This content is also available in / Ce contenu est également disponible sur: Français
my response to a colleague’s concern about feeling saturated by the omni presence of eco-awareness information
TRANSCRIPTION OF EPISODE
(bell and breath)
(sound of two climate shows at once then fade out)
I was talking with a colleague recently about how few people listen to ‘end of the world as we know it’ podcasts, such as this one.
And I think it’s because they’re so … fucking, depressing and grim. We are constantly reminded how awful things are and how much more awful they will become, with no credible way out.
Saturated
I used to think that art could help us with these entangled crises but I’m starting to think the role of art is more about the relationship between consolation and hope as my friend and colleague Azul Caroline Duque suggests.
Consolation and hope.
So it’s no wonder that we are:
Saturated
I also understand the impulse to become enraged as Joan Sullivan tells us in e106 fire – what can we do about our collective indifference? :
We’re just carrying on with our lives as if you know, la la la and nothing, nothing bad is happening. So there was this sense of rage. I mean, like, honestly, it’s surprising how strong it’d be in a violent rage just sort of coming outta me. I wanted to scream…
Saturation
So how do we channel our apathy and our rage?
Dr. Jennifer Atkinson’s Facing It podcast talks about the
‘emotional burden of climate change and why despair leaves so many people unable to respond to our existential threat’.
Do you feel unable to respond to existential threats?
Dr Atkinson reminds us that
‘our future remains unwritten, and by embracing the unknown we are better able to reframe our thinking in empowering ways’.
She explains that :
‘the so-called negative feelings that arise in response to ecological disruption (grief, anxiety, anger) can be seen as signs of emotional health, while ‘undesirable’ states, like uncertainty, are potential doorways to transformation. Climate anxiety might even be seen as a kind of superpower.’
Saturation
In Generation Dread, Dr. Britt Wray reminds us that the age of eco-anxiety is upon us and that the afterglow of climate disasters radiate psychiatric trauma throughout the globe.
She also notes that
‘on the flip side, the tumultuous feelings that are on the rise are completely valid, need tending to, and present a great opportunity for justice-oriented personal, environmental, and social transformation.‘
So where do we go from here?
How do we address our feelings of…
Saturation
Dr Wray also suggests that
‘the positive in all this is that the torment comes bearing gifts. If you explore its depths, you’ll find a valve somewhere inside you that taps into the most existential part of yourself. Once you open it, a boundless stream of love, connection, and meaning will always be at your back, fuelling what you do.’
Once you open it a boundless stream of love, connection, and meaning will always be at your back, fuelling what you do.
(sound of two climate shows at once then fade out)
How can we tap into our boundless streams of love, connection and meaning ?
Saturation
*
CREDITS
With thanks to Jennifer Atkinson and Britt Wray for using their words. They are both inspiring leaders for me.
This episode was created while I was in residence during the summer of 2023 at the Centre de production DAÏMÔN in Gatineau Québec as part of the fourth edition of Radio-Hull 28 days of programming from September 7 to October 4 2023 showcasing local artistic practices.
With thanks to the Centre de production DAÏMÔN production team: Manon, Coco, Philippe and Simon and DAÏMÔN’s funders and partners.
I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this episode. (including all the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation and infrastructure that make this podcast possible).
My gesture of reciprocity for this episode is to the Indigenous People’s Solidarity Fund, in solidarity with National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The post e140 saturation – how can we tap into our boundless streams of love, connection and meaning? appeared first on 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.
Powered by WPeMatico
———-
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 – october 2020) : environmental awareness and action 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 – august 2021 ) : reality and ecological grief 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.
season 3 (october 2021 – february 2022 ) : radical listening Season 3 was about radical listening : listening deeply without passing judgment, knowing the truth and filtering out the noise and opening attention to reality and responding to what needs to be done. The format is similar the first podcast format I did in 2016 with the simplesoundscapes project, which was to ‘speak my mind’ and ‘think out loud’. I start this season with a ‘soundscape composition’, e63 a case study (part 1) and e64 a case study (part 2), a bilingual speculative fiction radio play, set in an undergraduate university history seminar course called ‘History of 2021 in Canada’. It concluded with a soundscape composition ‘Winter Diary Revisited’.
season 4 (1 january – 31 december 2023) : sounding modernity
About
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.
View the original: https://www.conscient.ca/e140-saturation-how-can-we-tap-into-our-boundless-streams-of-love-connection-and-meaning/