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Conscient Podcast: e125 observer – how do you respond to climate news?

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I take stock of climate news by reading the headlines of the excellent daily newspaper, national observer, for example, on Tuesday April 25th, 2023 these were the headlines : 

‘We might have a coverup problem’: MPs grill Alberta Energy Regulator CEO over oil sands tailings leaks’.

(sound of dripping and filtering from simplesoundscapes e34 goutte)

‘Meet the man turning mushrooms into meat’

(quiet field with crickets)

‘How the pandemic challenged libertarianism’

(crowd at protest)

‘Tide-powered clean energy could help West Coast communities ditch diesel’

(beach in Cuba and truck in Ottawa)

‘Hands off the Greenbelt rally turns up heat on Ford government’

(Anti-Ford government greenbelt policy rally in Ottawa)

‘A wake-up call to oilsands industry to ensure that all necessary measures are in place to prevent future wildlife tragedies’

(loon at lake in Papineau-Labelle reserve and coyotes in Mono, Ontario)

‘Shocking new federal research reveals Alberta oilsands may be vastly underestimating greenhouse gas emissions’

(hiss of gas meter in Ottawa, pavement machine in Ottawa, drone of ferry in Vancouver)

‘What How to Blow up a Pipeline won’t teach you’

(Lynn Canyon forest, North Vancouver)

How do you respond to climate news?

*

This episode involves my reading the headlines of the National Observer newspaper on Tuesday April 25th, 2023 accompanied by field recording from my collection. 

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 National Observer news service.

The post e125 observer – how do you respond to climate news? 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.

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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 :

View the original: https://www.conscient.ca/e125-observer-how-do-you-respond-to-climate-news/

Sustainability, Pedagogy, and Environmental Justice in the Performing Arts

A two-day symposium on sustainability to share good practice and foster conversations across higher education and the performing arts

Fri, 9 Jun 2023 09:15 – Sat, 10 Jun 2023 13:00 BST

Katharine Worth Building Department of Drama & Theatre Royal Holloway, University of London Egham TW20 0BQ United Kingdom

Co-organised by Professor Helen Gilbert, Professor Liz Schafer, and Dr David Bullen

Climate change and related ecological crises unfolding across vast parts of the Earth have given environmentally-focused arts new urgency as well as increased resonance in recent years. At the same time, educational and cultural institutions with a stake in the arts are gradually embedding environmental sustainability into their core vision, albeit sometimes more in principle than in practice. Wider imperatives to heed claims to justice among those disproportionately affected by environmental stress are also poised to inflect discourses and practices in the sector. With these developments in mind, this one-day symposium explores sustainability initiatives in the realm of performance practice and in relation to how we teach, train, research, and act on ecological issues, individually and in tandem with stakeholder groups. Motivating questions for the event include:

  • What do we know about the greening of performance-based arts in Britain and how local ecological actions and/or challenges might connect with initiatives elsewhere?
  • What tools are already available in the creative kits of performance makers, teachers, trainers, curators, scholars and publics who want to prioritise sustainability in the arts, and how can their efficacy be assessed in ecological terms? 
  • What new, performance-related tools, technologies and pedagogical practices are being mobilized—or could be mobilized—to spur better care for the environment in particular places or among specific constituencies? 
  • What roles can hitherto marginalised performance practices among Indigenous and Global South activists play in fostering environmental justice and opening windows to alternative futures? 
  • What present and future platforms could be harnessed for the exchange of ideas, practices and teaching approaches that strengthen and energise ecological action in the performing arts sector?

The symposium is designed to showcase existing research and practice as well as generate and further dialogue in, and between, higher education, performance training, and performance industries. As such, panels will feature short provocations rather than papers. All sessions will be accessible remotely via Teams – joining instructions will be sent to those who register via Eventbrite.

Keynotes include:

  • Kate Mitchell, ‘A Journey at the Intersection of Ecology and Anthropocentric Theatre Tradition’
  • Michael Walling and Vou, a contemporary dance company based in Fiji whose work has toured widely in Asia and Europe, ‘Engaging with Indigenous Ecological Knowledge’
  • Roberta Mock, ‘Transitioning to Sustainable Production with The Theatre Green Book’

Full programme to be released in due course.

