Cathy Fitzgerald

Performing arts conference in Canada: ‘Staging Sustainability’

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An international three-day conference on ‘Staging Sustainability: People, Planet, Profit, Performance’ will be the largest gathering of innovative sustainability practitioners in the world to focus on ways in which performance can positively affect our planet.

staging-sustainability2014

The conference ‘Staging Sustainability 2014’ will introduce the attendees to ground breakers working across Canada, on Broadway, in London, in community gardens — as well as all points in-between — to remake the way we work in the performing arts.

“Performance has always been about how the work affects people. Now we are ready to look at how our performances can affect a sustainable world.”

On 2-5 February 2014 the conference will be hosted at three downtown Toronto venues — MaRS Discovery District, 99 Sudbury, and The Theatre Centre — and will also be streamed to satellite locations across Canada. Live performances illuminating sustainability will be staged throughout the conference and into the weekend.

Performing arts professionals — producers, performers, technicians, funders, decision makers, and anyone interested in how the performing arts can support sustainability efforts — are invited to attend.

Session topics
• How does an artist talk about environmental issues through performance?
• What are approaches to Sustainability in the Arts? Makers, Presenters, Contexts.
• What part do designers play in bringing sustainable practice into performance?
• How are facilities integrating sustainable practices into their operations?
… and more.

Organisers
‘Staging Sustainability 2014’ is presented by ArtsBuild Ontario and the Centre for Sustainable Staging at York University in partnership with Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT),Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology, Cape Farewell Foundation, Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, and MaRS Discovery District.

Centre for Sustainable Staging
The Centre for Sustainable Staging at York University brings together learning, applied research, and industry partners at the forefront of sustainability in performance and exhibition.

» Conference home page: stagingsustainability.ca

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Philippines: Traffic culture and climate issues highlighted with GPS-painting

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‘CAR-Manila – clean air ride’ to be held in Manila, the Philippines, on 29 November 2013. A ‘virtual painting performance’ that combines art and technology, virtual reality and real life, environment and community.

Manila_AIR-map

On 29 November, as a way to shed new light on climate and clean air issues through the combination of art and technology, electric cars, bikes and various other green vehicles painted the three letters of the word AIR as they moved with their GPS-phones on a specified route through the streets of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

Manila_AIR-vehicles

 

The Virtual Painting Performance in the streets of Manila was organised by Clean Air Asia, Partnership for Clean Air, CO2 Green Drive and Electric Vehicles Association of the Philippines (eVAP).

The 29 November 2013 version in Manila is the first version of a new collaboration between CO2 Green Drive and Clean Air Asia which will act as a sort of ‘blueprint’ for following events to occur in 2014 and 2015.

“The Clean Air Drive Manila project promotes the use of non-motorized transportation options and alternative fuels to reduce emissions from vehicles. It provides an opportunity to present the concept of electric vehicles and alternative fuels in a public discussion forum,” wrote Clean Air Asia on their home page.

The Philippines are currently building an electric vehicle industry using a US$ 300 million ADB loan, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by 260,000 tons and doubling incomes for tricycle drivers.

CO2 Green Drive, a project under the umbrella of the Danish Cultural Institute in collaboration with Clean Air Asia, is currently in the process of planning six similar events in various Asian countries in the near future.

On Earth Day, 22 April 2014, the CO2 Green Drive Project becomes a global event with ‘Green Drives’ as well as runs and walks in numerous cities around the globe.

The completion of the route is tracked with the GPS tracking application and the ensuing painting can be visually traced live on a designated website.

» Read more: cleanairinitiative.org

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Canada: Sold-out theatre production on climate change

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In Canada, the theatre production ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’ became a sold out event which intrigued an audience of all ages. To the Canadian scientist, broadcaster and author David Suzuki, it provided a way to discuss the threat of human-induced climate change without first having to “prove” it is happening.

suzuki-trial_vote

Dr David Suzuki has won numerous awards and is world-famous for being an advocate for both humanity and the environment. On 6 November 2013, he staged an unusual and dramatic theatre production in Toronto: ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’ – a mock trial, held at the Royal Ontario Museum. He stood accused of seditious libel – spreading lies against the government – and the show was promoted as if it had been a real trial where Suzuki would have to defend his ‘Carbon Manifesto’ which had been published as an nine-minute video on youtube.com a month earlier.

