We wish to contract a freelance curator to devise and develop a temporary exhibition
Our Changing Landscape Scotland is facing a climate emergency, with our historic environment already feeling the impact, from coastal erosion to flooding. Historic Environment Scotland is committed to playing its part in mitigating climate change, from our procurement processes to the tourism we promote.
We wish to contract a freelance curator to devise and develop a temporary exhibition for our visitors that explores how Scotland’s landscape has changed. It should use material drawn from Canmore, the National Record of the Historic Environment, Scran and relevant other sources.
The exhibition will take the form of a framed photography exhibition that will tour a number of our sites and partner museums. The exhibition content should cover the breadth of Scotland and interpretation will be translated into Gaelic.
The aims of the exhibition are to:
Engage visitors with the impact of climate change
Demonstrate the vulnerability of our cultural heritage
Highlight how archives can be used as a resource for understanding tangible impacts of climate change
Encourage reflection, without turning people off
We are looking for a freelance curator to develop the curatorial and interpretation aspects of this exhibition.
This includes:
Identifying visual content that will be printed and framed for the exhibition
Writing interpretation in an accessible and engaging way
This should be completed by 24 March 2023. A budget of £10,000 is available for this project, however we are aware that costs are rising rapidly and would encourage applicants to quote for what their realistic costs are, along with examples of previous work.
Responding to this invitation
Please confirm you are able to deliver the work to the deadlines detailed above
Please provide:
Examples of previous work in heritage interpretation and climate change
Details of your fee and your date rate for any additional work
Please provide the above by 8am on 7 November 2022 to:
SPRINGBOARD local assemblies for creative climate action connect people and organisations working on culture and climate change from the same region so they can learn together, share knowledge and information and collaborate.
SPRINGBOARD local assemblies for creative climate action build on the work we’ve been doing for more than a decade: our Green Arts Initiative – a community of practice comprising more than 300 cultural organisations around Scotland working to reduce their climate impact – and Climate Beacons – an innovative partnerships of cultural, climate change and civic society actors working to build deep-rooted, sustained public engagement with climate change.
Aiming to develop powerful local networks, the first local assemblies for creative climate action are taking place across Scotland in November and December 2022. Hosted in-person by leading cultural organisations, each local assembly will be individually designed for its location.
Practical workshops led by Creative Carbon Scotland will be selected from the following list of topics:
Harnessing the power of the creative sector to influence society on climate change Creative and cultural organisations have tangible and intangible assets with which they can influence society: the work they make, present or distribute; their long-term relationships and regular communications with loyal audiences; the ways in which they use and manage their buildings and estate; the examples they set through their behaviour and their values. This workshop will draw on findings from a recent meeting of Scotland’s national cultural institutions and UK climate action experts.
Carbon management for creative sector organisations Creative Scotland and other bodies are increasingly asking applicants for funding to measure, report and plan to reduce their carbon emissions. In this session we will share tools to identify and understand your main emissions, and together you will devise and commit to creative ways to tackle them. Appropriate for those with all levels of prior experience in carbon management (including none!).
Understanding cultural adaptation and your influence in the wider culture ecosystem Creative sector organisations are experiencing the impacts of climate change, from flooding to travel disruption but also warmer summers. Adaptation is the term given to thinking about how to manage the risks and grasp the opportunities this presents. This session will introduce you to climate adaptation in the context of your local area as well as globally, enabling you to identify your main climate change risks using our Adapting our Culture toolkit and collaboratively planning how to approach adaptation in your work.
Climate justice and arts & culture Climate justice is a way of understanding how climate change results from and exacerbates existing inequalities and injustices as well as how climate action can help create a fairer world. This workshop will share our research into how climate justice thinking is relevant to the creative sector in Scotland and provide opportunities to explore how this relates to your own organisation or individual practice.
