Yearly Archives: 2017

Shortlist: Sustainable Practice Award!

Creative Carbon Scotland

This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award 2017: the award for sustainability at the world’s largest arts festival.

The award is a collaboration between Scotland-based Creative Carbon Scotland and the North American-based Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. Each year it is given to a production that exhibits high quality artistic integrity and engages its audience and company in the topic of sustainability. It celebrates different approaches to sustainable practice, both in content and in the physical production of shows, and rewards those that take responsibility for their environmental impact and think creatively about how the arts can help grow a sustainable world.

This year the number and quality of applications was exceptionally high. Productions completed a comprehensive application toolkit, which challenged them on many approaches and angles on sustainability, as well as offering guidance and advice to productions still developing their practice.

Open to any of the 3,398 shows performing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, applicants where whittled down to a shortlist of only 18 shows. Those shortlisted are as follows (in alphabetical order):

  • A Great Fear of Shallow Living by In Tandem Theatre Company at Zoo Southside
  • Changelings by Pucqui Collaborative at theSpace on North Bridge
  • Dreaming Amidst Thorns by Kaleidoscope Theatre at Quaker Meeting House
  • Form by Rendered Retina at Pleasance Dome
  • Home Sweet Garden by Asylon Theatre at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – John Hope Gateway
  • I Am A Tree by Jamie Wood at Assembly George Square Theatre
  • Last Resort by 2 Magpies Theatre at Summerhall
  • Letters From Earth by NewGround Theatre Dance Company at Greenside @ Infirmary Street
  • Me and My Bee by This Egg and the Pleasance at Pleasance Courtyard
  • Plan B for Utopia by Joan Clevillé Dance at the Pleasance Courtyard
  • Programmed by Justin Lavash at C Primo
  • The Hero Who Overslept by Bravebeard Productions and Fringe Management at Gilded Balloon at the Rose Theatre.
  • The Pit Ponies’ Penultimate Life Drawing Class by UndrGround Bird / Rupert Smith at Paradise in the Vault
  • The Time Machine by Dyad Productions at Assembly Roxy
  • Towers of Eden by Outland Theatre at theSpace on the Mile
  • Tribe by Temper Theatre at Zoo Southside
  • Van Gogh Find Yourself #VGFY by Walter DeForest / PBH’s Free Fringe at Natural Food Kafe
  • Whales by Binge Culture at Assembly George Square Theatre

Ben Twist, Director of Creative Carbon Scotland, said:

“It’s exciting to see such a range of approaches to sustainability demonstrated by companies coming to the Fringe. The quality gets higher each year and the depth of commitment and understanding is greater, both in the way people produce their shows and the content of them. I’m very pleased that CCS is able to join our colleagues at the CSPA and the List to highlight this hard work by so many companies.”

Ian Garrett, Director of the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, said:

“In addition to watching the award grow and the ever-increasing quality of the shows which are submitted, we’re grateful to all applicants for providing key information to understanding sustainable trends and areas of future improvement across the festival. With the many initiatives growing across the fringe, it’s heartening to share that not only are we seeing more and more conscientious work, but everyone involved is have a real and visible impact on this massive arts marketplace.”

Each shortlisted show will be reviewed by a selected international judging panel, before the final winner is announced on 25 August 2017 at a ceremony hosted at Scotland’s national home of poetry: The Scottish Poetry Library. An organisation itself extremely committed to environmental sustainability, and a member of the Green Arts Initiative, the venue will play host to a performance by poet Harry Giles, and the winner will receive a unique (and sustainable) award piece, crafted by local maker, Chris Wallace.

The Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice award is run by Creative Carbon Scotland and the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, together with their sponsors PR Print and Design, and with media partnership from The List magazine. For further information please contact Alana.laidlaw@creativecarbonscotland.com

 

The post Shortlist Announced for 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award! appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

 

About Creative Carbon Scotland:

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.

Go to Creative Carbon Scotland

Volunteers: Free Energy and Carbon Audit

Creative Carbon Scotland, Open Calls

This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

This Energy and Carbon Audit programme is provided free to selected organisations in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas by a partnership between the Carbon Trust, University of Strathclyde and University of Edinburgh.

The audit will help your organisation understand and reduce energy and other costs in your activities, providing a clear assessment of your organisation’s carbon footprint and a practical action plan to make savings and take positive steps towards environmental sustainability.

Postgraduate students from the respective universities are trained by the Carbon Trust to complete an audit at a site, as part of their studies towards a Masters degree in engineering, carbon management or other related discipline. They will be selected to work with your organisation, backed by the support and experience of the Carbon Trust. This is highly valuable practical experience, carried out to professional standards, benefitting the students’ development and helping to produce a much-needed future generation of skilled technical specialists in business sustainability.

