Mining for Steal - Musician & Visual Artist fuchsia Joins Artists for The Amazon

Amazon Aid Foundation’s Artists for The Amazon program is happy to welcome musician and visual artist Fuchsia who creates music and art with reuse and a message in mind.

“Being part of the Amazon Aid’s Artist initiative, I wanted to share this song I wrote on the subject of illegal gold mining on this vital and sacred land, namely Peru’s Madre de Dios region. it’s difficult sometimes to think about where and how something is sourced, especially such an attractive metal like gold, but the sad reality of the situation is that its extraction involves a slightly less attractive process:

For every ounce of gold extracted, miners add an equal amount of mercury in order to extract the gold and make it easy to retrieve. exposure to mercury can have dire consequences, such as increasing problems with sight, hearing, taste, increasing aggressiveness, lowering IQ levels… this principally affects those living in the region, as, once the gold has been extracted, the mercury is then dumped in the rivers and lakes of the surrounding areas. this, evidently, is not an issue exclusive to the amazon and those living in the area, but, as we have seen, it has a significant impact on the planet as a whole.” ~ fuchsia

How did you first become inspired by the Amazon?
The documentary River of Gold really moved me and instigated the spark to delve deeper into this pressing issue.

How does the Amazon Rainforest and environmentalism manifest in your work?
In my song ‘Mining For Steal‘! I also wrote a song about the Ocean and I try to reuse materials on the visual arts side of my project.

How long have you been a musician?
I embarked on this musical journey around three years ago.

Do you hear the music first? The poetry? How do you approach your song writing?
The whole song started with a drum beat at first. I wrote most of the lyrics on this beat (after having watched River of Gold and researching on the topic) and then changed it and added chords on guitar.

What is fuchsia?
Fuchsia is a type of flower as well as a colour. It is a bold and feminine colour and embodies my project in its poetic and visual elements. It represents my journey as an artist; constantly evolving, constantly growing.

I love the idea that you see the Amazon affects you despite being far away and bridging gaps. What are some things you think as an artist can promote this cause?
Thank you! I think just speaking about the issue and communicating as much as possible. Climate change is a pressing issue that, on a personal level, I think about and organise several parts of my life around (no plastic-use, buying locally grown food wherever possible, limiting car rides, etc.). It is not because we are physically far from the Amazon that we must ignore the issue. Everything is linked and interconnected; both us as individual human beings as well as on a more global level.