Arts and environmental collaboration on climate change Collaboration between the arts and environmental sectors can create diverse opportunities for more effective action on climate change. This session will explore the ways that these fields can benefit from collaboration, offer examples of what has been achieved in the past and explore the practical steps needed to make collaborative projects a success. The session will end with an opportunity to consider what a collaborative climate change project would look like for you.
Each local assembly will finish with a discussion about what participants would like to happen next followed by light refreshments so participants can continue to develop their local network.
SPRINGBOARD local assemblies are free to attend and open to anyone interested in how culture and climate can work together, whether from organisations or as individuals working or volunteering in the arts, creative and screen industries, heritage, museums and libraries, and climate change / sustainability.
Each assembly will be fully accessible. BSL interpretation will be available if required. Please contact lowenna.hosken@creativecarbsonscotland.com or the local host at least one week in advance if we can help you attend.
The local assemblies are part of SPRINGBOARD: Assembly for creative climate action, a new long-term project, led by Creative Carbon Scotland, working to bring about transformational change in the arts and culture sector, and wider society, to help build a net-zero, climate-ready Scotland. We’ve envisaged SPRINGBOARD in these two parts so as to encompass both local and national challenges.
In January 2023 you’re invited to the first SPRINGBOARD: Assembly for creative climate action, which we are holding online.
While the local assemblies connect cultural and climate change individuals and organisations in a given region of Scotland, the annual assembly will bring participants together in cohorts of a given creative practice, eg theatre, visual art, libraries, etc to work on shared topics and interests.
Registration for the SPRINGBOARD assembly will open at the end of October.
We’ve released a new report exploring the roles of arts and culture around COP26, the United Nations climate conference held in Glasgow in November 2021. The report explores why COPs provide a special context for arts and culture to work in, provides detailed case studies of some representative projects, and offers tips and advice.
COP26, which took place in Glasgow 2021, saw an outpouring of the artistic and cultural activity that has come to accompany these global climate conferences. The confluence of arts projects has become integral to how a COP is represented, not only in the media, but on the streets, in the buildings, and over the landscapes of the host country. COP can provide a unique opportunity for artists and cultural organisations to make new work, extend existing practices and engage new audiences.
This report was created by Lewis Coenen-Rowe, culture/SHIFT Producer at Creative Carbon Scotland, and researcher and artist Wallace Heim. It was commissioned by CreaTures (Creative Practices for Transformational Futures), a project investigating the power of creative practices to move the world towards socio-ecological sustainability, and designed by Savannah Vize.
Clockwise from top left: A still from the film ‘The Fifth Giant (or What Would You Do?)’, credit: Regina Mosch; A panel from the Stitches for Survival project, credit: Stitches for Survival; The Oi Musica core band, credit: Heather Longwell; The Sustainable Glasgow Landing Hub, credit: New Practice.
Sequoia string duo launch two new music/environmental videos created by filmmaker Monika Smekot
As part of their WATER MUSIC source to sea project, string duo Sequoia and filmmaker Monika Smekot have collaborated to create two music videos inspired by the River Clyde pathway.
Clota’s Song features music and text by Lisa Robertson and highlights the theme of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Upstream Battle campaign: stopping marine litter at source. The film considers our relationship with the Clyde from past to present through the eyes of mythological Celtic river goddess, Clōta.
End of Rain/Clear Sky incorporates two tunes by Ayrshire fiddler Alastair Savage inspired by the view looking across from Ardrossan to the Isle of Arran. Created in association with the Community of Arran Seabed Trust and environmental coalition Save Scottish Seas, the film celebrates life above and below the water, and the successful restoration of a kaleidoscopic kingdom of sea-life in Lamlash Bay; Scotland’s first community-led marine protected area.
Share your news, events and opportunities!
This news was posted by Sequoia Duo. Creative Carbon Scotland is committed to being a resource for the arts & sustainability community and we invite you to submit news, blogs, opportunities and your upcoming events.
On a warm September evening, we set out for an outdoor screening of 12 short films about human/nature relationships at the Pavilion Community Café in Edinburgh.
