Conferences

Designing a Sustainable Theatre Ecology with Ben Twist and Harry Giles at WSD2013

Sustainability-Harry-GileswebMon 9 Sept 16.30 – 18.00

The Willow Theatre

We’re learning how to design shows, stages and buildings for sustainability – but what about our networks? How can we design festivals, conferences, action groups, federations – all of art’s ecosystems – for social change and sustainability? We’ll discuss what it might take to change a community, a sector and a world – and how art’s unique power to infect and inspire can and must be a vital driver of change.

Price: £6

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Key contributors

Ben Twist - http://www.creativecarbonscotland.com

Harry Giles - http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk

Designing a Sustainable Theatre Ecology with Ben Twist and Harry Giles « World Stage Design 2013 World Stage Design 2013.

Environmental Management Approaches in the Theatre – from Life-Cycle-Analysis to Reporting with Dr. Annett Baumast at WSD2013

Mon 9 Sept 14.30 – 16.00

The Willow Theatre

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In this seminar, we will have a closer look behind the scenes of a theatre with a strong focus on an environmental management approach. Life-cycle-analyses are one of the major topics, including background information and practical examples of their application in theatres. Doing (environmentally) good in a theatre is important but it helps (the theatre world) even more to talk about it!

Environmental reporting being the tool of choice, we will scrutinize it for application in a theatre environment.

Open to all.

Price: £6

Key contributors

Dr. Annett Baumast

http://www.kultur-und-nachhaltigkeit.ch

http://twitter.com/kultur_nachhalt

Environmental Management Approaches in the Theatre – from Life-Cycle-Analysis to Reporting with Dr. Annett Baumast « World Stage Design 2013 World Stage Design 2013.

White Light & The Environment with Bryan Raven at WSD2013

Lighting-4001-1Mon 9 Sept 11.30 – 13.00

Simon Gibson studio

White Light is one the UK’s leading lighting suppliers and as such, their customers use a lot of electricity.  This presentation will try and discover what the real impact of stage lighting is and whether the tungsten light bulb should be banned.

The presentation will be followed by a question & answer session with guest panelists to answer some of the questions raised.

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View the White Light Green guide

New Ideas Need Old Buildings: Adaptive Reuse and the Performing Arts at WSD2013

old-bldgs_PBH-lobby1Tues 10 Sept 16.30 – 18.00

The Willow Theatre

The appropriation of old buildings for the arts has produced some of the most inspiring and dynamic spaces for live performance in the world.  From Bochum to Brooklyn, old buildings have proven that they make ideal spaces for theatrical innovation. Adaptive reuse has also been recognized as a key component of sustainable development and green building. In this session, we’ll bring together three of the world’s foremost practitioners in adaptive reuse for live performance for a far-reaching discussion about this complex phenomenon.

Who should attend?

Open to all: especially directors, designers and architects.

Price: £6

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Key contributors

Katie Oman Moderator –Senior Consultant, Arts Consulting Group.

Jean-Guy Lecat - Director, Studio JGLecat.

Andy Hayles – Managing Partner, Charcoalblue

Jean Nicholson – General Manager, Birmingham Opera Company

New Ideas Need Old Buildings: Adaptive Reuse and the Performing Arts « World Stage Design 2013 World Stage Design 2013.

Sustainable Theatre Competition Winner Presentations at WSD2013

Sun 8 Sept 16.30 – 18.00

The Willow Theatre

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The Sustainable Theatre competition winner will showcase their winning designs.

World Stage Design 2013 opened up a unique opportunity to design a temporal alternative sustainable theatre. The competition was open to professionals and emerging practitioners from across all related disciplines and received over 100 entries from 26 countries.

The Willow Theatre, designed by architect Tim Lai and theatre designer Brad Steinmetz, both of Columbus, Ohio, USA was voted as the winning design and has been built for the event.

Ian Evans, WSD2013’s technical director and a senior lecturer at RWCMD, said: “The design brief was a tough one. We asked for a venue that was eco-conscious, could seat up to 150 people, host a variety of events and be self-built, all for an outlay of less than £20,000. Yet the response has been magnificent, many using highly original approaches and suggesting a wide variety of materials, including hay bales, cardboard boxes and packing crates. The entry from Brad and Tim was everyone’s favourite, though, because as well as meeting the technical brief, it is going to look and feel very interesting – an innovative blueprint that can be copied for other settings.”

The building’s strength will come from hired and returnable industrial scaffolding while the decorative fronds and interior walls will be made from UK-produced horticultural fleece, a re-usable material which can also be recycled to make more of the same fabric.

