In a studio in the DC Maryland Virginia area, ceramic artist Alison Kysia is working with clay in a way that feels both grounded and personal. She makes pottery and abstract Islamic sculptures, and one of her recent works focuses on the 99 Names of God in Islam, a concept borrowed from Judaism where there are 72 names for God. Christians have about 30 names for God.

Kysia, who shares her work as @786arts, identifies openly as a Muslim woman artist. Her practice includes handmade pottery, sculptural pieces, and socially engaged art projects that connect people through making.

A recent piece, Al Musawwir III: The Artist, is named after one of the 99 Names of God, often translated as The Shaper. The work includes 99 individual ceramic tiles. Each tile is painted by hand with teal bursts that look like small worlds or organic forms spreading outward. Together they sit in a single black frame, measuring about 17.5 by 21.5 inches.

Her idea is simple and strong. Each pottery tile holds its own pattern, but the full set builds something larger. It is repetitive but not uniform. You can stand close and look at one tile, or step back and take in the whole.

Kysia shared that the reaction from buyers has been emotional. One collector told her that the idea of living with a piece connected to the 99 Names gave them chills and felt deeply moving. She also recently sold a sculpture for a four figure price, a personal milestone.

Her work also carries a message about identity. She speaks directly about the way Muslims are treated and represented, and sees her art as a way to show something else. Not an argument, just presence through material and form.

Clay does a lot of quiet work here. It comes from the earth, it holds marks, it records touch. In Kysia’s hands it becomes a way to think about faith without needing to explain it too much.

She then went on to do the same with crafting seed pods. “My latest ceramic series explores the 99 names of God in Islam through 99 unique sculptures inspired by seed pods. Never forget the seeds planted by our ancestors that we can use now as sustenance and inspiration in a noisy and unjust world.

“What seeds are you planting that can nourish future generations in their times of trial and injustice? There are so many wonderful possibilities of what that can look like.”

::786Art

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Pottery lovers are asking a surprisingly practical question: can clay jugs clean and filter water safely? The short answer is yes, but only under specific conditions. And if you’re a ceramics enthusiast, homesteader, or DIY natural living fan, the details matter.

Clay (earthenware/terracotta) has been used for water storage and filtration for thousands of years. From ancient Egypt to rural India, porous earthenware vessels like the one above made by Palestinian craftsmen helped cool and sometimes purify drinking water. But not all clay jugs are created equal, and not every handmade pot will filter water in a meaningful or safe way.

How clay jugs filter water naturally

Unglazed, low-fired clay is porous. That means tiny holes in the ceramic body allow water to slowly pass through or interact with air. This porosity can trap some sediment and particles, allow slow evaporation that cools water, and in specialized cases support filtration when combined with materials like charcoal or silver.

Modern ceramic water filters are usually made from a mix of clay and combustible materials such as sawdust. When fired, the sawdust burns away, leaving micro-pores that can physically block some bacteria.

A basic clay jug from your local pottery studio? It won’t do that on its own.

Can handmade pottery actually purify water?

Here’s where pottery fans need to be careful.

Most decorative or functional clay jugs are not designed to remove bacteria or viruses. They may also contain glazes or underglazes that are not food-safe if poorly made, and they will not reliably filter contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, PFAS, or industrial chemicals. So while your handmade jug can store water beautifully, and it may even keep it cool, it is not a reliable water purification system.

You can make a clay cooling jug using terracotta clay, fire it to about 1050 degrees C, and keep it unglazed. Rest jug on glazed plate to collect condensation.

How to turn clay into a real water filter

If you’re a ceramic artist or experimental potter, there’s a growing niche in the United States around DIY ceramic water filters. These are especially popular among homesteaders, off-grid communities, survivalists, and eco-conscious makers. To make a functional ceramic water filter, you need a clay body mixed with organic burnout material such as fine sawdust, or paper clay, controlled firing to create uniform porosity, and often a colloidal silver treatment to inhibit bacterial growth.