We first heard from Rebecca Palmer, a writer and filmmaker from the Earthing Project that created the short films. She explained how the films explore humans and our relation to the natural world through imagery, movement, music and storytelling.
Earthing is a year-long art project, a collaboration among multidisciplinary artists and filmmakers and each film was made on one day (no matter the weather) a month for twelve months, throughout a year.
Introduction by Rebecca Palmer, Earthing Productions & Lewis Coenen-Rowe, Creative Carbon Scotland.
We next heard from the local environmental groups Shrub Hub, a cooperative in Edinburgh working for a world without waste by empowering the local community and from Nick Hepworth from Water Witness that works for better water resource management. Then we watched the 12 films, pausing halfway through for contributions from poets Scott Cassidy, Ali Millar and Jennifer Williams and the local organisation Earth in Common that works to make healthy food and nature accessible to children.
Driven by personal stories the films felt like a visual poem with the characters stepping into an almost ritualistic space of interaction with nature. Each film sought a connection with the natural landscape around us in a surreal setting where the line between humans, animals and nature were blurred.
The films were playful and shared a deep desire to reconnect with our environments, echoing a broken partnership with the natural world around us. All connected to the roots of the climate emergency, which arguably is also born out of a damaged relationship that needs to heal before we can move forward.
Donations made by attendees were divided between the Pavilion Community Fund and the Stop Jackdaw campaign.
Reflections over craft beer by Decagram who supported the event.
About Green Tease
This event took place as part of the Green Tease events series and network, a project organised by Creative Carbon Scotland, bringing together people from arts and environmental backgrounds to discuss, share expertise, and collaborate. Green Tease forms part of our culture/SHIFT programme.
We are looking for an inspirational and confident Climate Emergency and Sustainability Lead.
Creative Scotland | Climate Emergency and Sustainability Lead
Salary: £41,934 (Grade D) plus pension and benefits Contract: Fixed term until 30 September 2024 Full-time: 36 hours per week Location: Further opportunities to discuss working arrangements, for example smarter working, will be offered. Must be in a commutable distance to a Creative Scotland office, in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
We are looking for an inspirational and confident Climate Emergency and Sustainability Lead to play a key role in Creative Scotland’s work in this area – and to join our energetic and dedicated staff team who are focused on supporting sustainability across the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland.
This is a critical new position within Creative Scotland, that will lead a small team and help embed the development of sustainability within the Scottish cultural sector.
The postholder will be expected to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, organisations, and individuals to develop strategic partnerships as well as working closely with Creative Carbon Scotland and the Sustainability Manager for the Scottish screen sector on delivering on our climate emergency commitments.
Our ideal candidate will have experience of developing and implementing sustainability strategies and projects at an organisational level. You will also have up-to-date knowledge and understanding of climate change, sustainability practice, adaptation and mitigation.
In addition, you will be an excellent collaborator who can develop relationships with a range of partners to support, persuade and galvanise sustainability action. And you will be able to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills including, communication, influencing and collaboration in helping to motivate and positively inspire others in seeking sustainability-related solutions.
Closing date for receipt of completed application forms is: 9am, Monday 24 October 2022.
Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 9 November 2022.
If selected for interview you will be expected to be available on this date.
Placing creativity at the heart of climate justice, developing action with local communities.
Creative Dundee is seeking creative practitioners for the next stage of CULTIVATE, our Culture Collective project engaging communities with climate justice through creativity and peer education across the Tay region.
The creative practitioners will collaborate with marginalised communities across the Tay region, mutually exploring and sharing new ways of embedding creativity at the core of grassroots collective action for climate justice.
We have four commission opportunities available:
A creative practitioner lead working with young people (16-24) living in rural areas within Perth & Kinross
A creative practitioner lead working with people of colour within Dundee City
A creative practitioner lead working with people living in poverty within Angus/Forfar
A storyteller/filmmaker who will showcase and advocate the important role that culture and creativity play in the climate justice movement
Taking place between January and October 2023, each role will work closely with community groups. The creative practitioner leads will research, learn, understand and co-develop creative responses to better connect and equip the communities with place-based climate justice actions, and the storyteller/filmmaker will create a range of accessible and engaging stories to showcase and advocate the important role that culture and creativity play in the climate justice movement.