Internal fittings, including the floor and wooden seating will also be re-usable, recyclable and/or reclaimed and the roof will be retractable to take advantage of natural light and ventilation.

Volunteers will build the temporary venue in time for a full programme of events which will see a series of talks, workshops, debates and shows exploring environmental sustainability and the arts.  The programme is titled People, Profit, Planet and you can read about it in full here.

You can follow the build of the theatre with the live webcam here.

 

WHO’S AFRAID? with Rhodri Hugh Thomas in Collaboration With Carolina Vasquez and Chris Young at WSD2013

WA-flyerStand-up comedy merges with poetic metaphor as the production unpacks the unspoken fears that we keep hidden away and confronts the reality of a world on the brink of profound irreversible change.

This is a theatrical event of contrasts and revelations and sets sustainability in the context of simple, everyday activities and events and provokes us to look at our own lives in a new way.

Challenging, hilarious and passionate, the spoken word is woven into a symphony of startling images and illuminating film clips that feature and celebrate the diversity of the human condition and the tireless work of local activists who in the face of fear, offer hope. Who’s afraid? We all should be but especially climate change deniers and cats!

A Multi Media Performance by Rhodri Hugh Thomas in Collaboration With Carolina Vasquez Based on the poem and art work “Who’s Afraid?” by Susan Richardson and Pat Gregory.

This production has been made possible by a development grant from the Arts Council of Wales.

Open to all.

This performance has travelled to World Stage Design 2013 from within the UK.

THURS 5 SEPT 18.30 BOOK TICKETS
FRI 6 SEPT 13.30 BOOK TICKETS
FRI 6 SEPT 18.30 BOOK TICKETS

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WG_logo_landscape_cmyk

Lottery_landscape_CMYK

 

Rhodri Hugh Thomas in Collaboration With Carolina Vasquez and Chris Young – WHO’S AFRAID? « World Stage Design 2013 World Stage Design 2013.

Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Exhibition + Festival

logo-cf-c14-transThe Cape Farewell Foundation in Canada announced details today of a unique, visionary and powerful four-month cultural engagement on one of the most pressing issues of our time— climate change.

The Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Exhibition + Festival will take place between October 2013 and February 2014, encompassing multifaceted programs, including a major exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum’s (ROM) Centre for Contemporary Culture, a performing arts festival with The Theatre Centre, and a rich series of public programs and events.

As the centrepiece, the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition at the ROM opens October 19, 2013 – February 2, 2014. The exhibition will include bold collaborative projects by: Zacharias Kunuk + Ian Mauro, Myfanwy MacLeod + Janna Levitt, Mel Chin, Lisa Steele + Kim Tomczak, Sharon Switzer, Minerva Cuevas, Melanie Gilligan + Tom Ackers, Donald Weber, David Buckland + Tom Rand, and Jaco Ishulutaq.

The Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition was produced by Cape Farewell Foundation in partnership with ROM Contemporary Culture and is curated by David Buckland and Claire Sykes.

“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. Subjects include explorations of a changing Arctic, the health of the oceans, bio-diversity and extinction, sustainability and new, clean technologies; and centrally questions of politics, economics, and ethics.”

– Claire Sykes, Curator and Programming Director for Cape Farewell Foundation

For 12 years, Cape Farewell has successfully brought together artists and scientists—some of the most creative and insightful minds available to us— to interrogate the reality of climate change, to address causes and envision solutions, and to imagine, design, and communicate on an emotional and human scale what a resilient and exciting future might look like. Working internationally through a rich program of expeditions, research, exhibitions, public art projects, books, films and performances, Cape Farewell, as creative agent for change and the leading cultural catalyst on climate, has successfully inspired some of our greatest storytellers to address humanity’s greatest challenge. Now Cape Farewell has a North American base in Toronto.

“The people of the City of Toronto will be proud to be the first North American city to host a Cape Farewell Festival, and to have an opportunity to present the global issue of climate change through a Canadian lens. Torontonians are concerned about their environment and the effects of climate change, and we hope that the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Exhibition + Festival will become an important part of the Toronto calendar.”

– David Miller, Chair of Cape Farewell Foundation, Toronto

“In November 2011, on the shores of Lake Ontario, we invited twenty-five North American visual artists, film makers, musicians, writers, and advertising directors to gather in Toronto to interrogate eight ‘informers’ drawn from across the professional spectrum of climate engagement; climate scientists, economists, new energy technologists, and social scientists; on the facts of climate change. The ask from the creative minds was to engage and through a process of action-based research make artworks, plays, music, poetry that would form the basis of an exhibition at the ROM. Two years later, they have triumphed! Fourteen collaborative works will be presented as part of the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition and surrounding festival.”