This is closer to engineering than craft pottery, and it requires testing. A handmade clay jug should not be used to make unsafe water drinkable unless it has been designed and tested as a water filter.

Best use of clay jugs for water at home

Even without true filtration, clay jugs still have real value. They can keep water naturally cool through evaporation, reduce the need for plastic bottles, and make water storage feel more human and beautiful.

Some people also say water stored in clay tastes better. That may be because clay jugs avoid the plastic taste that can come from bottled water or cheap storage containers. Some say that clay turns water from the tap, which is dead water to “living water”.

For actual water filtration, make sure you pair your clay jug with a certified filter system.

There’s a quiet revival happening. American potters are blending ancient water storage techniques with modern sustainability goals. Searches such as “DIY ceramic water filter USA,” “natural clay water purifier pottery,” “off grid ceramic water filter,” and “handmade clay jug drinking water safe” are part of this new maker movement. Others just buy a stainless Berkey filter or a reverse osmosis machine to make sure they are drinking the cleanest water.

So, can clay jugs filter water?

Yes, clay jugs can help with water by cooling it, storing it naturally, and in specially engineered cases filtering it. But your average handmade pottery jug will not make unsafe water safe to drink. If you are serious about using clay for water filtration, think like both an artist and a scientist. Test your materials. Understand porosity. And never assume that beautiful handmade pottery is the same thing as a certified water filter.

A well-made clay jug might not save your life, but it can make your water taste like something older, quieter, and a little more human.

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Oman is returning to the Venice Biennale with Zīnah, an immersive installation by artist and curator Haitham Al Busafi that transforms a traditional form of horse adornment into a large-scale sensory experience.

Rooted in the Omani practice of Al-zaanah, where both horse and rider are equally adorned as a sign of mutual respect, the work reimagines this Middle East tradition as something visitors can physically enter.

Instead of viewing objects on display, people walk across a sand-covered space beneath suspended silver forms that move and produce sound in response to their steps. A sketch of the installation is provided above.

The result is a shifting environment where each visitor becomes part of the artwork. Movement creates sound. Paths form in the sand and over time, the installation evolves through collective participation rather than remaining fixed.

The piece was also shaped through community involvement in Oman, where artists and members of the public contributed markings to the silver elements. This idea of shared authorship continues in Venice, as each visitor leaves a trace through movement and interaction.

At its core, Zīnah is about rethinking value, extending ideas of beauty, care, and recognition beyond humans to include animals and the environment. It aligns with broader themes at the Biennale calling for more sensory, reflective forms of art rather than spectacle, says the artist.

Presented at the Arsenale in Venice from May to November 2026, the installation marks Oman’s continued effort to bring its cultural knowledge into global conversations.

About Haitham Al Busafi

Haitham Al Busafi (b. 1985, Muscat, Oman) is an interdisciplinary artist, architect, and curator whose practice operates at the intersection of architecture, art, and technology. Educated at the University of Applied Arts Vienna (dieAngewandte), his work foregrounds immersive environments, and the translation of cultural narrative into spatial experience.

Zīnah extends his ongoing investigation into how heritage knowledge can be activated through contemporary immersive form, moving from the participatory frameworks of Memory Grid into a fully kinetic and sonic environment.

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The internet runs on video, and people are addicted to doom scrolling. What if you had the power to turn nonsense into meaning? A short clip filmed on an iphone can circle the planet in minutes, inspiring millions to save animals abandoned in Dubai, or they can spread panic. For environmental storytellers and citizen journalists this is powerful territory and there is a lesson to be learned. You know that a video you create can expose oil pollution in a river, highlight a desert farm growing food with almost no water, or introduce a new climate technology that runs on air and that most people have never heard about.

Environmental creators are in a unique position because many of the stories worth telling are happening outside: in deserts, forests, coastlines and cities adapting to climate change. These stories deserve attention, but they should also be filmed responsibly.