The students will produce a professional-style report at no cost to you, quality assured by specialists at the Carbon Trust. The report will help you better understand the consumption, costs and any wastage of energy in your organisation, to identify and take action to reduce costs and carbon emissions and, ultimately, improve your organisation and increase profits. The student carbon auditors will:

  • ï‚·  Calculate the carbon footprint of your organisation, using data from you energy bills and and elsewhere.
  • ï‚·  Identify opportunities for reducing energy costs and carbon emissions at your organisation.
  • ï‚·  Calculate the energy, cost and carbon savings of the identified opportunities.
  • ï‚·  Estimate any investment and payback period related to each of the identified opportunities.
  • ï‚·  Produce a practical action plan for you to implement the identified opportunities.

Please note, all the information you provide at any point – and the energy and carbon audit report itself – will be kept confidential. Only aggregated results for the whole programme may be reported (unless we seek and receive your written permission otherwise). If you have any questions before, during or after the visit, please contact Roddy Hamilton at the Carbon Trust, at the email address below.

To find out more and to confirm interest in participating in this free programme please send an email with your contact details and brief description of your organisation to: roddy.hamilton@carbontrust.com.

The post Call for Volunteers: Free Energy and Carbon Audit for Creative Carbon Scotland Members appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

 

About Creative Carbon Scotland:

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.

Go to Creative Carbon Scotland

Jonathan Baxter: Murmur – Artists Reflect on Climate Change

ecoartscotland

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

Sarah Gittins, Chloe Lewis, Ellis O’Connor, Meg Rodger and Saule Žuk

5th August – 16th September 2017
10am – 5pm, Free Entry
An Talla Solais, West Argyle Street, Ullapool, IV26 2UG

‘The word “urgency,” rather than crisis, is an energetic term for me. Urgency is energizing, but it’s not about apocalypse or crisis. It’s about inhabiting; it’s about cultivating response-ability.’
(Donna Haraway in conversation with Martha Kenney)

When thinking about this exhibition – the reality of climate change, the devastating impact it’s having and will continue to have on the ecosystems that we all, human and non-human, depend on – the word ‘urgency’ comes to mind. So why is this exhibition entitled Murmur – Artists Reflect on Climate Change? Shouldn’t these artists – like all of us – be shouting out a warning or taking direct action?

It’s tempting to think that action is what we need. (And, of course, we really do need action to address climate change.) But before we act we need to notice there’s a problem. And before we notice there’s a problem we need to notice the wonder: the abundant multiplicity of lifeforms and living systems that make up this teeming planet.

One way to take notice is through art. Both the making of art and the engagement with art. Indeed, as Anne Bogart has written, ‘the true function of art’ is ‘to awaken what is asleep’.

This chimes well with the artists who have made work for this exhibition. When asked what they hoped the exhibition might achieve – knowing full well that art is only one part of a multifaceted response to climate change – their individual answers, although nuanced, were of a piece.

In the interests of opening up the conversation I share some of their responses here (edited and in the order in which we exchanged them):

Saule:

I would like the exhibition to be a space to stop/slow down, to listen to ourselves deep inside and to listen to our environment, to feel what is truly important to us, to feel nature’s impact on us. The only way my work can create a feedback loop is through people, if it pokes or touches them in some meaningful way so they can carry on the ripples … For me, the process of making work for this exhibition does create ripples in my life, and I hope that the workshops and talks will do a similar thing for the audience.

Sarah:

I would like it if my experiences and explorations during my research residency were in some way shared by the viewers of ‘the book’. My conversations and encounters opened up some understanding of what it can mean to work for your livelihood on, in or with the sea. I began to understand how this work depends on a finely balanced ecosystem, how it is being and will be impacted by climate change and how changes in the marine environment set off a chain reaction that is so complex it cannot be fathomed completely, and this complexity is a source of wonder that inspires respect.

With Murmur as a whole I agree with Saule that the exhibition could be a space to slow down, listen deeply and consider. What I wouldn’t like is for the exhibition to temporarily awaken an awareness of climate change that is so gentle as to wash over a person and fade away again quickly. I would love it if it was strong and deeply affecting in a way that makes the questions alive and ignited for the long-haul. If the exhibition inspires deep engagement then that will be a success I think.

Ellis:

I would like people to be challenged by the idea of what they think environmental art should be. I want Murmur to be about communicating climate change through various mediums, creating a dialogue in which people can connect with and understand that there are many layers to the question of climate change and sometimes it’s not about the macro but the micro. The smaller details, the stories, the layers of evidence that are often overlooked are sometimes the most important part of creating a conversation and conveying the evidence of climate change.

