Monthly Archives: February 2014

Corporate sustainability messaging isn’t working – it’s time to look to the arts

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

UN Climate Change Summit

A Copenhagen art work uses red blinking LED-light to symbolise that the world is moving towards a climate catastrophe. Photograph: Miguel Villagran/Getty Images

This great article by Oliver Balch in The Guardian explains why the arts can be a powerful tool to help communities address climate change challenges.

Filed under: Climate Communication

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

Go to Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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DIY art mediums and materials

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

Linda Weintraub and Natalie Jeremijenko want to artists to make their materials and mediums themselves from resources around them, rather than always sourcing from art stores.

Linda Weintraub is a curator, educator, artist, and author.  Her many books including To Life: Eco Art in Pursuit of a Sustainable Planet, Cycle-Logical Art: Recycling Matters for Eco-Art, and Eco-Centric Topics: Pioneering Themes for Eco-Art.

Natalie Jeremijenko is an artist and engineer known for her projects such as How Stuff is Made, Feral Robots and Environmental Health Clinic.

You can access recipes and instructions as well as contribute your own at DIY Mediums.

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

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Into the Forest – Review by David Borthwick

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

Mandy Haggith, ed., Into the Forest: An Anthology of Tree Poems (Glasgow: Saraband, 2013), pp. 280.

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Into the Forest, cover image by Carry Ackroyd (by permission Saraband)

An early linkage between literature and ecology in the recent revival of nature writing, Kim Taplan’s book Tongues in Trees (1989) investigated the connection between humans and woodland, trying to tease out our obsession with but also phobia about these tremendous, living forms that surround and frequently dwarf us:

Because they are primeval, because they outlive us, because they are fixed, trees seem to emanate a sense of permanence.  And though rooted in earth, they seem to touch the sky.  For these reasons it is natural to feel we might learn wisdom from them, to haunt about them with the idea that if we could only read their silent riddle rightly we should learn some secret vital to our own lives.[1]

In Gossip from the Forest (2012), Sara Maitland used stories and essays precisely to ‘haunt about’ forests in search of connections, and secrets.

For the past few years poet, novelist and environmental campaigner Mandy Haggith has been gathering together poems which speak of the folklore, mythology, inspiration and ecology of forest habitats.  Her windfall has now been collected in an exciting (and beautifully-illustrated) new anthology Into the Forest.

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Kate Cranney, Oak leaf, from Into the Forest (by permission Saraband)

Emerging from the A-B-Tree / A-B-Craobh project, a series of creative events celebrating woodland, the anthology follows the Gaelic tree alphabet (every letter of the Gaelic alphabet, Haggith informs us, has an associated tree or shrub).  The anthology is a documentary of native woodland species, then, as well as a collection of poetry.  Each section, from Birch to Bramble, Pine to Heather, Willow to Yew, begins with an introduction to the tree’s principal features in terms of its ecological properties, its mythological associations, and historical uses: ‘birch makes good firewood, is light and easy to whittle or turn on a lathe, and its sap has many medicinal purposes.’  We are told that ‘you can see the present, past and future on an alder branch: last year’s empty cones, this year’s cones and next year’s catkins, and to the Greeks, alder was sacred to the god time of, Kronos.’

Within each section, we find a dizzying array of poets historical and contemporary, from giants of the poetry canon such as Seamus Heaney, Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost to contemporary poets including John Glenday, Thomas A. Clark, and Haggith’s fellow Walking with Poets resident Jean Atkin.

There are very few weak poems here, and Haggith has carefully selected examples within each section which are capable of holding a dialogue with each other to further illuminate or question the tree species they feature.  Linda Saunders’ Birch tree in November is ‘the stripped tree, scraffiti of branches / against morning’s dull steel’, contrasting with G.F. Dutton’s young birches which ‘shriek green laughter up the hill / billow on billow.’  The trees go on transforming within, between, and across the collection.  The metamorphic, protean, liquid nature of trees is emphasised: rooted forms which are nevertheless rarely static: ‘The tree leans, he / is about to move, he / has achieved a rigid balance between / moving and not moving, earth and air’ (Robin Fulton MacPherson, ‘Variations on a Pine Tree).