The first rule of sustainable video production is surprisingly simple: film local, and use your travel opportunities to take footage from new places. You might not use it today, but it can be your B-roll or inspiration for tomorrow. Flying a production team halfway around the world for a short clip carries a large carbon footprint and content creators don’t need to do this anymore. You can write a film, direct a film narrate and edit a film, all with tools that are within reach.

Online video editor tools can help simplify this process. Platforms such as Clideo allow creators to trim clips, resize videos and compress large files so they are easier to share online. This reduces storage requirements and speeds up publishing while maintaining quality. Mobile creators can also edit footage directly on their phones using the Clideo Video Editor, which removes the need for large desktop editing systems.

And the most compelling sustainability stories are those happening locally and which affect you personally. A water reuse project in your city, a community compost initiative, regenerative agriculture, a rooftop farm, or a new solar installation can all make powerful visual stories without the need for heavy travel, and chances are you can get interviews with the main players, because some of them might be your friends and family.

Natural lighting is another sustainability trick filmmakers have used for decades. The sun provides beautiful lighting conditions that often look more authentic than studio lights while reducing energy use. Planning your shots before filming also reduces wasted footage and unnecessary battery use.

Creators filming in nature should follow ethical guidelines as well. Wildlife should never be disturbed or baited for dramatic footage. Sensitive ecosystems like nesting areas, coral reefs or desert habitats should be treated with care and not walked upon. The goal of environmental storytelling is to protect these special places, not damage them for a shot.
Another hidden environmental impact of video comes after filming, during editing and distribution.

Massive video files require storage and processing across data centers that consume enormous energy. As global video streaming grows, the digital infrastructure supporting it grows as well. Creators can reduce their digital footprint by compressing video files, trimming unused footage and exporting videos at the appropriate resolution for the platform they are using. Not every clip needs to be uploaded in ultra-high resolution.
Beyond the technical side of filming and editing lies the deeper question: what kind of stories should we tell?

The most effective sustainability videos focus on solutions rather than despair. Audiences are more likely to engage with stories that show innovation, creativity and possibility. Instead of only documenting pollution, animal abuse, or environmental collapse, creators can highlight projects restoring wetlands, entrepreneurs building circular economy businesses, or architects designing buildings that stay cool in desert climates without air conditioning.

Even small stories matter. A beekeeper protecting pollinators, a school teaching kids about compost, or a startup turning food waste into fertilizer can inspire others to act. Yes, the internet rewards sensational content, but sustainable storytelling rewards thoughtful content and it creates good vibes that are often noticed.. Videos that educate people about water conservation, renewable energy or biodiversity often travel further than expected because viewers recognize their value.

Creators who want to influence people for good should also think carefully about tone. Environmental storytelling does not need to lecture or shame audiences. It can invite curiosity instead. A well-filmed two-minute video explaining how mangrove forests protect coastlines or how desert architecture cools buildings naturally can spark deeper conversations. Consider that your audience is just as smart as you, maybe even smarter.
Ultimately sustainable video production is about intention.

Before posting, creators can ask themselves a few simple questions. Does this video help people understand the world better? Does it respect the people and places being filmed? Could sharing it put someone at risk?

When the answers are thoughtful, video becomes more than content. It becomes a tool for education, environmental awareness and positive influence and this is the kind of storytelling the internet needs much more of.

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Water doesn’t behave the same way twice. It absorbs sound, distorts it, carries it, and sometimes erases it altogether. That instability is where artist Tarek Atoui works. We’ve seen it in Bjork’s live concerts and now Atoui is bringing his installation to the Tate.

This October, Atoui will create the next annual Hyundai Commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, one of the most demanding spaces in contemporary art. Rather than filling it with volume or spectacle, Atoui is likely to do something quieter — letting sound move through materials. (Our feature and review on In The Dark bears some likeness to this upcoming event.)