Climarte Exhibition – FLOW

Another world is not only possible, she is on her way.
On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.

― Arundhati Roy

In the context of the Climate Emergency, and timed with the end of the financial year, FLOW is an exhibition exploring what a better future looks like.

As a medium of exchange, the word currency is derived from the word current, the origin of which was curraunt meaning flowing (c. 1300). Like thriving ecosystems, healthy economies depend on healthy flows of life sustaining resources.

Examining the flow between money, politics, information and power, artwork in FLOW poses critical questions about financial flows, reminds us of the vital interconnections and interdependencies between all life, and shows the profound possibilities of economic systems based on respect and reciprocity.

Participating artists Melissa Corbett, Rod Gray, Pam Kleemann-Passi, Linda Knight, Jo Lane, Carolyn Lewens, Jenny McCracken, Sarah Metzner, Paul Prato, Jen Rae, Bronwyn Razem, Louise Rippert, Adam Stone, Giselle Wilkinson. Creative Producer Deborah Hart.

Exhibition Details:
Where: CLIMARTE Gallery, 120 Bridge Rd, Richmond
When: 31 May – 1 July 2023

FLOW Artist Talks at CLIMARTE Gallery (more details to come):

Wednesday 14 June 2023, 6 – 7.30pm

Saturday 17 June 2023, 2 – 4pm

Image: Submerge: the coming community video still (2011)
Carolyn Lewens – direction, original concept and cyanotype photograms
Asmund Heimark – animation
Tim Catlin – sound design

Manhattan Global Water Dances Workshops

Join Artichoke Dance Company and Global Water Dances to learn “The Story of Water”

  • Saturday, June 3, 2023 – 5:00 PM 
    Thursday, June 8, 2023 – 7:00 PM
  • Locomotive Lawn Riverside ParkHudson River Greenway &, W 62nd StNew York, NY 10069United States (map)

“THE STORY OF WATER” IS A DANCE BEING PERFORMED AROUND THE GLOBE ON JUNE 10.

Join us June 3rd and/or June 8th from 5 – 7 PM on the Locomotive Lawn in Riverside Park. These workshops are free and open to movers of all backgrounds.

REGISTER FOR THE WORKSHOPS HERE

Global Water Dances is an international event advocating for access to clean and safe water for all.

Workshop participants can join Artichoke Dance Company dancers in performing The Story of Water on Global Water Dances Day, which is June 10.

Apply for the Global Cultural Relations Programme 2023

Have you ever thought about how to bring an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral practice to your work? Have you ever been interested in engaging meaningfully with professionals from another sector to learn from each other and address global challenges?

The Global Cultural Relations Programme (GCRP), the Cultural Relations Platform’s flagship training programme, is a unique opportunity that brings together practitioners from around the world to create meaningful connections and discuss cross-cultural collaborations. We’re announcing a shift in focus for the upcoming edition of GCRP. The past editions were tailored for cultural and creative professionals. For the 2023 edition of GCRP, the Cultural Relations Platform opens the programme also to participants working in the field of climate change and environmental issues.

Apply now for the opportunity to develop lifelong skills, increase your knowledge, build your international network, and engage in interdisciplinary cross-cultural collaboration.

This year the GCRP will take place in Madrid, Spain from 10 – 13 October 2023. The programme will be conducted in English.