Landslide consensus
Joanna Katchutas wrote in Freshprint Magazine: 
“The Carbon Manifesto, in which he claims that climate change is a matter too urgent to keep delaying significant action, states that we need to work as a nation to end the exploration and production of oil by 2035 and begin to change the way we live now as the future of our youth and their children depend on it.

Created and produced by Laurie Brown – an advocate for the arts and a Canadian radio personality – ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’ argued and gathered public opinion on whether or not Dr. Suzuki’s Manifesto is a plan that will save the world or destroy the Canadian economy as we know it.

The cast of the trial included actual lawyers (Linda Rothstein and Will McDowell), a judge, a jury, government of Canada Officials, artists and scientists, expert witnesses (business professor Michael Hlinka and Environmental Minister of Ontario Gord Miller) and of course, Dr. David Suzuki himself with Laurie Brown acting as the bailiff.

At the end of the performance the audience was encouraged to share their opinions by voting on whether or not they felt that Dr. Suzuki was guilty or innocent of sedition. The consensus of the trial was in favour of Dr. Suzuki by a landslide.”

Provided a way to discuss the threat
The day after the event, David Suzuki explained on the theatre production’s home pagetrialofsuzuki.ca:
“The mock trial provided a way to discuss the threat of human-induced climate change without first having to “prove” it is happening. The latest IPCC report provided the scientific heft and sense of urgency. I didn’t know what to expect of the audience’s final decision but was gratified with the result, of course. I hope we can conclude that the audience navigated through the arguments and claims to conclude that these were valid concerns and solutions.

I have to repeat a bit of what I said last night. In 1988, an international meeting of climatologists was held in Toronto where the scientists were so concerned with the threat of global warming that they issued a call for a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases in 15 years. Had we heeded that call which at that time was very achievable, we would have been well on our way to a path of sustainable energy. But in order to get U.S. President George HW Bush to attend the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, a much watered down target of stabilization of 1990 levels of emission by 2000 was signed, but then ignored.

In 1997, in Kyoto, delegates proposed a target of 5–6% reduction below 1990 levels by 2010. Canada ratified the Kyoto treaty in 2001 but did little to achieve the reduction and the current government withdrew from the treaty altogether as our emissions continued to rise. Unlike the prosecutor’s claims last night, there are countries that are taking strong steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon manifesto was based on the need to move to non-carbon energy much faster.

That’s why the mock trial was so timely. The warming is already upon us yet we still have time to hold off chaos and any further delay simply leaves an unprecedented future for our children and grandchildren. Thanks everyone who participated in what I hope will be a continuing call for action. Please click to take my Manifesto Pledge and then share it widely with your family and friends.”
David Suzuki

thetrialofdavidsuzukifacebo

Video trailer for ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’.

The Trial of David Suzuki: Act 1.

On 9 October 2013, David Suzuki unveiled his ‘Carbon Manifesto’ on the steps of Toronto’s Courthouse.

» Home page: trialofsuzuki.ca

» Facebook page: facebook.com/trialofsuzuki

Media coverage

Freshprint Magazine – 11 November 2013:
The Trial of David Suzuki
Review by Joanna Katchutas: “I wonder where I’ll be “when I’m sixty four” (got the Beatles lyrics going through my head). The Carbon Manifesto affects us, the youth of our nation.  I suppose many others at the Trial agreed with me – I took the Manifesto Pledge and I think for the sake of our future (since we are the future), we all should.”

The Star - 10 November 2013:
David Suzuki shows the ROM how we’ll die: Mallick
Review by Heather Mallick: “In a new play, David Suzuki again shows us the price we’ll all pay if we don’t act now on climate change.”

Financial Post – 7 November 2013:
‘Trial of David Suzuki’ a mockery of a mock trial
Review by Peter Foster: “The real lesson of this mockery of a mock trial was what it said about the objectivity and openness of Suzuki nation”

Fossil Fuel Free Future – 27 October 2013:
Carbon Manifesto
In from Canada comes this scientist and environmentalist with a ‘Carbon Manifesto’ and the kind of speech on youtube which makes him stand out as one of that kind of climate crisis leaders humanity as a whole has been missing in this last decade where politicians have allowed carbon emissions to escalate to this point where they threaten to destroy the planet as we know it.