Born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1980 and now living in Paris, Atoui has spent years building instruments that don’t sit comfortably in concert halls. Many of them involve water, glass, and ceramics — materials that react to sound instead of simply producing it. Water ripples, bowls hum, glass vibrates at the edge of breaking. Sound becomes something you encounter physically, not something delivered from a stage.

Much of Atoui’s work takes place in low light or near darkness. When the room dims, listening changes. You stop scanning for meaning and start paying attention to sensation: vibration in the floor, resonance in a vessel, a faint shift in air pressure. Sound moves slowly, negotiated through touch, breath, and mechanical movement.

Water, glass, and ceramics aren’t supporting actors here. They carry the whole piece.

Atoui’s instruments are often activated by visitors rather than performers. A hand turns a surface. Breath enters a pipe. A motor stirs liquid in a shallow bowl. Sound emerges unevenly, depending on how gently or insistently the materials are engaged. Nothing is fixed.

This approach is evident in works like Waters’ Witness, shown at Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria and later at Pirelli Hangar Bicocca in Milan, where sound passed through water-filled vessels and ceramic forms. The experience was less about listening to a composition and more about becoming aware of how sound behaves in matter — how it pools, disperses, and leaves residue. Of course the easiest way to access this kind of natural “art” is just to sit by a lonely brook and listen to Mother Nature herself, without the pomposity.

The Turbine Hall itself is an acoustic body: vast, industrial, difficult to control. Rather than overpowering it, Atoui’s practice suggests a tuning of the space — allowing sound to circulate, settle, and respond to the architecture’s own history as a former power station.

At a time when sound is usually amplified, compressed, and consumed instantly, Atoui’s work insists on slowness. It asks visitors to stay with uncertainty, to notice small changes, to listen with their hands and feet as much as their ears.

There are no instructions. No single vantage point. Just materials doing what they do best when left room to act.

The post Listening to Water: Tarek Atoui’s Next Work for Tate Modern appeared first on Green Prophet.

I was delighted to get invited to a special performance of ‘In The Dark’ this week in London, after seeing the project get birthed and thrive in my home city of Cambridge quite a few years ago.

Dynamic cultural producer Andrea Cockerton has worked within music for many years, and knew that the idea of giving audiences an immersive live musical experience – in darkness – could bring tremendous benefits, and over several iterations, this project is thriving, and has now been brought to London audiences – with the hope it will grow into the projects permanent home.

The Space:

The current venue is St Andrew Church in Holborn, on Chancery Lane, right in the heart of London’s economic district – and as I stepped out of the tube station into the street, the grey gloom of the capital City greeted me, with all the busyness and throng of a Thursday evening at rush hour. I often feel a special thrill at going to an arts event in such a mercantile environment: arts, culture and the imagination so often feel threatened by the push for finance and economic stabilty within this current political climate, in funding the sciences for instance, and this was no exception, particularly as it was in a church in the heart of it all. While inside this very special church, restored and renovated in 1668 by the eminent architect Sir Christopher Wren, outside us office blocks are reaching up high, whereas for many years previously only sky would peer in.

St Andrew’s has vaulting pillars, beautiful golden screens, some sculptures and statues, and uplighting that matches the pillars, alongside oak panelling, all in a straightforward display – a fresh simple and yet deeply spiritual space for prayer, contemplation, and tonight, immersive live sound! The space had been lit with reds, blues, and greens, enhancing the atmosphere greatly.

I took my dear friend, Mick Collins, Norwich-based therapist and writer, who talked in rhapsodic terms about the venue and the whole experience afterwards.

Music:

Transported by the choral and instrumental offerings that popped up across the space, in corners, in front of us, and alongside us. The performance was genuinely breathtaking and profound, and it needed some quiet time to fully digest the experience. Those first moments after the concert had ended were gloriously ineffable. At no stage in the hour was I tempted to lift the eye mask and peek at the scene, though I did wonder if I might have loved this even more were I lying on the floor! I particularly loved hearing male voices starting, and solo female voices, as well as elements of rhythm and percussion leading some of the pieces.

