Looking at Meaning-Creation in Environmental Art through Cultural Semiotics

These days، the global village faces with environmental crisis. Therefore، we are living in a world with an increasing need to pay attention to the surroundings through an environmental and aesthetic lens. Meanwhile، environmental art، as a new branch of art، attempts to view the relation between human beings and nature in a new light and with the help of all surrounding situations. With a deeper look at environmental art، its branches and artists who are active in this field، some new aspects will be revealed which are natural and، at the same time، cultural because nowadays cultural oppositions are indicative of the importance of studying culture and the role of various semiotic systems in collective memory. Moreover، it implies how a work of art، as a text، signifies and creates meaning and the artist creates an active، role-playing audience from among the implicit meanings and concepts hidden in layers deep down the work. Therefore، regarding the role played by semiotics in introducing today’s cultures and world، and since there is nothing empty of sign in semiotics، and also because the mixture of sign and non-sign worlds is worth thinking، in this study cultural semiotics deals with the relation between culture، nature and environmental works of art. Furthermore، this study aims to investigate the signs and deep layers of meaning through a cultural semiotic approach in each work. This is a descriptive-analytic study on the basis of which، while viewing some common points in applying the natural elements such as stone، wood، etc. in the environmental works of art and their mortality، it is possible to explore the expressive differences and how the elements are used in the subclasses of environmental art and the works of these artists. Furthermore، it can be concluded that these works، taking shape in the environment، are inseparable part of nature and human culture in different regions or more comprehensive cultures.