David Suzuki’s Carbon Manifesto
Published on youtube.com on 10 October 2013

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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What does culture have to do with climate change? Everything

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Introduction to ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ by Claire Sykes, Curator and Programming Director, Cape Farewell Foundation

carbon14_climate-is-culture

The scientific evidence tells us that the global climate system is changing at an unprecedented rate and in increasingly destructive, self-accelerating ways. But this alarming information alone can be bewildering without narratives and expressions that connect it to our lives and our communities, to our fears and our aspirations. Creating those connections is the work of culture.

A cultural response to the problem of climate change harnesses the powers of creative insight, human emotions, and understanding to effect change. Collaborating with scientists and confronting the facts around global climate change, the artists participating in Carbon 14: Climate is Culture are all responding to different aspects of this climate challenge in poignant, nuanced, subversive, often humorous, and always passionately human ways.

“We need to embrace change and unleash the power of our creativity, ingenuity, innovation, and ability to cooperate — in short, to demonstrate our humanity.”
Claire Sykes

carbon14-exhibitionroom

The exhibition features 13 art installations, including seven new commissions. Subjects include explorations of a changing Arctic; the health of the oceans; biodiversity and extinction; sustainability and new, clean technologies. Central are questions of politics, economics, and ethics.

Climate change is a difficult subject, open to misrepresentation, denial and confusion, yet it cannot be ignored. Nor can we talk about it in isolation as a purely scientific matter. While climate change presents as an environmental problem, it is — as this exhibition insists — fundamentally a cultural one.

Meaningful change must happen first at the level of culture — how we choose to live, and what we choose to do. The questions raised by the climate crisis are about innovation, economics, politics, and essentially, ethics—our responsibility to future generations and the common good—and these are all questions of culture.

carbon14-inuit

A Cultural Shift
What we do now matters on a scale that previous generations could never imagine and will affect future generations in ways we are only beginning to understand. Mitigating climate change will require both the development and delivery of clean and renewable energy sources, and changes in our behaviours and patterns of consumption to reduce our dependence upon fossil fuels.

We need to embrace change and unleash the power of our creativity, ingenuity, innovation, and ability to cooperate — in short, to demonstrate our humanity. We have a unique opportunity to make all the difference. The time is now and together we can.

Claire Sykes
capefarewellfoundation.com

carbon14-evaholtby

The above text was republished from capefarewellfoundation.com with permission from the author.

More information about ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’

‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ was produced by Cape Farewell Foundation in partnership with ROM: Contemporary Culture. It is the inaugural programming coming out of the North American office of Cape Farewell – the Cape Farewell Foundation – which is based in Toronto.

Carbon 14 is a two-year project that began with an intensive workshop on the shores of Lake Ontario in the fall of 2011 and continues with a wide range of programming activities, culminating in this exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Centre for Contemporary Culture, a performing arts festival with The Theatre Centre (Toronto), and a rich series of public programs and events.

» ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ media coverage:
capefarewellfoundation.com/carbon14/press

» ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ website: capefarewellfoundation.com/carbon14
» North America: capefarewellfoundation.com
» UK: capefarewell.com

Culture|Futures article – October 2013:
Canada: ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ exhibition

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Thailand: Conference on climate change and cultural heritage

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Thailand: Conference on climate change and cultural heritage

The International Conference on Cultural Heritage and Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Thailand on 18-20 November 2013 addressed the issues of climate change and the threat it poses to cultural heritage.

int-conf-thailand

“While it is acknowledged that climate change is a major issue that impacts negatively on the environment and has subsequent consequences in relation to increased flooding, drought, rising temperatures, energy supplies, food supplies, social structures including migration, lack of resources leading to increased conflict, poverty, and other social ills; rarely is the impact of climate change on cultural heritage – both tangible and intangible – addressed. This conference aims to make explicit the link between climate change and the threat it poses to cultural heritage and to highlight the importance of adopting disaster risk reduction strategies.”