We could hear the voices and instruments travel around the space, and I felt a sharper sense of hearing sounds thrown between instruments, bouncing off each other and responding to the piece. Maybe a sound came from my row of seats, then a singer was in front, and then a chorus of voice rose from the far left. And so forth, punctuated by silences between each of the pieces.

For some of the music, I really felt there was a watery theme (having spent much of last years promoting films and activism engaging with water and rivers), which delighted me, and scanning through the programme we were cleverly handed afterwards, the titles of some of the tracks bear this out. I won’t spoil the surprise and talk about the specifics and the songs that are part of the event as I really want to maintain the joy and surprise of the not knowing, and absolutely want to encourage everyone to go and experience this event if they are able. There was a glory in sitting and having the sounds wash over me, with no knowledge, anticipation, or even expectation of anything specific. Seeing the musicians as we peeled off the provided (very thick and comfortable and available to take home! ) eye masks who clearly were as happy as the audience were, and receptive to our cheers and applause, brought us all into rapt synergy.

All my neurons were buzzing and melting, and after a few thank you’s, hugs, enjoyment of the space and the folk we had shared this with, we melted out of the church, lifted divinely by having been ‘In The Dark’.
The projects publicity says “no phones and no distractions” and absolutely, what a joy that is.

Reflection:

Walking back to the tube, and then the train home, we were both pretty speechless, unable to find words for what we have both witnessed through our audible senses. We thought a bit, sat in quiet reverie, danced with some words, and then decided to reflect overnight and see the next day how we felt. After a deep slumber, all my neutrons moulded back into the shape of me, and we checked in with each other –

Mick: “ at one stage I felt I was inside a prayer – the experience was effervescent on the inside, like champagne bubbles: certain pieces brought this up. A very sacred experience. Afterwards I was left with a sense of oneness, in a true sense of the word. Very light in the body, and my mind had been cleansed – the vibration of the sound and the instrumentation. A beautiful beautiful experience. “

‘In The Dark’ is an exceptional immersive cultural experience like no other. Hearing these musicians perform together, to us and with us, in this unique and held spiritual environment of St Andrew Holborn, is both restful and stirring, joyful and deeply prayerful, beyond words.

::In The Dark

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When a 65-year-old oak tree in Steve Parker’s yard died from fungal disease, he did not cut it into firewood or haul it away. He did not erase it. He cut the tree into disks and then turned them into records that play birdsong –– a touching tribute to the years that the tree was house and home to birds and all manners of creatures.

Parker, a Texas-based sound artist known online as @parkerstevesounds played the disks of wood on a Victrola-style turntable, and from the it the wooden records emit layered avian soundscapes, transforming dead wood into a living archive. He called the project Funeral for a Tree.

I once worked on a similar project in clay. I created a series of vessels designed to hold seeds. While shaping each one, I spoke to it — prayers, fragments of thought, small conversations with the material itself. I recorded my voice and the surrounding landscape of sound into the walls of the ceramic. Today’s machines cannot retrieve those recordings. But future instruments — capable of hearing at finer scales — may. The vessels are simply waiting for the right ears.

Trees are not neutral objects. Their rings hold records of rainfall, drought, heat, and cold. Their fibers contain chemical traces of stress, recovery, and time. In scientific terms, trees are environmental witnesses. In Parker’s hands, they become storytellers.

The project was later exhibited at Ivester Contemporary in East Austin, Texas where visitors encountered both the wooden records and the physical remains of the tree itself. The installation did not explain the tree. It allowed people to sit with it.

In a time when climate loss is reported in numbers — hectares, parts per million, extinction rates — Funeral for a Tree insists on intimacy. It is easy to talk about forests. It is harder to mourn a single trunk. It’s like people fighting for Gaza or Iran or places thousands of miles beyond their city limits, but they don’t have time to call their grandmother or check on the sick boy down the street.