The anthology is a careful and thoughtful one, which has grown out of interactions with woodland, with people, with poetry, and shows the way in which they are entwined, connected, in possession of a shared system of roots.


[1] Kim Taplan, Tongues in Trees: Studies in Literature and Ecology (Bideford, Devon: Green Books, 1989), p. 14.

David Borthwick teaches literature and the environment at the University of Glasgow’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies in Dumfries. His current research at the Solway Centre for Environment and Culture explores contemporary ecopoetry.

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

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The Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity

This post comes to you from Cultura21

Fom September 2nd to 6th 2014, the 4th International Degrowth Conference will take place in Leipzig, Germany. Its aim is to seek for alternate models of society and economy, beyond a growth paradigm that leads from crisis to crisis.

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Many analyses from various scientific disciplines imply that a growth-based economic and social system cannot have a future: Despite a growing number of technological solutions for a “Green Growth”, global emissions and the consumption of resources are significantly on the rise. It is now high time to develop economic and social models that are independent of growth, and to uncover viable alternatives to the imminent imperative of growth.

Along with scientific exchange there will be ample space for open and activity-oriented formats, aiming to link different approaches and to convert them into reality.
In more than 50 scientific seminars, workshops, areas of practice and artistic contributions every day, alternatives to the economic growth paradigm and their possible realization will be explored, both theoretically and pratically. The conference will be a place to create new ideas, develop visions, show vital options of community and discuss them openly.

Call for Papers

The submission deadline for scientific core session papers, short papers and poster sessions has been extended to the 28th of February 2014. However, please submit your papers for special sessions until 31st of January 2014.

– The Call for Papers is to be found here: http://leipzig.degrowth.org/en/call-for-papers/

– Information concerning the submission process: http://leipzig.degrowth.org/en/submission-of-papers/

Call for Participation

The deadlines of the Call for Participation have been extended. Please submit your contribution for seminars, workshops, fields of practice, artistic contributions etc. until February 28th 2014.

– To submit a contribution, please use our web form: http://leipzig.degrowth.org/en/contributions/

– Call for participation: http://leipzig.degrowth.org/en/call-for-participation/
– For questions, please contact callforparticipation@degrowth.de

Programme

The conference will consist of an opening night, three complete days and a closing morning session. The opening event will be open for the general public. Along with a final discussion, the closing event will include a festival. The conference unfolds in three steps which offer a common perspective and a general framework respectively to each full day:

> Wednesday, 03.09.2014: Facing the current crisis: critique & resistance.
> Thursday, 04.09.2014: Building alliances.
> Friday, 05.09.2014: Visions and strategies for transformation.

Website: http://leipzig.degrowth.org/en/

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Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

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The 8th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research (ICCPR)

This post comes to you from Cultura21

The 8th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research will take place in Hildesheim, Germany, from September 9th to 12th, and in Berlin, from September 12th to 13th, 2014.

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ICCPR2014 aims to provide a space for exploring cultural policies, their meanings, roles and impact in an interdisciplinary and international environment. This exploration is not restricted to the contemporary period, or any geographical area. The conference assumes no fixed understanding of the concepts of culture or policy.

In Germany, where the ICCPR2014 takes place, cultural policy is most commonly understood as Gesellschaftspolitik, or ‘society policy‘. Whilst this will form one of the main themes of the conference, encompassing the broad field of culture and development and especially the relations of cultural policy, the arts and development processes in society, the ICCPR2014 will be welcoming papers from across the whole spectrum of cultural policy studies.

Call for Proposals
Proposals for panels (thematic sessions) and individual papers (paper sessions) on the study of cultural policy and the relationship between culture and politics broadly defined are invited. Proposals in the widest range of disciplines, provided they make an original academic contribution to the conference theme, are welcome and encouraged. Proposals based on research on cultural policy that is primarily ‘instrumental’ (such as market research) or on research designed for the purposes of advocating a preconceived institutional position will not be accepted. This does not exclude applied research of high academic quality.

Proposals are to be send to iccpr2014[at]uni-hildesheim.de

Submission deadline will be February 1st 2014.

More information on proposals

Programme

Website

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Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

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Street Poetry

This post comes from Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

The Earth Without Art Is Just Eh

From Street Art Utopia.