International Conference on Cultural Heritage and Disaster Risk Reduction
Venue: Windsor Suites Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Date: November 18, 2013 – November 20, 2013
Website: seameo-spafa.org

Read more:
asemus.museum

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Australian seminar: ‘Galleries, museums and climate change’

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Australian seminar: ‘Galleries, museums and climate change’

The title ‘Galleries, Museums & Climate Change’ pretty well indicates the agenda for what the participants of a one-day seminar held at the University of Queensland Art Museum in Australia discussed and shared knowledge about on 13 November 2013: a cocktail of energy efficiency, sustainability, climate change – and culture.

seminar-in-queensland20131

“The seminar looks at new approaches to environmental collection management protocols, lighting and sustainability. It also looks at ways in which our sector can educate and engage our audiences in issues of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency,” explained Executive Director of Museum & Gallery Services Queensland, Rebekah Butler.

Museum & Gallery Services Queensland – the peak professional body for the public museum and gallery sector in the Australian state Queensland – has organised the seminar in partnership with the University of Queensland Art Museum and the UQ Museum Studies.

Judith Nesbitt from Tate in United Kingdom led the discussion, speaking on the innovative work of this international cultural institution to reduce its carbon emissions and embed environmental sustainability across all areas of the organisation’s policy and practice. This includes building and exhibition design, through to the Tate’s catering and retail outlets.

Environmental sustainability at Tate

Judith Nesbitt is Head of National and International Partnerships at Tate in United Kingdom, and she leads Tate’s Sustainability Task Force with the aim of reducing the organisation’s carbon emissions and embedding environmental sustainability in policy and practice.

At the seminar, Judith Nesbitt gave a keynote speech on Environmental Sustainability at the Tate, and in the publicity material for the seminar, she gave a description of Tate’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact. She writes:

“For over five years, Tate has made a concerted effort to reduce its environmental impact and worked with colleagues in the museum sector to address the challenges specific to the sector.”

“This initiative has brought changes to how it cares for, presents and transports its collection, the operations across its varied estate, the design and engineering of its new buildings. Some of these changes are incremental; other changes require a greater shift, whether in practice or attitude. Staff, audiences, and artists all have a part to play in how we develop imaginative solutions to the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Like many galleries, Tate has achieved reductions in the energy demand of heating and cooling its buildings, and taken the opportunity presented by capital projects, such as expansion of Tate Modern, to achieve energy efficient design through passive measures, maximising natural lighting and developing the use of LEDs.

All aspects of gallery practice are systematically examined, from re-usable wall systems for exhibitions, waste to heat contracts, to sustainable catering and trading. Aiming to embed sustainable practices across the organisation, Tate’s environmental strategy is championed by Green Reps, overseen by the Sustainability Task Force, regularly assessed by Trustees and detailed in its annual report.

The effort is not just an organisational one, since many of the most far-reaching changes require sector-wide agreement between lending institutions. Many international colleagues have indicated their readiness to adopt a smarter approach to running galleries and museums in the long-term public interest. Sharing experience and data is the first step towards well-founded changes of practice, which is why this seminar is a welcome opportunity.”

Source: magsq.com.au

No international agreement on parameters

How to reduce energy consumption without compromising the preservation of collections is an important and unresolved question with no consensus among museums which aim to manage the environmental parameters in the face of climate change.

“Relaxed environmental conditions for museums to reduce energy consumption, whilst not compromising the preservation of collections, have been on the table for consideration by the conservation community for at least the last five years. It is acknowledged that existing parameters are based on a blanket approach, and are unnecessarily tight for all but the most vulnerable of artworks.

Major museums and galleries worldwide are recognising this and implementing relaxed parameters, such as the Tate, the Smithsonian and the V&A.

Two years ago it looked as though international agreement was close. However a significant proportion of the conservation profession are not convinced that the risks in relaxing these parameters can be safely managed. Accordingly consensus amongst conservators internationally is not going to be achieved and therefore there will be no new blanket environmental standards.”

Curating Cities

Public art and sustainability in urban environments
Dr Laura Fisher from the National Institute for Experimental Arts spoke on the Linkage project Curating Cities. Led by researchers at the National Institute for Experimental Arts (COFA) in partnership with the City of Sydney, Carbon Arts, Object, and the University of Cincinnati, Curating Cities examines how the arts can generate environmentally beneficial behavior change and influence the development of green infrastructure in urban environments.

Over the last year Laura Fisher has been involved in building the Curating Cities database of eco-sustainable public art, which is a resource for researchers, artists, commissioning agencies, government bodies and members of the public who are interested in how public art can generate beneficial social change with respect to environmental sustainability.

