min, and each Creative actions in the Quintero–Puchuncaví interview was recorded and notes with observations from the sacrifice zone interview were taken. A written consent form was obtained from all study participants in accordance with our univer- When asked about artistic pieces related to the conflict, sity of affiliation’s Research Ethics Assessment. Among the the interviewees mentioned thirty-seven creative actions interviewees, 77% were locals and 23% were external to the across six categories used by Rodríguez-Labajos and Ray area, but had an activist or artistic relation with it. Regard- (2021) and mentioned in Table 1. The most frequent creative ing gender, 57% identified as women, 42% as men, and the actions were performances (32%), image-based expressions remaining as queer or unspecified. The higher percentage of (28%) and music (21%) (Fig. 1). There were fewer written women reflect their importance in leading the mobilisations. expressions, such as books or fanzines, or audio-visuals. In fact, one of the main organizations in the area, Mujeres Interestingly enough, the most popular pieces, i.e. the ones en Zona de Sacrificio en Resistencia (Resistance Women in that people referred to more frequently, were murals (60% Sacrifice Zones) (MUZOSARE hereafter), actively endorses of the interviewees mentioned them) and events of collec- a feminist approach. tive mural painting in particular (mentioned by 28.5% of the During fieldwork, a scenic art-making laboratory supple- interviewees). The emblematic street art collective Murales mented the data collection. The laboratory was an open-call por la vida (Murals for Life) (Fig. 1f) was named by 14.28% for local activists and artists to participate in the creation of the interviewees. Similarly, 54.3% of interviewees refer of a street performance in the SZQP, organized by the first to some musical expression, in particular Batucada—an author of the paper in collaboration with the Chilean street Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble—(51.43%) (Fig. 1d). theatre group Teatro en Movimiento Callejerx. The labora- The music festival Chile un solo territorio (Chile One Ter- tory lasted 2 days, and 10 people participated in it. During ritory) (Fig. 1e) named by 28.57% of the interviewees, is the process, participants decided collectively the content and another emblematic event referred to around the conflict. aim of the street performance. This activity contributed to These pieces mainly occurred in the public space (43% of understanding the context of the movement and the impor- all pieces), although the organization of ad hoc events was tant values of the community. Observing the activation of also frequent (27% of all pieces) (Table 1). In particular, relational values helped to define and classify them. The pro- performative and image-based expressions tended to hap- cess was recorded, edited and shared as a short-film called pen spontaneously in the public space, whereas music and “Under-ground ore” (en-tierra mineral) and shared in social cultural events took place in ad hoc events. Meanwhile, writ- media (see Sanz 2021). ten (Fig. 1c) and audio-visual pieces were accessible online A standard qualitative research data organization and or used in multiple locations. Sixty percent of ephemeral analysis followed (Gallego 2005). Interviews were tran- actions involving music and performances were later acces- scribed with Sonix and coded using MAXQDA, to capture sible online. Interviewees also note that artistic practices— representations and experiences of artistic practices, rela- especially image-based expressions and performances—are tional values, socio-spatial transformations, and the con- nections between each item that informants made during interviews. A first version of the codebook relied on second- Table 1  Number of artworks according to the topic represented and ary data, field notes, and references from the literature. This location, per type of artwork process led to the identification of 5 categories of relational Type of artwork Location values, 4 categories of artistic representations, 5 categories Street Event Multiple On-line of experiences of art practice, and 4 categories of socio- locations spatial transformation used in the analysis (see the codes Image based 9 1 1 and definitions in Supplementary material (SM). A network Performance-based 10 2 1 analysis through Gephi 0.9.0 (and the models ForceAtlas Music 5 1 2, and circular layout) (Bastian et al. 2009; Jacomy et al. Oral-written 2 2014) represents the interconnection between relational val- Cultural event 3 ues and artistic experiences and representations. A bar chart Audio-visual 1 2 13 Sustainability Science Fig. 1  Pictures of artworks related to QPSZ. a Collec- tive mosaic making Image courtesy of Efren Legazpi 2017. b Human mandala by MUZOSARE and MODA- TIMA (Image courtesy of Katta Alonso). c Letras en la Arena 2017 magazine. Image courtesy of Felipe Faic 2019. d Batuque Achelpeñ performing in Ventanas main Street, in front of the power-plant Image cour- tesy of Batuque Achelpeñ. e “Chile un solo territorio” music festival in 2018 Image courtesy of Chile un solo territorio. f "No mas zonas de sacrificio" mural by Murales por la Vida. Author's own photograph often photographed and subsequently shared in social media Figure 2 shows how these relational values (orange and news stories. nodes) are represented in the artworks (blue nodes), and