Deadline to apply to Stage 1 is Wednesday 16 November, 12noon.
We will hold two information sessions via Zoom on Thursday 6 October 2022 (12–1pm and 6–7pm) where you will have the opportunity to hear more about the programme and ask questions. After the sessions, we will share a video recording of the presentation, the slide deck shown, and a summary of all questions asked and answered.
Want to find out more about CULTIVATE? Read about the project so far and explore some case studies from our initial round of creative practitioner commissions on Creative Dundee’s website: https://creativedundee.com/cultivate/
A year on from the United Nations climate talks, known as COP26, which took place in Glasgow last year, COP27 will be taking place in Egypt on 6-18 November 2022. I have spent some time over the last few months arranging calls with people involved with arts and cultural organisations based in Egypt to discuss COP27 and the roles of the arts in work on climate change in Egypt. In this blog post, I will share some of the key thoughts and advice that came up in these conversations.
Egypt COP27 presidency
The Egyptian government will host COP27. COPs systematically move around locations on different continents, so COP27 will formally be an ‘Africa’ COP with an accompanying focus on issues relevant to this continent. The Egyptian government’s programme for COP27 includes a focus on climate finance and delivering on the ground change that will follow on from decisions made at COP26. The official programme also includes an official ‘civil society day’ on 15 November intended for contributions from beyond the delegates of nations that are the main participants in United Nations conferences. This may include space for arts and cultural contributions. It will be the first time where culture is formally represented in the official ‘Blue Zone’ through the Resilient Hub theme ‘Arts, Culture, Heritage and Antiquities’.
The location
Many of the people I spoke to commented on the fact that COP27 is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, which is situated in the largely desert-filled Sinai Peninsula at some distance from Egypt’s main population centres along the Nile. Sharm el-Sheikh is a major tourist site and recently attracted criticism for building a perimeter wall that effectively cut it off from nearby residents. As such, the location is neither especially conducive to protest nor to arts and cultural activities, although some key institutions such as the Sharm el-Sheikh Museum are planning events for COP27. As such, it is worth considering whether it is worthwhile making plans for Sharm el-Sheikh or whether to make plans elsewhere in Egypt instead, which may be relatively cut off from COP27 itself.
Perceptions of climate change in Egypt
Virtually everyone I spoke to emphasised that climate change is regarded by many in Egypt as a privileged, middle-class issue that is detached from everyday concerns. This perception also exists in Scotland, but to a lesser extent. However, the interviewees did highlight some key concerns. In Cairo, issues around air pollution and desertification as a result of river dams and deforestation came up most often. People based in Alexandria emphasised the risk that sea level rise poses to the city and the Nile delta more broadly, with flooding affecting shipping to the port as well as beach tourism.
Given the cultural importance of Egypt’s long history, risks posed by climate change to ancient monuments through flooding, extreme weather, air pollution, and ocean acidification came up repeatedly. Other significant movements included campaigns around reducing pollution in the Nile (which is clearly of great ecological and cultural significance for Egypt) and banning disposable plastic. One interviewee also discussed the importance of recognising that Egypt is a majority Muslim country and considering how messages around climate change can consider elements of Islamic scripture that promote good stewardship of the land and discourage wasting resources.
The Egyptian government
Human Rights Watch has said that ‘Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government has been experiencing one of its worst human rights crises in many decades’. The right to protest is curtailed and this will likely have implications for COP27. Many have expressed concerns that the Egyptian government wants to use COP27 as an opportunity to promote its public image on climate change while continuing to pollute. People working in the arts and culture sector emphasised to me that they could engage with climate change and provide space for discussion about the issues but needed to refrain from anything that could be construed as political. Another interviewee suggested that the Egyptian government’s policies make projects with schools difficult, contrasting with school pupils being a primary audience for climate change public engagement projects in Scotland. Some positive steps from the Egyptian government were also noted, such as the Green Museums Initiative, currently being piloted.