Filed under: Poetry, Visual Arts

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Artists and Climate Change is a blog by playwright Chantal Bilodeau that tracks artistic responses from all disciplines to the problem of climate change. It is both a study about what is being done, and a resource for anyone interested in the subject. Art has the power to reframe the conversation about our environmental crisis so it is inclusive, constructive, and conducive to action. Art can, and should, shape our values and behavior so we are better equipped to face the formidable challenge in front of us.

Go to Chantal Bilodeau’s Artists and Climate Change Blog

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Open call STRANGE WEATHER at Science Gallery, Dublin

This post comes to you from EcoArtScotland

Strange Weather

Should we adapt to a world of Strange Weather, or attempt to prevent it? How can we model, control and even generate weather? How can we sustain our planet and human culture into the future?

“Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” ― Mark Twain

Calling all future forecasters, weather hackers and planetary visionaries: Science Gallery is seeking project proposals for our upcoming summer exhibition STRANGE WEATHER. To apply, read on or visit the STRANGE WEATHER website. The deadline to submit your ideas is 14.02.14.

What is really going on with the weather? How can scientists and designers help us understand weather systems? How can we understand and respond to climate change? STRANGE WEATHER is a curated exhibition that will bring together meteorologists, artists, climate scientists, cloud enthusiasts and designers to explore how we model, predict, and even create weather.

How has the human experience of weather changed over millennia, and how will it change in the next 50 years? Will future weather be more, or less predictable and controllable? Should we attempt to prevent a future of STRANGE WEATHER, or embrace it? From hurricanes to droughts, from cloud-seeding to greenhouse gases, weather is of greater concern than ever. What consequences and opportunities will arise from the changing weather of our planet?

Curated by CoClimate, this exhibition will challenge audiences with novel visions of a global culture adapting to extreme weather, and zooms in, to explore how STRANGE WEATHER will affect daily commutes, the governance of our cities, and even our fashion choices.

Science Gallery is interested in works that offer a participative and interactive visitor experience for a broad age-range of visitors, especially those aged 15-25. We seek projects that inform, intrigue, provoke dialogue and engage audiences directly, making the complex and emotional topic of extreme weather and climate change more relevant to everyday experiences. In particular, we are looking for projects that connect massive planetary-scale systems to personal, localised and individual lived experience.

Science Gallery is interested in receiving proposals on a wide variety of topics including, but not limited to:

  • Tools for predicting and preparing for severe weather, climate change, and environmental change.
  • Climate change and the everyday: projects that respond to the consequences of climate change. e.g. how will climate change affect fashion, entertainment, transportation and education?
  • Examples and critiques of weather manipulation and GeoEngineering.
  • Tools for mapping the planet: from satellites, to ocean drones and weather balloons.
  • Designs that mitigate environmental change: architecture for migrating species, water management for more severe flooding, smog and air quality detection and prevention.
  • Future scenarios for cities, governance and culture on a changed planet.
  • Works that show how weather information is collected, compiled and disseminated.
  • Exhibits that speak to the social, cultural and political implications of strange weather and climate change.
  • Participatory experiences, field trips, site visits and workshops.
  • Scientific experiments that utilise data/participation from visitors.
  • Forecasting, not just of weather, but of many kinds of environmental patterns and change.
  • Your amazing project that is relevant to the theme ‘Strange Weather’.

CURATORS & ADVISORS

  • CoClimate, a think tank that studies the technologies and tactics used for sculpting the biosphere of planet Earth
  • ​Michael John Gorman, Founding Director of Science Gallery and CEO of Science Gallery International
  • Martin Peters, Computational Scientist at the Irish Centre for High Energy Computing
  • Gerald Fleming, Head of Forecasting at Met Eireann

APPLICATION DETAILS

The open call will close at 12 midnight on Friday February 14th 2014. To apply visit our open call site. If you have any questions about the application process, please send them to strangeweather@sciencegallery.com.

SCIENCE GALLERY, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
+353 1 896 4091
info@sciencegallery.com
www.sciencegallery.com

P.S. The curators note there is a budget for selected artists to make the work.  Thanks to Aviva Rahmani for highlighting this call.

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

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