experienced through the artistic creation (green nodes). SM Artistic actions enhance damaged relational values provides a detailed description of the items within each cat- in the sacrifice zone egory. Network analysis revealed three clusters of interac- tions between such representations and the experiences of The categories of relational values used in the analy- relational values through arts: (1) the relevance of the crea- sis rely on an initial exploration of types of relations tion process for identity and reciprocity; (2) the relevance (human–human, human-place, human-time) to then pro- of representations of local elements and life histories for pose our own terms building on the existing literature. The heritage and place attachment, and (3) the centrality of the resulting categories, their definitions and references can be materiality of art in enacting a variety of relational values. found in Table 2. Riechers et al. (2020) define relational values as meaningful human–environment connections and Activism‑oriented art‑making enacts identity social relations. The interviews revealed five interconnected and reciprocity categories of relational values related to artistic expressions (Fig. 2), namely reciprocity, care, place attachment, identity, Identity is both the most mentioned relational value, and the and heritage. The five possible categories resulted from this best connected to artistic representation and artistic experi- study do not cover all range of relational values but the ones ence. Thus, the creation process or art-making is the best- in the intersection between artistic practices and environ- connected artistic experience to identity. The initiative of the mental degradation. muralism collective Murales por la vida is a good example of the appeal for collective identity through participation 13 Sustainability Science Table 2  Relational values and their definition stemming from the inductive data analysis and literature review Relational values Definition of relational values Reciprocity Human–human relations (solidarity, mutual support, social cohesion, social relations) emanating from sharing spaces and interactions with the environment (Kaltenborn et al. 2017; Riechers et al. 2021) Care Based on Jax et al.'s (2018: 2) definitions of care as affective concern and practical actions that seek to attend to another's needs (be they other human or non-human) Place attachment The emotional bond between people and places, based on Manzo and Wright's (2021) “place attachment”. Place attachment is a consequence of meanings imparted on places by individuals and groups. Destruction of the landscape can drive emo- tions such as grief, fear, anxiety and anger derived from place attachment Identity Refers to the constitutive importance of environmental elements in shaping individual personalities and local culture. Based in Riechers et al.'s (2021: 5) "cultural identity" and "individual identity" and Proshansky et al.'s (1983: 60) "place identity" Heritage Based on ideas of cultural heritage (Kaltenborn et al. 2017) and local knowledge (Cevasco et al. 2015); appeals to the rela- tion of people with their past, with their traditional practices, origins and history, including collective memory and local knowledge Fig. 2  Network analysis between relational values (Orange nodes), elements and values portrayed in the pieces (blue nodes) and experience of the artistic practices (green nodes). Note: the size of the nodes and the edges reflects Relational value the number of times a given item (and their interaction) was Representation mentioned by the interviewees. Experience Source: Own elaboration based on force-directed Model Force Atlas 2. Since axial coding was not performed during the data organization phase, the direc- tion of causal links was derived from the analysis of the contents but have not been represented in the network in an art-making process. The contents of theses murals, and the participants. In other words, artistic activism ena- which represent local values through images of local biodi- bles safe spaces of affects (Ryan 2015) and especially in art- versity, were decided collectively during creation and execu- making processes, care and reciprocity is central (Fig. 1a). tion stages. Such an approach led the interviewees to assert These findings remind us of the notion of dialogical aes- that “Making art means socializing, building community. thetics developed by Kester (2004). In line with contempo- Making art collectively is that, creating a community” (MA, rary art trends, dialogical art focuses on human relation- woman activist). ships, the interactive, and the socially-engaged experiences Likewise, reciprocity, that is, human–human relations that art can generate. In the QPSZ, art initiatives enable that enable solidarity, mutual support and conversation, is new relationships and support networks between commu- bound with artistic practices, especially during art-making nity members. When residents create an artistic piece or and art-for-activism events. For instance, the music festival organize creative events for activism, art becomes a place Chile un solo territorio took place in front of the polluting of encounter, collective identity, and affective connections, industries to promote the motto No más zonas de sacrificio where people feel they are part of something. (no more sacrifice zones). This festival was a concrete place Moreover, the communication