Chapter 3: Act
In Spazuk’s third and final chapter of F!RE F!RE F!RE, the viewer is immediately presented with direct instructions via its title: ACT. The chapter consists of the works: Greta Portrait, 10 Multiples of Greta, Fire Extinguisher, Ceci N’est Pas Une Drill, Activistes, Empty Nest, Lifeboat 1, Lion, Tigre, and Koala.
Like in Chapter 2: Understand, ACT has a protagonist. This time, she is not a symbolic, mythological figure like Nemesis. She is a living, powerful and determined woman, Greta Thunberg. Like Nemesis, Thunberg has turned into somewhat of a cultural and social icon in the wake of the recent climate action protests. She became an accidental leader at just 15 years old, putting her formal education aside to speak as the Earth’s voice for her generation and generations to come.
Like Greta’s direct and unswerving rhetoric, Chapter 3: ACT, leaves no room for interpretation. With stern, frank, and startling imagery, Spazuk speaks directly to the viewer about responsibility and action. In Greta Portrait, the viewer is confronted with the eyes of a commanding yet vulnerable young woman who implores our commitment to meaningful action as repayment for her sacrifice.
Earth is our Mother and most of us have become children of greed and entitlement. The road to recovery is through connection, respect, and immediate action from us all. Like the path that Greta has paved, Spazuk steers the viewer toward the reality that there is no other option, the house is on fire and now is the time to ACT.
Hope and recovery lies in our rediscovery: the truth of our own being is Nature. Like Nature, we can adapt ingeniously, transform with wisdom and regenerate.
Table of contents
Chapter 1: Connect
Chapter 2: Understand
Chapter 3: Act
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