“Curating Cities rests on the conviction that public art can very effectively serve the sustainability agenda if it is integrated into the processes of reshaping urban infrastructure and managing the efficient use of resources in cities. This presentation will explain the aspirations that underpin Curating Cities, and discuss several exemplary public art projects that have been documented on the Curating Cities database of eco-sustainable art.

It will also discuss the database’s purpose as an informative and evaluative resource that documents the mix of aesthetic, civic and environmental concerns that each work seeks to address, and provides useful insights into the funding arrangements, multi-party negotiations and problem-solving processes that bring public art projects to fruition.”

curatingcities.org

Contemporary art meets the environment: Artists Janet Laurence and Caroline Rothwell discussed their work on display in the UQ Art Museum. The artists talked about how they make visible the interconnections between nature and culture, and elaborate the devastating impact of human action on the environment.

Emrah Baki Ulas, lighting designer, educator and researcher, Associate at Steensen-Varming and co-author of ‘The Technical Industry Report on Museum and Gallery Lighting and Air Conditioning’ spoke on future options for economically and environmentally sustainable methods of display environments, preservation and storage of art and cultural material.

Showcase: As an environmental sustainable showcase the seminar took the participants on a tour of University of Queensland’s Global Change Institute building.

» Media release about the seminar: MRGalleriesMuseums Climate.pdf

Our Carbon Footprint

In August 2011, M&GSQ held a state conference which had a plenary entitled ‘Our Carbon Footprint’.

Slideshows and videos of presentations from this plenary session, such as Guy Abrahams’ CLIMARTE presentation ‘Climate Change, Sustainability and the Arts’ (video | powerpoint-document) are available online.
» Learn more on magsq.com.au

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Australia: Climate change shapes new art

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“Concerns around climate change are shaping new Australian art,” writes Andrew Frost in the British paper The Guardian in a review of an Australian exhibition by Shoufay Derz. Here is description of three different climate change-related exhibitions that were on display in Australia.

ShoufayDerz1

‘Black Lake_2012’ by Shoufay Derz – pigment print on cotton paper. 107 x 100 cm

The “pervasive sense of doom has in part prompted a revival in contemporary art of the core themes of western art: the landscape, nature and human survival. A show by Sydney artist Shoufay Derz at Artereal gallery combines classical symbols of nature’s power such as the mountain peak and endless sky, with a minimalist aesthetic drawn from Buddhism and contemporary art,” Andrew Frost wrote.

Shoufay Derz is a Sydney-based artist of German and Taiwanese heritage “who sets out to conjure the ineffable. To portray that experience, emotion or phenomenon that is understood but not necessarily present; that state, that enigma, which resides at just beneath the threshold of perception or beyond vision,” explains a text in the exhibition catalogue.

The exhibition by Shoufay Derz ran in Sydney, Australia, until 13 November 2013.

» Gallery home page: artereal.com.au

» Open or download Catalogue (PDF)

» Shoufay Derz’s home page: shoufay.com

The Guardian – 7 November 2013:
Concerns around climate change are shaping new Australian art
Artists are once more looking to landscape, nature and human survival, as Shoufay Derz’s new exhibition in Sydney shows. Article by Andrew Frost

ShoufayDerz2-theguardian

JoshWodak_exhib

shape Things To come

Josh Wodak’s latest exhibition is an installation that physically maps where future sea shores would be in Newcastle according to different climate trajectories produced through engineering the world’s climate through bioengineering and geoengineering.

Dr Josh Wodak is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher whose participatory projects and interactive installations explore ecological sustainability and climate change. Formally trained in Visual Anthropology (University of Sydney) and Interdisciplinary Cross-Cultural Research (Australian National University), his work has been presented as performances, screenings, installations and exhibitions in art galleries, museums, theatres, performative spaces, cinemas, and festivals across Australia.

Josh Wodak writes on his website, www.arch-angle.net:

“Models of climate change trajectories show the shape of things to come for the biosphere and its inhabitants this century. Scientific organisations worldwide overwhelmingly maintain that the window to avoid runaway catastrophic climate change is closing fast: being one decade… at most. In turn, highly reputed climate scientists and scientific organisations are now proposing radical ways to engineer the world’s climate through bioengineering and geoengineering.