of the collective identity of encounter that provided opportunities for raising feelings through art overcomes the marginalization of ideas and of support, and a sense of community among the organizers values that differ from the dominant vision of growth-led 13 Sustainability Science development. According to Bishop’s theories (2006), the In the QPSZ, artistic pieces that represent local values purpose of participatory art is to restore the social bond and everyday life foster sustainable relations between peo- through a collective elaboration of meaning. We found that ple and places, thanks to the enacting of values of heritage artists, activists, and residents help to collectively re-build and place attachment. On the contrary, representations of the degraded identity through creating content that por- impacts have less impact in enhancing levering relational trays their aspirations and their values. Similar to our own values (Fig. 2). This means that the visibility of an issue or results, Bishop spotlights the artistic experience as a source impacts, per se, has limited transformative potential. A simi- of empowerment for participants. lar thought can be found in Demos' (2016) analysis of the Political ecologists emphasize that some identities are aesthetics of climate change politics, where he challenges more affected by environmental degradation than others, representations of impacts and catastrophic futures of cli- especially where indigenous, peasants, and racial identi- mate change that silence the relations and resistance of the ties are concerned (Merlinsky and Latta 2012). This is why affected communities. In contrast, the chants about local recognition and participation of such vulnerable groups values and experiences in Quintero–Puchuncaví appeal to play an essential role in theories on environmental justice affective bonds while unifying different voices. These chants (Schlosberg 2007). The experience of art-making reinforces form an example of the connection between politics and collective identity, enhances recognition, and increases par- aesthetics present in philosophical discourses since the last ticipation of the marginalized identities, thus contributing century (Rancière 2004). This insight adds to theories on the to advancements of justice. Such emphasis on identity as transformative potential of ecologically engaged art (Demos a relational value, activated through art practices, is rela- 2016) but also to theories that focus on the processes and tively absent from the environmental literature. A notable practices that maintain and disrupt relational values (Chap- exception is Serafini (2018), who focuses on community arts man et al. 2019; Peçanha Enqvist et al. 2018; West et al. and notes that identity is central in activism as it facilitates 2018). collective action. While we concur with this author in the Thus, amateur and non-professional art forms are fun- link between participation in artistic projects and collective damental contributions in restoring human–environment identity, the present study remarks the relevance of repre- relationships. Rather than just focussing on the impacts of sentation of local values and life histories in the artworks for the industries, the visualization of everyday life reconnects the activation of collective identity (Fig. 2), as we discuss humans with their environment and thus fosters political further in the following section. changes. In this way, the discussion about pollution moves away from victimization and inaction and towards re-signi- Representations of local elements and life histories enact fication of the environment. In Quintero–Puchuncaví, when better relational values than representation of impacts artworks represent local biodiversity, traditional economies, historical moments like pollution peaks, deaths of loving Between the relational values better enhanced by artistic beings, and the personal experiences of deterioration of their practices, “heritage”, “identity”, and “place attachment” are land, culture, and history rendered invisible by the indus- directly linked with the portrayal of local values. A muralist trial development become visible. This pushes an agenda of explains: “When we paint the Quintero lighthouse, which is changes towards sustainability. an icon of the community, they [the residents] feel identified with it; seeing it painted is very important for them because The materiality of art as force for placemaking it makes them feel Quinterano, and belong to this place” (N, Local muralist). Way beyond the original expectations, the materiality of The representation of life histories involves the personal spaces of experience and, to a lesser extent, the relation with experiences and interpretations of living in a sacrifice zone. audiences, are entangled with all relational values. Materi- Audio-visual records such as photographs, videos, and ality refers to a specific connection and dependence to time music portray the biographies and affectations of peoples and place of a particular piece, that is determined by the living in the area. Unexpected to us, life histories play a expressive medium chosen in each case. The materiality of central role in linking relational values and art (Fig. 2), as the artistic process is made apparent by the fact that most of the link between relational values and art. A local activist the pieces described by the interviewees hail from the reac- explained: “art is a way to express the personal experiences tion to a pollution peak in 2018. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, of living here. It [art] is really personal and yet it has a tre- most of the artistic practices take place in the public space, mendous collective potential. It tells the story in another way affecting the type of relational values they stimulate. In the and makes people who have nothing to do with this world QPSZ, the materiality of art is a relational force as it gener- empathize and makes them feel identified with the feeling” ates spaces of encounter that enhance reciprocity as well as (RQ, Local activist). new material and symbolic spaces that challenge existing 13 Sustainability Science power dynamics. In the words of an interviewee: “When you alone in this view. The Intergovernmental Platform on Bio- do street art and do activism based on an artistic activity, diversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), categorizes insti- more people get together than in a conventional meeting. tutions and governance systems as indirect drivers of change When the Batu [batucada, street music performance] comes, that influence relationships between people and nature and everyone goes down to see the Batu. And then you can focus thus anthropogenic drivers of change, i.e. pollution (Pascual on making people understand that we have to fight for an et al. 2022). Therefore, IPBES encourages the promotion area free of pollution” (M, health worker). of different types of values associated with the environ- These results suggest that activists overcome certain bar- ment in decision making processes for sustainable futures riers towards sustainability while embodying the creative act. (Pascual et al. 2017). This represents a great progress in the Different stages of art production and materialization involve knowledge-policy interface. Despite acknowledging power people engaged in change; people collaborating in the pro- relationships across stakeholders, these frameworks do not cess of making a collective piece, interacting with an audi- address contexts of degraded social capital or where power ence, occupying and re-appropriating the public space, and relations foil the construction of powerful institutions from so on. Each one of these activities generate relational values the bottom-up and the recognition of local relational values. that foster desired socio-spatial transformations. Informal Alternative notions of transformation emphasize the artistic events in the streets of QPSZ attract people to the transformative role of social movements. That is the case public space, thus enabling new relations and conversations of post-development scholars such as Escobar (2004) and about the injustices they are experiencing. This way, artistic Svampa (2019), who show that place-based non-hierarchi- events become safe and open spaces that inspire feelings cal networks are able to reconceptualize even the notion of of solidarity and mutual support in the face of the crisis of development itself. This notion is especially relevant in the sense of community and privatization caused by industrial context addressed here, where the affected population rec- activity (Hormazábal et al. 2020). ognize the impossibility of cancelling the industrial com- In degraded places such as the QPSZ, large industrial plex. Building on such an approach, the data from interviews facilities act as reminders of the power behind national revealed four stages of transformation influenced by arts in energy interests (Broto and Calvet 2020). There, art offers a awareness, networking, sense of agency and restoration. The physical counterpoint to the industrial dominant landscape, ultimate goal “restoration” aims to create new spaces (mate- through representations of resistance that explore alterna- rial and immaterial) that rehabilitate the culture, tradition, tive relationships with the environment. Just as the femi- aesthetics, and places from their degraded state and also nist performances of Las Tesis contribute to the visibility upgrade the everyday life. We accept that transformation of gendered silenced bodies (Martin and Shaw 2021), when is not necessarily a linear process. Still, Fig. 3 shows the air pollution prevents certain bodies from accessing the dominant local vision about the order of the stages in the street (Walker 2009), their mere presence in the street is an transformation, indicating the relational values activated embodied act of symbolic production and power (Bourdieu during each transformation stage, based on the number of 1991) and, therefore, of resistance. When activists use their mentions during the interviews. bodies to produce material practices and representations of their land and values, an active praxis of embodying their Creative networks towards restoration right to the city leads to hope and to personal and group agency. In the words of Serafini, “what is at stake in making Overall, relational values through arts have a role across art in territory is the (re)making of that territory” (2022: all stages of transformation, especially during networking 67). In this line, the present study proves that artistic spaces and restoration (Fig. 3). The human mandala by MUZO- of experience in the public space transform industrialized SARE (Fig. 1b) is an example of the intersection between and abandoned spaces into places of resistance and commu- networking and