It’s artists who not only can craft a good story, but also we can tell the story that’s the hardest to tell and that is the story about the impacts of climate solutions. So it’s really not too hard to talk about the impacts of climate change, and I see people when they speak. They go through the laundry list of all the horrors that are upon us and they don’t realize it, but they’re actually closing people’s minds, closing people down because they’re getting overwhelmed. It’s not that we shouldn’t talk about the impacts, but it’s so helpful to talk about a single impact, maybe how it affects people locally, but then talk about how the world will be different when we enact these changes. And how do you tell a story that gets to that? Because that gets people engaged and excited because you’re then telling this story about what we’re fighting for, not what we’re fighting against. And that is where the energy is in a story.

peterson toscano, conscient podcast, april 13, 2021, south africa

Peterson Toscano describes himself as a quirky queer quaker performance artist and scholar. I know him as an excellent communicator about art and climate change through his https://citizensclimatelobby.org/category/citizens-climate-radio/ podcasts (including the insightful ArtHousesegment – keep an ear out for an episode featuring me during summer of 2021), which I listen to regularly. His work humorously explores a wide range of serious topics including LGBTQ+ issues, sexism, racism, privilege, gender, and climate change. Peterson is also a recognized scholar who has highlighted gender variance in the Bible among others. Interesting, Peterson does not consider himself to be an environmentalist, rather he states that is concerned about climate change as a human rights issue. I think he’s a gifted communicator who has a lot to say. 

As I am doing with all episodes in season 2, I integrated excerpts from e19 reality into this episode as interludes.

I would like to thank Peterson for his deep commitment to intelligent and sensitive art and climate change advocacy, his wicked sense of humour and generosity of spirit.  

For more information on Peterson’s work, see https://petersontoscano.com/ and YouTube videos 

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(traduction)

Ce sont les artistes qui peuvent non seulement élaborer une bonne histoire, mais aussi raconter l’histoire la plus difficile à raconter, à savoir l’histoire des impacts des solutions climatiques. Il n’est donc pas très difficile de parler des impacts du changement climatique, et je vois des gens qui, lorsqu’ils prennent la parole, dressent la liste de toutes les horreurs qui nous attendent, sans s’en rendre compte, mais ils ferment en fait l’esprit des gens, ils les rejettent parce qu’ils sont dépassés. Et ce n’est pas que nous ne devrions pas parler des impacts, mais il est tellement utile de parler d’un seul impact, peut-être de la façon dont il affecte les gens localement, mais ensuite de parler de la façon dont le monde sera différent lorsque nous mettrons en œuvre ces changements. Et comment raconter une histoire qui va dans ce sens ? Parce que cela suscite l’engagement et l’enthousiasme des gens, car vous racontez alors cette histoire sur ce pour quoi nous nous battons, et non sur ce contre quoi nous nous battons. Et c’est là que se trouve l’énergie dans une histoire.

peterson toscano, balado conscient, 13 avril 2021, afrique du sud

Peterson Toscano se décrit comme un artiste de performance et un universitaire quaker excentrique. Je le connais comme un excellent communicateur sur l’art et le changement climatique grace à ses balados sur https://citizensclimatelobby.org/category/citizens-climate-radio/  (dont le segment ArtHouse, très perspicace – restez à l’affût d’un épisode dans lequel je serai présent durant l’été 2021), que j’écoute régulièrement. Son travail explore avec humour un large éventail de sujets sérieux, notamment les questions LGBTQ+, le sexisme, le racisme, les privilèges, le genre et le changement climatique. Peterson est également un érudit reconnu qui a mis en évidence la variance du genre dans la Bible, entre autres. Il est intéressant de noter que Peterson ne se considère pas comme un environnementaliste, mais qu’il se dit plutôt préoccupé par le changement climatique en tant que question de droits de l’homme. Je pense que c’est un communicateur doué qui a beaucoup à dire. 

Comme je le fais pour tous les épisodes de la saison 2, j’ai intégré des extraits de e19 reality dans cet épisode comme interludes.

Je tiens à remercier Peterson pour son engagement profond en faveur d’un art intelligent et sensible et de la défense du changement climatique, pour son sens de l’humour piquant et pour sa générosité d’esprit.  

Pour plus d’informations sur le travail de Peterson, voir https://petersontoscano.com/ et les vidéos YouTube

The post e33 toscano appeared first on conscient podcast / balado conscient. conscient is a bilingual blog and podcast (French or English) by audio artist Claude Schryer that explores how arts and culture contribute to environmental awareness and action.

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About the Concient Podcast from Claude Schryer

The conscient podcast / balado conscient is a series of conversations about art, conscience and the ecological crisis. This podcast is bilingual (in either English or French). The language of the guest determines the language of the podcast. Episode notes are translated but not individual interviews.

I started the conscient project in 2020 as a personal learning journey and knowledge sharing exercise. It has been rewarding, and sometimes surprising.

The term ‘conscient’ is defined as ‘being aware of one’s surroundings, thoughts and motivations’. My touchstone for the podcast is episode 1, e01 terrified, based on an essay I wrote in May 2019, where I share my anxiety about the climate crisis and my belief that arts and culture can play a critical role in raising public awareness about environmental issues. The conscient podcast / balado conscient follows up on my http://simplesoundscapes.ca (2016–2019) project: 175, 3-minute audio and video field recordings that explore mindful listening.

Season 1 (May to October 2020) explored how the arts contribute to environmental awareness and action. I produced 3 episodes in French and 15 in English. The episodes cover a wide range of content, including activism, impact measurement, gaming, arts funding, cross-sectoral collaborations, social justice, artistic practices, etc. Episodes 8 to 17 were recorded while I was at the Creative Climate Leadership USA course in Arizona in March 2020 (led by Julie’s Bicycle). Episode 18 is a compilation of highlights from these conversations.

Season 2 (March 2021 – ) explores the concept of reality and is about accepting reality, working through ecological grief and charting a path forward. The first episode of season 2 (e19 reality) mixes quotations from 28 authors with field recordings from simplesoundscapes and from my 1998 soundscape composition, Au dernier vivant les biens. One of my findings from this episode is that ‘I now see, and more importantly, I now feel in my bones, ‘the state of things as they actually exist’, without social filters or unsustainable stories blocking the way’. e19 reality touches upon 7 topics: our perception of reality, the possibility of human extinction, ecological anxiety and ecological grief, hope, arts, storytelling and the wisdom of indigenous cultures. The rest of season 2 features interviews with thought leaders about their responses and reactions to e19 reality.

my professional services

I’ve been retired from the Canada Council for the Arts since September 15, 2020 where I served as a senior strategic advisor in arts granting (2016-2020) and manager of the Inter-Arts Office (1999-2015). My focus in (quasi) retirement is environmental issues within my area of expertise in arts and culture, in particular in acoustic ecology. I’m open to become involved in projects that align with my values and that move forward environmental concerns. Feel free to email me for a conversation : claude@conscient.ca

acknowledgement of eco-responsibility

I acknowledge that the production of the conscient podcast / balado conscient produces carbon. I try to minimize this carbon footprint by being as efficient as possible, including using GreenGeeks as my web server and acquiring carbon offsets for my equipment and travel activities from BullFrog Power and Less.

a word about privilege and bias

While recording episode 19 ‘reality’, I heard elements of ‘privilege’ in my voice that I had not noticed before. It sounded a bit like ‘ecological mansplaining’. I realize that, in spite of good intentions, I need to work my way through issues of privilege (of all kinds) and unconscious bias the way I did through ecological anxiety and grief during the fall of 2020. My re-education is ongoing.

Go to conscient.ca

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