Who can take part in the GCRP?
  • Cultural and creative sector professionals
    * This includes but is not limited to:
    • Architecture
    • Audiovisual & Cinema
    • Books & Publishing
    • Cultural heritage
    • Cultural management
    • Design
    • Media
    • Music
    • Performing arts
    • Visual arts
  • Professionals working in the field of climate change and environmental issues
    * This includes but is not limited to:
    • Circular economy
    • Climate & health
    • Climate adaptation
    • Climate charities, campaigns & activist groups
    • Climate finance
    • Climate heritage
    • Climate justice
    • Climate law & policy
    • Climate mitigation
    • Environmental engineering
    • Geography (physical, human, environmental)
    • Indigenous groups & stewards of community-owned heritage
    • Loss and damage
    • Sustainable food systems
Why take part in the GCRP?
  • Build your skills in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaborations through a carefully designed, innovative, and interactive learning programme
  • Network and collaborate with professionals from around the world, facing similar challenges and opportunities
  • Connect with young practitioners and change-makers working in the field of culture or in climate change to engage in peer-to-peer learning
  • Engage in in-depth discussions on the intersectionality of culture and climate change and environmental issues to identify strengths in bringing together the two sectors for potential future collaborations
  • Join the Cultural Relations Platform’s community of 220 GCRP alumni on a long-term basis.
Who are we looking for?
  • The Cultural Relations Platform is looking for 40 professionals and entrepreneurs working in the cultural and creative sectors OR in climate change and environmental issues. We give high priority to participants working in either of these two sectors.
  • You should be aged 25-39, with at least three years’ experience in international/cross-cultural collaboration.
  • You could work for a public, private or civil society organisation, or be a freelancer.
  • You will need to be able to commit to the programme throughout its duration from 10-13 October 2023 and allow time for travel to and from Madrid.
Find out more
Timeline
  • Early to mid-July: Selected participants are informed via email
  • September: Selected participants are announced online
  • Monday 9 October: Participants arrive in Madrid
  • Tuesday 10 October – Friday 13 October: Four full days of programming
  • Saturday 14 October: Participants departure from Madrid
How to apply

Find out more and apply HERE by midnight Central European Summer Time (CEST), Sunday 28 May 2023.

The read-only application form is also available to download in PDF hereApplications will only be accepted if submitted via the link above.

The application form must be completed in English. Applications submitted in another language will not be considered. Applications from those not working in the cultural and creative sectors or in climate change and environmental issues will not be considered.

The Cultural Relations Platform remains committed to providing accessible services and support to people with disabilities and reduced mobility (including accessible venue and accommodation selection, travel-related requirements) as well as for access requirements for programme participation (such as hearing or visual support and adaptations for neurodiversity).

Other languages

Download this information in English and also in: 

Artichoke Ambassadors: Summer Eco-Arts Activism Intensive

A program for artists to become creatively active in countering climate change.

This week long intensive immerses you in art making, activism strategies, environmental justice principles, place based approaches, partnership and community building.

The Artichoke Ambassadors program symbiotically aligns environmentally conscious art making with climate and environmental justice action at collective and individual levels. This educational and mentorship program guides people to become creatively active in climate change, merging arts and activism practices. All artistic mediums are welcome.

Program aims:

  • To cultivate and stimulate thinking, development and action at the intersection of art and climate, and to aid people in their desire to merge the two
  • To encourage and enable young artists to use both their artmaking and their connections to audiences to influence cultural shifts combating climate change. 
  • To inspire motivation to create and share compelling works of art addressing climate change and provide tools to do so.
  • To address the largest challenge of our time with creativity, innovation, and involvement. 
  • To encourage and enable people to take action with confidence. 
  • To foster creative capacities, artistic skill and communication clarity.
  • To build future leaders in arts activism. 
  • To build a network of sustainability and strength for this work.
SUMMER 2023 IN PERSON INTENSIVE:

JUNE 12-17, 2023 | 10AM-6PM DAILY

AT MERCURY STORE IN GOWANUS, BROOKLYN (131 EIGHTH STREET)

To claim your spot in the program, please register by completing the google form linked below. Your registration will not be confirmed until you have sent payment of $650. Payment details are listed in the registration form.

*TRAVELING FROM OUT OF NYC FOR THE INTENSIVE? CONSIDER BOOKING WITH ACE HOTEL (370 4TH AVENUE) USE CODE EYESANDEARS TO RECEIVE A 15% OFF DISCOUNT OFF YOUR STAY!

UKAI – The Carnival of Algorithmic Culture

The Carnival of Algorithmic Culture will bring together researchers, artists, activists, technologists, and community members for two days of workshops, talks, exhibitions, and interactive activities in Toronto to explore the impacts of artificial intelligence on the culture we create and the cultural products to which we have access.

Featuring performances, installations, talks, and workshops to soon be announced.

WHEN: June 23rd and 24th at both Artscape Launchpad and body shop studio on Geary

Invitation: Energy Matters Creative Workshops

As part of Alberta Ecotrust Foundation’s work in the area of energy poverty, we are working with our Artist in Residence, Shumaila Hemani, to explore energy poverty through artistic practice. We are so excited to invite you to Shumaila Hemani’s workshop series: Energy Matters. These series of three workshops aim to create a dialogue about energy accessibility.  