Advice for Scottish collaborators
Some of the people I spoke to were already aware of or actively working with Scottish partners on COP27, and almost all were interested in this kind of international collaboration. Many of these also emphasised, however, that funding is difficult for them to obtain in Egypt if it is not closely related enough to their core organisational aims, so projects focusing on climate change can be hard to make space in budgets for.
Another important piece of advice was about the importance of arts and cultural projects involving not just educational activities or exhibitions but also practical actions like tree planting or permanent changes. Otherwise, we risk reaffirming perceptions that this is a privileged or luxury discussion rather than something pressing and urgent.
Want to know more?
On Tuesday 4 October we will be holding an online mixer event for people based in Scotland and Egypt to meet each other and share experiences of arts and cultural work around COP26 and COP27. You can find out more about the event and sign up to attend here.
(Top image: Aerial photos of Glasgow city centre and Sharm el-Sheikh waterfront. Text reads: ‘COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh: Advice from Egyptian cultural practitioners’.)
7th-8th March 2022: These two events brought together people from the organisations involved in running the seven Climate Beacons situated around Scotland to talk about their experiences, share advice and hear thoughts from attendees. The first event focused on the process of collaboration while the second looked at what makes for effective public engagement. This page provides documentation from the two events and reflects on what we learned from them.
Showcase 1: Collaboration and how to work together
This first event focused on the collaborative nature of the Climate Beacons project. Each Beacon is made up of a partnership of multiple organisations coming from a mixture of cultural and climate backgrounds, ranging from two in Argyll to eighteen in Tayside. These innovative partnerships allow the organisations involve to learn from each other, reach new audiences, find new methods, and share resources. However, learning to work together can be a complex process and developing a full understanding organisations coming from very different institutional backgrounds is far from straightforward.
This first event started with an introduction from MSP Neil Gray, Scottish Government Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, who provided an overview and his perspective on why culture needs to play a role in addressing climate change.
This was followed by a panel chaired by Pamela Tulloch, CEO of the Scottish Library and Information Council, and made up of:
Francesca Bertolotti-Bailey, CEO of Cove Park, and Sara Maclean, Operations Manager at Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust, speaking from the Argyll Beacon.
Simon Hart, Director of Business & Development at Taigh Chearsabagh, and Kathleen Milne, Libraries Manager for Western Isles Libraries, speaking from the Outer Hebrides Beacon.
Anna Hodgart, Tayside Climate Beacon Producer, and Rebecca Wade, Lecturer at Abertay University, speaking from the Tayside Beacon.
A video recording, including subtitles is available below.
Discussion
The second half of the event provided opportunities for discussion. Some of the main points that emerged during this discussion are summarised below.
Do not underestimate the time it takes to start off a new collaboration. It can take a long time to develop a deep understanding between organisations and it is worth taking the time to do this properly.
Some benefits of collaboration emerge straight away while others take a long time emerge. Stay open to new ideas throughout the relationship.
Online methods provide a fantastic way of making it easier to keep in touch, especially when working in more remote locations where travel is more time-consuming. Nevertheless, there is no substitute for meeting in person!
Institutional support for new collaborations is vital. Some attendees suggested that the main barrier for them was the difficulty in finding funding for projects or partnerships that cross over between different fields. However some attendees were more optimistic and felt that interdisciplinary funding schemes are starting to become more common.
Showcase 2: Inclusive public engagement and climate justice
The second event looked at the public engagement work that the Climate Beacons had been doing and to discuss the methods that they had used to try to make their work as inclusive as possible. Public engagement provides an important means for people to participate in climate action in Scotland but we know that many people feel excluded from the climate movement or are not reached by public engagement work. Addressing climate change in a way that is truly just requires ensuring that everyone is able to have their voice heard and can participate equally. The Climate Beacons project thus had a focus on trying to involve more people that face barriers to inclusion. There have been many successes but nevertheless there is more work to be done and this event also provided a chance to discuss new directions and possibilities.