Parker’s work invites us to create rituals and intimacy with objects and meaning close to our homes and hearts.

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Somewhere between TikTok hauls and next-day delivery, we forgot how to fix things. We forgot how to cook without an app and a pre-made box, grow food without a kit, and sew a button back onto a shirt without throwing the whole garment away. Clothing, once stitched with intention (my mother made her own dresses!), has become fast fashion and disposable. And with it, a quiet loss of skill, patience, and care.

Levi’s is trying to reverse that. The brand has launched a new program in high schools that teaches students how to repair, reinforce, and customize their own clothes. It’s a small intervention with big implications.

“At Levi Strauss & Co., we’ve spent more than 170 years designing clothes to be worn and loved for as long as possible. The Levi’s® Wear Longer Project builds on that legacy by giving young people the confidence and tools to extend the life of what they already own,” said Michelle Gass, President and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co. “By building up repair skills within the next generation and emphasizing the idea of durability, we’re helping spark a culture of creativity, sustainability, and pride in taking care of the things we value.”

The idea isn’t new. Many of us remember clothing swaps, community repair nights, and the early sustainability movement that made secondhand feel rebellious and smart. It carried the same spirit as freecycle and the pop-ups that would help women repair their clothes — spaces where fashion stopped being about perfection and started being about longevity. We also love it when people in big cities put clothes out on park benches. Nothing like finding a haul of cosy clothes.

For years, knitting circles, stitch-and-bitch nights, and repair cafés were quietly led by women in their 30s, 40s, and beyond. They weren’t trying to start trends. They were trying to make things last and they enjoyed creating and being together. Now, that knowledge is finally being passed to a generation that understands waste instinctively, but often lacks the tools to act on it.

In the 2010s, greening your wardrobe was pretty easy. But Gen Z doesn’t just want sustainability slogans. They want agency. My daughter is a Gen Z and she can repair jeans with a sewing machine, she can crochet a hat and halter top and she make a bag. Learning how to patch denim, reinforce seams, and turn damage into design gives young people something rare: control over consumption.

“Every year, millions of wearable garments end up in landfills, many taking centuries to decompose. By teaching repair, customization, and sustainable care, the Wear Longer Project interrupts that cycle,” said Alexis Bechtol, director of Community Affairs at Levi Strauss & Co.

Created with Discovery Education, the Levi’s Wear Longer Project brings clothing repair back into the classroom — not as a hobby, but as a core life skill. Through free lesson plans, teacher toolkits, and hands-on workshops, students learn how to sew, hem, patch, and redesign their clothes. The materials are built to fit directly into existing high-school programs for grades nine to twelve, making repair part of everyday learning rather than an after-school afterthought.

New research commissioned by Levi’s found that 41% of Gen Z lack any clothing repair or customization skills — from altering a hem to sewing a custom patch —  compared to less than 25% of older generations who often learned these skills at home or in school. However, 35% of Gen Z say they would keep their clothing for longer if they knew how to alter or repair them. 

​

Gen Z may lead the way in thrifting, swapping, and upcycling, but nearly half of those surveyed admitted they don’t know how to fix their clothes. Without repair skills, even the most circular fashion habits eventually collapse back into waste. The company argues that sustainability only works when durability is personal. Knowing how to extend the life of a garment is what turns environmental intention into real impact. Without that knowledge, circular fashion remains a theory instead of a practice.

In other words: you can love second-hand clothes all you want — but if you can’t repair them, they still end up in the bin.

The Levi’s Wear Longer Project is supported by a practical set of classroom-ready repair guides that make sustainability tangible, not theoretical. Students learn how to sew on buttons, hem clothing, patch holes, and fix tears through step-by-step facilitator and student guides designed for hands-on learning. Teachers can find the guides here –– with a version for students and one for teachers.