identity. "This action makes us a body, a nity. There, music and dancing configure care, reciprocity, body-territory, makes us part of something, makes us know memory and responsibility. each other, makes us communicate" (A, from MUZOSARE). This example also illustrates the relation between the values Relational values and transformation trends of reciprocity, identity, and care enhanced by the experience of participating in an artistic action (see Fig. 2). Indeed, Authoritative perspectives on sustainability transformations, values like care, solidary and community are central for anti- such as the United Nations Research Institute for Social extractivist feminist discourses (Bolados and Sánchez 2017). Development (RISD) (2019: 32) acknowledge the need to In response to the lack of women leadership in the environ- address the root causes that “generate and reproduce eco- mental movement, and the patriarchal and colonial system nomic, social, political, [and] environmental problems, and leading the QPSZ, MUZOSARE since 2016 advocates for a inequities, not merely their symptoms”. The RISD is not new ethic of care associated with Latin American feminisms 13 Sustainability Science Fig. 3  Relational values activated through arts across transformation stages in the case study 40 35 Type of relaonal value (mes menoned) 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1. Awareness 2. Networking 3. Sense of agency 4. Restoraon Transformaon stage (Bolados and Sánchez 2017). Unsurprisingly, the human collective action and, ultimately, transformation. The notion mandala that represents cuerpo-territorio (body-territory) is of agency “emerges in crisis situations and connects net- a form of protest that MUZOSARE shares with the women’s works for action” (Stockholm Resilience Centre 2009: 2). group against hydropower in Alto Maipo river, also in Chile. In the QPSZ, artistic processes that emerged in situations The notion of cuerpo-territorio, popular through anti-extrac- of crisis ignited a chain of change starting with networking. tivist feminist movements, acknowledges the inseparability Subsequently, networking activated values like reciproc- between body and place (Bolados and Sánchez 2017). The ity, place attachment, heritage, and identity, and in turn, notion comes from indigenous and decolonial ontologies of promoted agency. Serafini (2018) introduced the notion space (Zaragocin and Caretta 2020). Therefore, our results of art as a medium for social and political action, giving situate arts as embodied expressions of cuerpo-territorio and art a prefigurative approach. Accordingly, artistic activism thus as avenues to decolonize spatial dynamics and analysis. would be an aesthetic-political practice that fosters collec- At the restoration stage, identity is again the most influ- tive action towards social and political change. This rela- ential relational value, followed by care. Care means affec- tional notion is also present in views of art as social praxis tive concern and actions for the community, family, and the in which communities create ephemeral, precarious, and col- environment. Surprisingly, care is the highest influence of lective ‘micro-utopias’ (Bourriaud 2004: 65). While endors- the transformation process during restoration. This is impor- ing these theories, our study establishes a co-dependence tant since identity and care are enhanced in similar experi- between networking and agency through relational values. ences of art (Fig. 2), especially those focused on “safety” Such values contribute to improve the daily life of people and “healing”. Concretely, community art-making is restora- affected by environmental injustice and to restore their eve- tive as: “a space of healing, of dialogue, of being able to ryday landscapes. Thus, activist art can be considered as tell many things that have happened to us and feel contain- a value articulating institution (Stagl 2012) that levers the ment. In fact, the work has been important for many women autonomy of the community and generates social cohesion, because it creates a safe space where they can share what a fundamental gain when the complete rehabilitation of the is happening to them, and move and dance among women” environmental conditions in the sacrifice zone is far from (RA, performer and musician). being achieved. In this sense, our results indicate that a way to restora- tion goes through the transformative stages of awareness, networking, and agency. In fact, artistic processes, especially those that promote networking, can trigger individual and 13 Sustainability Science Conclusions The paper contributes to geographic research on the relational dimensions of place by expanding an understand- Sacrifice zones result from an extractive development model ing of the role of relational values in placemaking. Fur- that obscures the exclusion of local communities’ material, thermore, we expand the literature on art committed to the symbolic, and spiritual lives, and ultimately undermines pre- socio-environmental crisis by pointing to the transformative existing relational values. Our work sought to trace whether dimensions of engaged arts, and on the political ecologi- (and how) these meaningful human–environment connec- cal theorization of the transformation of degraded areas, by tions and social relations can be restored through art. addressing the importance of relational values and artistic Local activists’ artistic practices