This event began with a panel chaired by Lewis Coenen-Rowe, culture/SHIFT Officer at Creative Carbon Scotland, and made up of:
Charlotte Mountford, Co-director of Lyth Arts Centre, and Malaika Cunningham, Artistic Director of The Bare Project, speaking from the Caithness & East Sutherland Climate Beacon
Duncan Zuill, teacher at Levenmouth Academy, speaking from the Fife Climate Beacon
Victoria Robb, Education Manager at the National Mining Museum Scotland, and Nicole Manley, Artist and Soil Hydrologist with the British Geological Survey, speaking from the Midlothian Climate Beacon.
A video recording, including subtitles is available below.
Discussion
The second half of the event provided opportunities for discussion. Some of the main points that emerged during this discussion are summarised below.
Some panellists had chosen to deliberately try to reach specific demographics that they felt needed to be more included in conversations about climate change, such as crofters and fisherpeople in Caithness, or ex-miners in Midlothian. Others wanted to avoid pigeonholing certain audiences and tried to work in a way that was open to whoever comes along.
It is important to find the right way of framing the issues so that people feel like they have a way in. Some people feel excluded from debates around climate change or feel that the climate movement is ‘not for them’. These barriers can be overcome by involving the right local groups or institutions or showing how climate change is interrelated with other issues.
Although Climate Beacons is focused primarily on the local context, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that climate change is a global issue and many of the greatest injustices associated with it are felt through inequalities between wealthier and poorer nations. For example, we can connect more with people working in other countries to see how we could support them or amplify their stories.
Providing a way in is key. A lot of people who care about climate change still feel disempowered or unable to make a difference. Offering clear positive actions to take, especially ones that are enjoyable or have other local benefits, can be highly effective.
About Climate Beacons for COP26
Climate Beacons for COP26 is a project from Creative Carbon Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government’s Climate Change and Culture Divisions, Creative Scotland, and Museums Galleries Scotland. The project is run by Creative Carbon Scotland and supported by partners Architecture & Design Scotland, Creative Scotland, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, Museums Galleries Scotland, Scottish Library & Information Council and Sustainable Scotland Network.
About Green Tease
The Green Tease events series and network is a project organised by Creative Carbon Scotland, bringing together people from arts and environmental backgrounds to discuss, share expertise, and collaborate. Green Tease forms part of our culture/SHIFT programme.
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 and Scottish 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.
Just in time for spring, the season of rebirth and revitalisation, Creative Carbon Scotland is relaunching the Green Arts Initiative (GAI).
The programme, which was established almost 10 years ago in 2013, supports Scottish arts and cultural organisations to reduce their impact on the environment and be at the forefront of climate action.
Green Arts Officer, Romane Boyer, explains: “The GAI has grown to include 350 cultural organisation members that share relevant knowledge, ideas and experiences to enhance the sustainability competencies of the Scottish cultural sector. For several reasons, including how the power of art to contribute to climate action was showcased at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aka COP26, in Glasgow, we realised the timing was right to relaunch the GAI.”
The relaunch will entail offering GAI members more training, tools and other resourcesto help them manage their carbon footprint, be sustainable, and adapt to climate change. It will also revitalise the strength and interactions of the GAI community.
To inform GAI members and others interested in the power of art and culture to advance climate action about the relaunch, CCS has created a short explanatory video that summarises the plans.
We’ve also published a complementary survey because we know GAI members’ suggestions on how the initiative can best support them and their organisations are key. Boyer noted that while the video and survey are for GAI members primarily, she hopes other organisations and individual artists and cultural practitioners will have a look and either consider becoming GAI members, in the case of organisations, or will delve into the resources Creative Carbon Scotland offers individuals.
We invite all GAI member organisations (and those about to join) to complete the survey by Friday, 22nd April 2022.
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 and Scottish 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.