‘shape Things To come’ explores this reversal of agency: from being shaped by things to come, to how humans may shape things to come through climate engineering interventions designed to separate existing lifeforms from six degrees of catastrophe.”

‘shape Things To come’ runs at The Lock-Up Culture Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia from 22 November 2013 at 5.30pm to 8 December 2013.

claudia-terstappen_exhib

In the shadow of change

On 9 November 2013, Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne opened ‘In the shadow of change’ – Claudia Terstappen’s exhibition of large scale landscape photographs and places undergoing significant change. Revealing places of spiritual resonance, the artist’s photographs can also be seen in a new book by the same title.

The exhibition was opened by Bob Brown, former leader of Australian Greens party.

‘In the shadow of change’ runs to 26 January 2014 at the Monash Gallery of Art, mga.org.au

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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UK: Certificate improves arts institutions’ environmental performance

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“Understand, commit and improve.” That is what is requred from the increasing amount of British arts organisations and institutions which undertake the so-called ‘Industry Green’ certification.

industry-green

The Industry Green certification was developed for the music, theatre and the wider creative industries to recognise commitment and achievement in managing and reducing carbon. It was developed by Julie’s Bicycle, a not-for-profit organisation working with the arts and creative industries to cut carbon emissions and make environmental sustainability a core component of their work. Established in 2007 by the music industry, Julie’s Bicycle has since extended its remit to the performing arts, visual arts and fashion.

With an audit report of the organisation’s environmental performance – covering energy, waste, water and travel – the Industry Green certification process is providing ever more organisations in the UK with the evidence to shout about their environmental successes. A certification of one, two or tree stars show staff, suppliers, artists and audiences that here is an organisation which is committed to going green.

Three stars to three organisations
In 2013, the outstanding three stars have been awarded to the opera institution Glyndebourne and the theatre production company Lyric Hammersmith both for the second year in a row – and they have been joined for the first time by Battersea Arts Centre.

Lyric Hammersmith is committed to becoming more environmentally friendly by reducing our carbon emissions by 10 percent each year

Nine British arts companies were successfully awarded the two star rating: Live Theatre, Northern Stage, The Sage Gateshead, Tyneside Cinema, Seven Stories, Greenwich Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Soho Theatre, Young Vic.

And a one star certification goes to twelve organisations across the UK: Centre for Life, Dance City, Theatre Royal, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, Glasgow Film Theatre, Almedia, Bush Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Royal Court, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Tricycle, Norwich Theatre Royal.

The Industry Green certification is compatible with, and complimentary to other environmental certification schemes including BS8901, ISO20121, ISO14001 and the Carbon Trust Standard.

“UNDERSTAND your environmental impactsPREPARE for compliancyREDUCE carbon emissions SAVE money SHARE the story BUILD your brand JOIN a community of companies working together to green the industry”

» See who is currently certified

» Download the Industry Green brochure (PDF) for more information.

» More info: juliesbicycle.com/industry-green

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Canada: ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ exhibition

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ROM_exhibition

Collision of science and art. On 19 October 2013, Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, one of the largest museums in North America, opened ‘Carbon 14’ — an art exhibition and four-month programme of theatre plays, talks and seminars about climate change.

Collaborating with scientists and cultural informers in confronting the facts of global climate change, the artists participating in the ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ exhibition respond to various aspects of the climate challenge in poignant, nuanced, subversive, often humorous, and always passionately human ways.

Subjects include explorations of a changing Arctic, the health of oceans, biodiversity and extinction, sustainability and new, clean technologies; and central questions of politics, economics, and ethics.

Imaginative, experimental and eclectic in its approach, ROM Contemporary Culture explores new ideas and new technologies to raise provocative questions about the natural world, living cultures and the creative mind. This season ROM Contemporary Culture explores the issue of environment and climate change asking: how does landscape change a culture and how does culture change a landscape?

Curated by David Buckland and Claire Sykes, and produced by Cape Farewell in partnership withROM Contemporary Culture, ‘Carbon 14: Climate is Culture’ explores the growing global issue of climate change through the eyes of scientists, artists and cultural informers.

Art and science come together like never before in this engaging and provocative exhibition, two years in the making. The exhibition features 13 art installations.

» Experience the collision of science and art with the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada.

 

Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Festival

October 2013 – February 2014

In addition to the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition, Cape Farewell have developed a rich series of public programs, satellite projects and events that are set to unfold throughout the four-month exhibition run.