– David Buckland, artist, and Founder and International Director of Cape Farewell

For further information, interview requests, or media passes to events, please contact:

Debby de Groot, MDG & Associates
647.295.2970
debby@mdgassociates.com

Click here to download the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Exhibition + Festival Press Release.

A Greener Fringe for Edinburgh: The CSPA and Creative Carbon Scotland team up with the List on Major Award

logo-colorSML LIST logo Guides - UK2012version Untitled

Applications are now opened for consideration for the 2013 Fringe Sustainable Production Award, designed to reward sustainable practice in the production of an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show. Productions are invited to engage their audiences with sustainability, take responsibility for their environmental impacts, and think big about how the arts can help to grow a sustainable world. Entries are invited from companies until 18 August, with shortlists announced on 5, 12 & 19 August and the final award being made on Friday 23 August in a ceremony at Fringe Central.

“We believe artists and cultural organisations are uniquely placed to address the challenges brought on by climate change through the art they produce,” says Gemma Lawrence from Creative Carbon Scotland,”The audiences they speak to and the way in which they operate. This major award celebrates action being taken by artists and companies to use the form, content and framing of their work to engage with climate change during the Festival Fringe.”

This year, for the first time, a review of every shortlisted production will be published in The List and The List will also cover the shortlisting events. The winner will receive a special feature and coverage in the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts’ Quarterly Magazine.

The Fringe Sustainable Production Award celebrates the best in environmentalism on the Edinburgh Fringe, and highlights the different exciting approaches Fringe productions are taking to sustainability. We’re inviting all Fringe productions – whether they’ve just started thinking about recycling or whether they’ve been bike-powering venues for years – to apply for this high profile award, and to tell us the new ideas and new ways they have for engaging with sustainability

The award for Sustainable Production on the Fringe was first launched in 2010 at the Hollywood Fringe and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Previous recipients include:  The Pantry Shelf (Edinburgh 2010), a satirical comedy that takes place in any ordinary pantry shelf, produced by Team M&M at Sweet Grassmarket; Presque Pret a Porter (Hollywood 2010), produced by Dreams by Machine; and Allotment (Edinburgh 2011) by Jules Horne and directed by Kate Nelson, produced by nutshell productions at the Inverleith Allotments in co-production with Assembly. Last year recipients were D is for Dog by Katie Polebaum and the Rogue Artists ensemble, directed by Sean Calweti (Hollywood 2012) and The Man Who Planted Trees (Edinburgh 2012) adapted from Jean Giono’s story by Ailie Cohen, Richard Medrington, Rick Conte and directed by Ailie Cohen, produced by the Edinburgh’s Puppet State Theatre.

Ian Garrett and Miranda Wright founded the CSPA in early 2008 after individually working on each of the programs that now make up the multi-faceted approach to sustainability separately. The organization provides a network of resources to arts organizations, which enables them to be ecologically and economically sustainable while maintaining artistic excellence. Past and Present partnerships have included the University of Oregon, Ashden Directory, Arcola Theater, Diverseworks Artspace, Indy Convergence, York University, LA Stage Alliance and others.

“The purpose of this award is not just to recognize the greenest production. Our objective in offering this award is to ask questions of ourselves, as theater artists, about the greater impact of our work on the world around us. The fringe model provides an ideal platform to introduce these ideas,” says Wright, “The CSPA is not just another ‘go green’ organization. We hope to gather and distribute information that aids in the sustainability of the earth, the sustainability of our communities, and the sustainability of our art.”

Creative Carbon Scotland is a partnership of arts organisations working to put culture at the heart of a sustainable Scotland. We believe cultural and creative organisations have a significant influencing power to help shape a sustainable Scotland for the 21st century.

In 2011 we worked with partners Festivals Edinburgh, the Federation of Scottish Threatre andScottish Contemporary Art Network to support over thirty arts organisations to operate more sustainably.

We are now building on these achievements and working with over 70 cultural organisations across Scotland in various key areas including carbon management, behavioural change and advocacy for sustainable practice in the arts.

Our work with cultural organisations is the first step towards a wider change. Cultural organisations can influence public behaviour and attitudes about climate change through:

  • Changing their own behaviour;
  • Communicating with their audiences;
  • Engaging the public’s emotions, values and ideas.
  • Engage arts organisations and stakeholders in promoting environmental sustainability;
  • Provide support for arts organisations to be at the forefront of shaping an environmentally sustainable Scotland;
  • Support arts organisations, artists and audiences to be as environmentally sustainably as possible.