Chloe:

I’d like people to make a connection with the natural wonderland, kind of like bridging the gap, reconnecting and reminding the viewer of natural beauty in a positive way. For the exhibition as a whole, I like the idea of people ‘slowing down’ and allowing them to be drawn into the work. But I also think the exhibition should be a place to inspire conversation and interaction between the viewers, to create a buzz of opinions and questions revolving around climate change. Art about climate change can often be negative and uninspiring, leaving people feeling helpless and unmotivated. I hope the exhibition, workshops and talks are going to make a fun and uplifting experience for everyone involved.

Meg:

My work is not political, it is not a call to protest. However, so much of contemporary life is caught up in work, sitting in cars or at desks, taken up with a digital lifestyle. I guess my work is simply a call for us to spend more time outdoors. To breathe the air, to sit quietly and listen, watch, smell and touch … to be. To look closely at small creeping insects and delicate fungi, to watch the clouds and predict the weather, to listen to bird call. By doing so we may start to be more appreciative of what we have around us, what it gives us and what we are set to lose through climate change. By caring more, maybe we can all make changes to how we lead our lives and collective change can make a difference.

It seems unnecessary to add further interpretation. The artists have stated their aims. The rest is an invitation: to slow down, sit quietly and listen, to watch, smell and touch, to ask questions and enter the conversation. Each work is a ripple to inspire further ripples, a murmur growing louder with each call and response.

Jonathan Baxter, Curator

Accompanying the exhibition are a series of workshops and related events. For full details see http://www.antallasolais.org/activities.

Meet the Artists – Family Open Day
5th August, 10am – 12.30pm

From Here to There – Community Print Workshop
led by Jonathan Baxter and Sarah Gittins
15th – 18th & 21st – 24th August, 10am – 12pm and 1pm – 5pm
See the ATS website for timetable updates

Jewellery for Change Workshop
led by Chloe Lewis
12th August, 2 – 5pm

Creative Conversations #4
The Highland Youth Arts Hub in collaboration with An Talla Solais
18th August, 10am – 12pm

Ullapool Green Tease – To see, know, and act
presentations and conversation exploring creativity, climate change and community resilience
Creative Carbon Scotland in collaboration with An Talla Solais
19th August, 2 – 5pm

Deep Time Biodiversity Walk
led by Wayne Fitter (Scottish Natural Heritage) at Knockan Crag
25th August, 11am – 1pm

Deep Time Talk and Film Screening
talk by John McIntyre followed by Fabrizio Terranova’s film Donna Haraway: Storytelling for Earthly Survival
25th August, 7 – 10pm

Deep Time Drawing Workshop
led by Ellis O’Connor at Knockan Crag
26th August, 10am – 4pm

 

About EcoArtScotland:

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.

It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.

Go to EcoArtScotland

Blog: Developing sustainability in the cultural sector

Creative Carbon Scotland

This post comes from Creative Carbon Scotland

One of Creative Carbon Scotland’s five strategic objectives is to influence the ‘structures’ that shape the cultural sector so that they support and encourage individuals and organisations to engage with climate change. We work with organisations that create those structures to use their funding, training opportunities and other means to increase environmental sustainability in the cultural sector itself. We offer various training days and free tools on our website (for example our new Carbon Management Planning tool, which is currently in its development stage) to support organisations in their efforts to become more sustainable.

As part of this work, CCS Director Ben Twist will be taking part in Enterprise Music Scotland’s 2017 event Train and Sustain, working with chamber music ensembles and musicians across Scotland. This builds on work Ben has done with EMS over the last year delivering training sessions for the EMS Board and Promoters.

Train and Sustain provides professional training in delivering music workshops followed by placements allowing participants to put their new skills into practice. At this event, participants will work with Ben Twist on the sustainability of their own practices, as well as with Alec Thompson-Miller (ACE Voices Aberdeen) and Sonia Cromarty (High Heels and Horse Hair/Transplanted) to explore outdoor learning and look at ways in which music can help children connect with nature and the environment.

We want to encourage sustainable behaviour throughout the  cultural sector. That’s why we run workshops throughout the year aiming to reach as many people as possible to share tools and strategies for sustainability Our regular Green Tease events are a platform for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and practices that build links between the arts and sustainability: if you’re in the north or the south, check out our Ullapool and Hawick events on 19 August and 8 September respectively.

Image credit: 2013 Enterprise Music Scotland

 

The post Blog: Developing sustainability in the cultural sector appeared first on Creative Carbon Scotland.

 

About Creative Carbon Scotland:

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.

Go to Creative Carbon Scotland