As a person who cares deeply about energy affordability and is eager to find more creative ways to make a change in your community, we invite you to become part of a collaborative process that harnesses the power of art to move others to action toward energy justice. In these fun and engaging workshops, you will have an opportunity to step back and explore how energy relates to you, your community, and your vision for the future. 

Read more about Shumaila and her work here: https://albertaecotrust.com/news/artist-as-changemaker-residence

If you are interested in attending, please email Shumaila Hemani (cc-ed here: shumaila.hemani@gmail.com) with your expression of interest, including the following information:  

i)  Name

ii) Position within the Organization

iii) Your Role in Addressing Energy Poverty

iv) A sentence or two about your interest in the workshop

Organizations are welcome to send more than one participant, so please feel free to share this opportunity with your colleagues. Exact workshop schedule will be determined by a Doodle Poll sent to interested participants. 


The present series that will be held in May is supported by the Trico Changemakers residency and ICASC residency. Energy Matters Creative Workshops would not be possible without the generous support of these organizations.

If your organization are interested in supporting future Energy Matters workshops, please reach out to Shumaila (shumaila.hemani@gmail.com).

Reorienting practice: The role of artists in the climate adaptation emergency

Start: Thursday, June 01, 2023 • 4:00 PM • Eastern Standard Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00)

End: Thursday, June 01, 2023 • 5:00 PM • Eastern Standard Time (US & Canada) (GMT-05:00)

Virtual event: A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP

Host Contact Info:  info@scale-lesaut.ca


le français suit l’anglais

Thursday, June 1

Webinar, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET 

With award-winning artist-researcher Dr. Jen Rae

About the event

Climate change poses challenges that are more severe and complex than anticipated, and existing systems and ways of thinking are poorly equipped to manage them. Finding new ways to collaborate, experiment, plan and shift the paradigm of climate emergency engagement and disaster resilience is an urgent matter. At the same time, the climate emergency presents the greatest threat to the arts and culture ecosystem. As practitioners, we are in a critical time that calls for us to reconsider how we might reorient our practices, bolster our capacities and voices to adapt to the challenges ahead, and how to untether from conventional ways of working within and across institutional structures. 

Join us on June 1st for an inspiring talk with Dr Jen Rae, where she will share experiences and lessons learned through Art House’s REFUGE – a multi-year transdisciplinary project exploring the role of artists and cultural institutions in times of climate catastrophe through multifaceted, context-specific disaster exercises. 

This event will be held in English. 

About the speaker

Dr Jen Rae is an award-winning artist-researcher of Métis and Scottish descent living on unceded Djaara Country, north of Melbourne, Australia. Her research-creation expertise is in the discursive field of contemporary environmental art and arts-based environmental communication. It is centered around cultural responses to climate change/emergency (a.k.a. ‘everything change’*), specifically the role of artists. Her work is engaged in discourses around food justice, disaster resilience and speculative futures predominantly articulated through transdisciplinary collaborative methodologies and community alliances. Jen creates and contributes to experimental multi-platform collaborative projects, including being a core artist of Arts House’s multi-year REFUGE project (2016-2022) – where artists, emergency service providers and communities work together to rehearse climate related emergencies and explore the impact of creativity in disaster preparedness. She is a co-founder of the Centre for Reworlding (C∞R), a collective of Indigenous, people of colour, settler and LGBTIQA2S+ artists, scientists, thinkers and change-makers with a track record of collaboratively working at the intersections of art, the climate emergency leadership, speculative futures and disaster resilience. 