such as banners, murals, practices of local communities. Above all, we aim to shed songs, and dances have proven, through our analysis, to have light on art activism as a powerful practice of existence/ relational effects that recover connections among humans, resistance in the face of current violent degradation of eve- and between humans and the environment. While critical ryday and future environments. social-spatial theories acknowledge the relational nature of Supplementary Information The online version contains supplemen- placemaking, previous literature had neglected the study of tary material available at https://d​ oi.o​ rg/1​ 0.1​ 007/s​ 11625-0​ 22-0​ 1252-6. artistic practice as a way to repair situated relational val- ues damaged by environmental degradation. This study has Acknowledgements We deeply thank the collaborators of this study for mapped the relational values activated through artistic prac- their personal time, information, contacts and knowledge. Authors are grateful to Lucas Barrero, Arielle Landau and EJ Atlas team for feed- tices that enable both representation of relational values and back provided on earlier versions of this paper. Teresa Sanz acknowl- the experience of the values themselves. Furthermore, we edges support from Fundació Autònoma Solidària and International propose a novel framing connecting relational values and Balzan Prize Foundation. stages of socio-spatial transformation that led to the restora- Author contributions TS: conceptualization, methodology, formal tion of material and symbolic spaces through art. analysis, investigation, writing—original draft, visualization, and Our empirical evidence relies on the artistic practices funding acquisition. BR-L: resources, writing—review and editing, developed in a sacrifice zone in the localities of Quintero visualization, and supervision. and Puchuncaví, Chile, where industrial activities configure Funding Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma a highly toxic environment. Through participation in activ- de Barcelona. This work was supported by project ‘EnvJustice’ (GA ism-oriented art-making projects, communities in the QPSZ 695446), funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and Joan are restoring the social bonds and re-building collectively Martinez Alier Balzan Prize 2020, and by Beatriu de Pinós Fellowship the degraded community identity as they become agents of 2020-BP-00053 TALENT funded by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), Generalitat de Catalunya. change. Representations of local elements and life histories seem to enact better relational values than representation of Data availability Our de-identified survey data are archived at the impacts. Making the histories and practices rendered invis- Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB under DOI: https://​ddd.​uab.​ ible by industrial development visible, art pieces generate a cat/​record/​259086. critical discourse that promotes a restoration of the relation Declarations of humans with the environment. Importantly, we identify arts’ materiality as a force of Conflict of interest The authors have no financial or proprietary inter- place production, as art creates material and symbolic reali- ests in any material discussed in this article. ties that embody the right to the city. Facing intense envi- Compliance with ethical standards The research protocol (including ronmental pressures, artistic spaces promote a restoration of procedures for participants’ consent and data management) was for- the every-day living experiences. In this process, networking mally evaluated and approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal and and social cohesion are essential to facilitate individual and Human Experimentation at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona collective agency towards transformation. (CEEAH-UAB). While our outcomes are context dependent, similar cases Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attri- exists around the world [see EJAtlas (http://w ​ w.e​ jatla​ s.o​ rg)]. bution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adapta- In this context, theorizing the role of artistic practices in tion, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long representing and enhancing relational values expands the as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes toolkit for the socio-environmental restoration of degraded were made. The images or other third party material in this article are landscapes. These findings are an entrance point for further included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated research on the consideration of an institutional promotion otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in of relational values and arts-based practices in public spaces the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will for the restoration of degraded areas. need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://​creat​iveco​mmons.​org/​licen​ses/​by/4.​0/. 13 Sustainability Science References Demos TJ (2016) Decolonizing nature. Contemporary art and the poli- tics of ecology. Sternberg Press, London Denis C, Daniels S (1988) The iconography of landscape: essays on the Askins K, Pain R (2011) Contact zones: participation, materiality, and symbolic representation, design and use of past environments. the messiness of interaction. 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