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After a sold-out London debut in 2024, the acclaimed immersive audio experience “in the dark” returns to the capital in January 2026, with performances scheduled for January 22, 23, 29 and 30 at St Andrew’s Church in Holborn.

The 60-minute performance places 30 musicians around the audience in complete darkness. Audience members wear sleep masks while the musicians perform fully live and acoustically, without amplification, speakers, or a conductor. Sound moves around the space in a choreographed 360-degree journey, allowing listeners to experience music purely through hearing.

A similar concept in dining exists in the Jaffa Port, where diners eat in a blacked out dining hall. There are no masks to wear and servers are already blind. You need to have faith and trust in the people around you.

The concept of listening in the dark, first developed in Cambridge in 2017, has grown into an international phenomenon. Its London season in 2024 received the Offies Assessors Choice award and strong critical and audience response. Since its launch, in the dark has staged more than 60 performances for over 8,000 people in venues across the UK.

Musicians are drawn from leading institutions including the Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and West End productions. Each performance is shaped by the natural acoustics of the venue, making every show distinct.

Founder Andrea Cockerton describes the philosophy behind the project: “In a world obsessed with being seen, we’re asking people to disappear for an hour. in the dark is a quiet, sound rebellion. No phones, no spectacle, no distractions… just the rare chance to actually feel music again.”

Related: Supper trains and no-pants day train in London

Cockerton, an award-winning arts entrepreneur, is known for her ethical approach to the arts and has received recognition including the NESTA / Observer New Radicals award and the SheSaidSo Alternative Music Power 100 honour.

While not positioned as a wellness event, in the dark mirrors the way nature restores attention and awareness: by removing visual dominance, the experience encourages deep listening, stillness, and presence — the same mental state many people seek in forests, deserts, or by the sea.

The absence of spectacle becomes the point. Each seat offers a different sound perspective. Each listener becomes an active participant in shaping their own experience.

Often described as the “Cirque du Soleil of the senses,” in the dark is now planning future performances across the UK, Europe, Australia and North America.

Tickets for the January performances at St Andrew’s Church, Holborn are now on sale.

::In The Dark

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Brigitte Bardot, who died today at the age of 91, will be remembered not only as one of the most recognizable film stars of the 20th century, but the chain-smoking French actress was also a tireless advocate for animals. Long after she stepped away from cinema, Bardot devoted her life, resources, and public voice to protecting animals—especially pets and vulnerable wildlife—at a time when few public figures were willing to do so.

Bardot retired from acting in 1973, at the height of her fame, and redirected her energy toward animal welfare. In 1986, she founded the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which became the central vehicle for her work. The foundation focused on preventing cruelty to animals, supporting shelters, rescuing abused pets, and campaigning against practices that caused unnecessary suffering.

Much of Bardot’s activism centered on companion animals. She was a vegetarian and repeatedly spoke out against the abandonment and mistreatment of dogs and cats, supported spay-and-neuter programs, and funded shelters across France and abroad.

Related: Turkey kills millions of dogs

At a time when pet welfare was often treated as a private issue rather than a social responsibility, Bardot helped push it into the public conversation.

Her celebrity played a crucial role. Bardot used her global recognition to draw attention to issues that were easy to ignore, giving animal protection visibility it had rarely enjoyed before. Media coverage of her campaigns brought animal welfare into living rooms around the world, influencing public attitudes and helping normalize the idea that animals deserve care, protection, and dignity.

While Bardot was not an environmentalist in the modern sense, her work helped shape the ethical foundation on which today’s environmental and sustainability movements stand. Caring for animals—especially pets—created an emotional bridge between people and the natural world, reinforcing the idea that human responsibility extends beyond ourselves.

Related: She rescues animals from Bethlehem and Ramallah

For millions, Brigitte Bardot’s most enduring legacy may not be on film, but in the lives of animals who were seen, protected, and cared for because she refused to look away.

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