Through their Creative Resilience Lab, events, workshops and projects the C∞R aims to bolster inclusive collaboration and creative leadership in climate emergency response and action. Jen is also a board member of the International Environmental Communication Association and the Creative Recovery Network (AUS).

www.jenraeis.com

www.centreforreworlding.com


Réorienter la pratique : le rôle des artistes dans l’urgence de l’adaptation au climat

Jeudi 1 avril

Webinaire, 4:00 -5:00 pm HAE

Avec artiste-chercheur primée Dr. Jen Rae

À propos de l’événement

Le changement climatique pose des défis plus graves et plus complexes que prévu, et les systèmes et modes de pensée existants sont mal équipés pour les gérer. Il est urgent de trouver de nouveaux moyens de collaborer, d’expérimenter, de planifier et de modifier le paradigme de l’engagement dans les situations d’urgence climatique et de la résilience aux catastrophes. Dans le même temps, l’urgence climatique représente la plus grande menace pour l’écosystème des arts et de la culture. En tant que praticiens, nous vivons une période critique qui nous appelle à reconsidérer la manière dont nous pouvons réorienter nos pratiques, renforcer nos capacités et nos voix pour nous adapter aux défis à venir, et comment nous détacher des méthodes conventionnelles de travail au sein et à travers les structures institutionnelles.

Rejoignez-nous le 1er juin pour une conférence inspirante de Dr. Jen Rae, au cours de laquelle elle partagera les expériences et les leçons tirées d’Art House’s REFUGE – un projet transdisciplinaire pluriannuel explorant le rôle des artistes et des institutions culturelles en période de catastrophe climatique par le biais d’exercices de désastre à multiples facettes et spécifiques au contexte.

Cet événement se déroulera en anglais.

À propos de l’orateur

Dr. Jen Rae est une artiste-chercheuse primée, d’origine métisse et écossaise, qui vit dans la région non cédée de Djaara, au nord de Melbourne, en Australie. Son expertise en matière de recherche-création se situe dans le domaine discursif de l’art environnemental contemporain et de la communication environnementale basée sur l’art. Elle se concentre sur les réponses culturelles au changement climatique/à l’urgence (alias “tout changement “*), et plus particulièrement sur le rôle des artistes. Son travail est engagé dans des discours sur la justice alimentaire, la résilience aux catastrophes et les futurs spéculatifs, principalement articulés à travers des méthodologies collaboratives transdisciplinaires et des alliances communautaires. Jen crée et contribue à des projets expérimentaux de collaboration multiplateforme, notamment en tant qu’artiste principale du projet pluriannuel REFUGE d’Arts House (2016-2022) – où les artistes, les fournisseurs de services d’urgence et les communautés travaillent ensemble pour répéter les urgences liées au climat et explorer l’impact de la créativité dans la préparation aux catastrophes. Elle est cofondatrice du Centre for Reworlding (C∞R), un collectif d’artistes autochtones, de personnes de couleur, de colons et de LGBTIQA2S+, de scientifiques, de penseurs et d’acteurs du changement ayant une expérience de travail collaboratif aux intersections de l’art, du leadership en matière d’urgence climatique, des futurs spéculatifs et de la résilience aux catastrophes.

Grâce à son laboratoire de résilience créative, ses événements, ses ateliers et ses projets, le C∞R vise à renforcer la collaboration inclusive et le leadership créatif dans la réponse et l’action en matière d’urgence climatique. Jen est également membre du conseil d’administration de l’International Environmental Communication Association et du Creative Recovery Network (AUS).

www.jenraeis.com

www.centreforreworlding.com

THE INDIGENOUS YOUTH, ART AND WATER INITIATIVE

This initiative is the first phase of the Indigenous Water Allyship, a meaningful partnership between the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), the One Drop Foundation and partners from the private sector to support First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada by helping to improve living conditions and health through water and art. 

En français

The Indigenous Water Allyship is co-designed and implemented with, by and for First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth and their communities from 2023 to 2030. 

Its first phase, led by CIER, empowers Indigenous youth to express their voice and vision around water-related challenges through art and community-based approaches. The second phase is to develop a long-term program to improve living conditions and health in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada through increased knowledge, leadership, and equitable access to safe water.


Are you interested in collaborating with Indigenous Youth to co-create impactful social art that promotes the significance of water? Are you open to exploring innovative collaborative efforts to challenge the current state of water issues in Canada, particularly those that disproportionately affect Indigenous communities?


The Indigenous Youth, Art and Water Initiative offers technical assistance and financial support of up to $50,000 for organizations interested or actively engaged in social art projects addressing water issues by Indigenous communities and collaborators.

For more information on this opportunity please contact: 

rterbasket@yourcier.org or tmckay@yourcier.org

Please submit your application by June 11, 2023!