Why sustainable practice in the cultural sector?

Like all sectors, the cultural sector faces risks from climate change and the legal, social and economic changes it will bring. Much more than many other sectors, arts and cultural organisations have huge potential to provoke crucial public behaviour change. We believe cultural organisations are uniquely placed to address the challenges brought on by climate change through the art they produce, the audiences they speak to and the way in which they operate themselves.

CONTACT: Ian Garrett – fringe@sustainablepractice.org – US 818-687-6655 – UK 0759 744 1915

MORE INFO:
CSPA Fringe Initiatives: https://www.sustainablepractice.org/programs/fringe/
2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Questionnaire: http://bit.ly/cspafringe13
Creative Carbon Scotland: http://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/

Artists’ Plans for Sustainability – June 5th at Warwick Arts Centre

Wednesday 5th June 2-4.30pm

beuysimageOne of the Creative Spaces’ research focuses has been the role of the arts and artists in developing sustainable cities. Following our curiosity, we would like to take the opportunity of Mead Gallery’sexhibition “Artists’ Plans for Sustainability” to invite three artists to give 15-minute presentations of their work. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion with Warwick academics, addressing the question of:

‘The Role of Art in Developing the Sustainable City’

Visitors attending the roundtable will have the opportunity to comment or ask questions.

The event is free but places are limited, so please reserve a place in advance by phoning Warwick Arts Centre box office: 024 76524524.

Artists:

  • Nils Norman, Ion Sørvin (N55) and Carolyn Deby (sirenscrossing)

Academics:

  • Dr Nicolas Whybrow (chair, Theatre and Performance Studies)
  • Dr Cath Lambert (Sociology)
  • Dr Jonathan Vickery (Cultural Policy Studies)
  • Dr Ria Dunkley (IATL and Cardiff University Sustainable Places Institute)
  • Dr Susan Haedicke (Theatre and Performance Studies)
  • Nese Tosun (PhD candidate, Theatre and Performance Studies)

Creative Spaces is a network member of the AHRC-funded ‘Making Sense of
Sustainability’ arts and social sciences collaboration based at Cardiff
University.(PDF Document)


Creative Spaces Research at the moment focuses on two main areas:

The Role of the Arts in Developing Sustainable Cities

For Rosalyn Deutsche urban space is not only socially-produced but agonistic. Thus, the practices of urban societies – that which its various constituencies do or are allowed to do – defines or creates the space of the city, and such space is dependent for its very condition of existence on that which is produced by ‘conflicting interests’. As Henri Lefebvre puts it with regard to the abstract space of modernism and capital: ‘Inasmuch as [such space] tends towards homogeneity, towards the elimination of existing differences or peculiarities, a new space cannot be born (produced) unless it accentuates differences’ (1991: 52).

Read more (PDF) >  (PDF Document)

Venice and Sustainability

The city of Venice conveys an impression of sinking. It is known to be doing so literally – some twenty-three centimetres in the last century – with the fabric and foundations of buildings gradually dissolving and the seasonal floods of the acqua alta on the increase, whilst figuratively the sheer weight of tourists – estimated at 16.5 million annually – can be said to be forcing the city down and its citizens to ‘jump ship’ in a desperate bid to save their futures.

Read more (PDF) > (PDF Document)

Minutes of the previous meetings are available here:

24.10.2012 (PDF Document)

30.01.2013 (PDF Document)

Artsadmin’s Two Degrees festival

17 – 22 June

Climate, consumerism, community… Two Degrees asks what is broken in our world and what can we do to mend it?

Pages from Two_Degrees2013-brochure

The third Two Degrees festival sits somewhere between art and action offering audiences a chance to take part and think about how we can change our future. Disassemble and reassemble everyday objects in Kate McIntosh’s Worktable, make your own public commitment to help prevent climate change in Davis Freeman’s 7 Promises, or join Platform for a spy thriller, venturing deep into the underbelly of London’s oil economy.

Two_Degrees2013-brochure

Other artists in the festival include Lewis Bassett, Coney, Tom Chivers, Andrea Francke, Kamala Katbamna and others, as well as a day of talks, films and performances presented by Artsadmin and LIFT in association with nef (new economics foundation).

Follow Two Degrees on Twitter | #twodegs2013

Two Degrees is supported by the European Commission Culture Programme as part of Imagine 2020, a wider network of eleven European Theatres and production organisations. Imagine 2020 is producing programmes making explicit connection between artists’ works and climate change.

Resonance104.4fm is broadcast media partner for Two Degrees 2013.