‘Climate is Culture’ will be four months of cultural engagement visioning the challenge and the possible future, a unique and powerful narrative engagement with what is one of the most pressing issues of our time, climate change.

Highlights include:

• A performance series produced in partnership with Toronto’s The Theatre Centre, featuring the world premiere of Sea Sick – performed by Alanna Mitchell and adapted from her award-winning book; the Canadian premier of Cynthia Hopkins‘ multi-media musical performance piece This Clement World; and special musical performances. The series runs January 26 – February 9, 2014 at The Theatre Centre, Toronto.

• The Trial of David Suzuki – a powerful live theatre and public engagement project conceived and produced by Laurie Brown, in partnership with Donnelly Law. The Trial of David Suzuki will be held on November 6, 2013 at the Royal Ontario Museum. (More information below)

• Public screen-based art projects in partnership with Pattison Onestop, as part of their Art in Transit program, set to unfold on the Toronto Transit System (TTC) subway platform screens, on the Pattison Onestop network of shopping centre screens nation-wide, and on various digital billboards in the city. The first installment of art work in November 2012, featured Ship of Fools: Artist and Climate Change, with work by James Balog, Heather O’Neill, and Shad.

• Public lectures, talks and discussions, including the Carbon 14 Dialogues on topics ranging from the changing Arctic landscape, to the theme “climate is culture” developed in partnership with ROM and the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program.

• Satellite exhibition and related programming focused on water at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener, Ontario, featuring work by Eamon Mac Mahon in conjunction with Surface Tension: The Future of Water. This exhibition runs September 20, 2013 through January 5, 2014.

» Download your copy of the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Festival and Exhibition Guide. (PDF)

 

Theatre: ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’

Suzuki stands accused!
Imagine a time when we might find our most trusted and respected scientists tried in a court of law for speaking out against environmental practices. We’re not there yet, but the “Trial” does take the views about climate change of one well-known and controversial scientist, and give his supporters, and those that disagree with him, equal time to challenge each others ideas about our changing environment and how the way we live impacts it.

‘The Trial of David Suzuki’ — a powerful live theatre and public engagement project conceived and produced by Laurie Brown, is presented by Cape Farewell in partnership with Donnelly Law and ROM Contemporary Culture as part of the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition.

» Click here to book tickets or for more information on ‘The Trial of David Suzuki’.

Related articles

CultureFutures – 27 August 2013:
Art about climate change: a new trend

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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Conference about efficient, liveable and sustainable cities

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Today cities consume an estimated 75 percent of the world’s energy, and emit more than 80 percent of greenhouse gases. By the year 2050 approximately 75 percent of the world’s population are expected to be residing in megacities. With an estimated increase of the global population to nine billion, the future cities of the world face great challenges.

future-cities-konf2013

This is the focus of a ‘Future Cities’ conference to be held at the Danish parliament in Copenhagen on 7 November 2013 at 12am–5pm. The conference will cover topics such as the green cities of Europe, the intelligent energy-grid and megacities future use of big data as smart cities.

One of the speakers is Claus Bjørn Billehøj who works for the City of Copenhagen to insure sustainable, green growth and realise Copenhagen’s ambition of becoming the world’s first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

The conference is free and open, but registration is mandatory due to security requirements. It is organised by The International Committee of Radikale Venstre.

» More information: futurecities2013.dk

Culture|Futures is an international collaboration of organizations and individuals who are concerned with shaping and delivering a proactive cultural agenda to support the necessary transition towards an Ecological Age by 2050.

The Cultural sector that we refer to is an interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, inter-genre collaboration, which encompasses policy-making, intercultural dialogue/cultural relations, creative cities/cultural planning, creative industries and research and development. It is those decision-makers and practitioners who can reach people in a direct way, through diverse messages and mediums.

Affecting the thinking and behaviour of people and communities is about the dissemination of stories which will profoundly impact cultural values, beliefs and thereby actions. The stories can open people’s eyes to a way of thinking that has not been considered before, challenge a preconceived notion of the past, or a vision of the future that had not been envisioned as possible. As a sector which is viewed as imbued with creativity and cultural values, rather than purely financial motivations, the cultural sector’s stories maintain the trust of people and society.
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