Creative solutions for a changing climate
There are a number of organisations working in Australia and in countries around the world to further the sustainability of the arts and the arts role in sustainability. We list a few of them here.
ecoartspace, created in 1997 by Tricia Watts, was one of the first organisations dedicated to art and environmental issues. The organisation is diverse in its approach to connecting arts and environment, but places special emphasis on education and connecting people aesthetically with a broader view of their place within a larger ecosystem.
Founded in 2006 by David de Rothschild, Sculpt the Future Foundation‘s aim is to promote positive environmental change towards global sustainability by supporting creative, innovative and sustainable action. Through the Foundation David runs Adventure Ecology which takes expeditions of scientists, artists and young people to polluted areas of the globe to inspire change. The most recent, Plastiki, took a catamaran from San Francisco to Sydney to tackle the issue of plastic waste in the ocean. A highly awarded and inspiring social entrepreneur, David de Rothschild is on a mission to create a Planet 2.0 model for acting and living.
Cape Farewell was created by David Buckland in 2001 to instigate a cultural response to climate change. Since then Cape Farewell has organised a series of expeditions of artists, communicators and scientists to the High Arctic. The results are published in a book, on the web in a blog, on a DVD of a show that aired on the BBC and throughout exhibitions where these artists have been invited. Behind the organisation is a belief that artists – with their unique vision and approach – can assist in a cultural values shift that engages the public in avoiding dangerous climate change.
The UNEP Art for the Environment initiative aims to generate environmental awareness using the universal language of art as a catalyst for individuals, communities and leaders to focus on environmental values. UNEP promotes the creation and installation of a growing number of exhibits around the world, in conjunction with major events such as World Environment Day (5 June) and the UNEP Champions of the Earth awards. A number of these exhibitions have been focussed on cimate change, including Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock (pictured) – an installation of artists Neil Bell & Ola Sivhed, consisting of a swinging pendulum of melting ice.
Climarte is an Australian alliance of arts practitioners and organisations that advocate for immediate, effective and creative action on climate change. Climarte speaks regularly through public and educational forums and publishes a monthly newsletter with news from this growing field. A key aim of Climarte is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on sustainable Arts practice at an individual and organisational level.
Lyndal Jones: Art, Place and Climate Change
“Julie’s Bicycle was created almost three years ago by a cross section of people from across the music industry who felt strongly about the need for concerted action to improve the environmental impact of the music business. We are a not for profit company with a small staff and a board made up of senior figures from the music industry.” – ony Wadsworth, Julie’s Bicycle Chair and BPI Chairman.
Julie’s bicycle has achieved much in assisting the music, and now the theatre, industry to address their own carbon footprint and leverage their role to reach out to the broader community to affect change.
The Canary Project is Edward Morris and Susannah Sayler, two Americans who have successfully set out to meet the aims of this organisation to energise action on climate change through the production of visual art, design and events that increase understanding of climate change with the public. Since 2006, The Canary Project has generated and supported a diverse body of work, and remains one of only two US arts organisations solely dedicated to art about climate change.
Tipping Point is a UK based organisation dedicated to harnessing imagination in the fight to stabilise the climate. A network-based organisation, Tipping Point connects artists and climate scientists through events, conference and public debates. In addition, Tipping Point provides science briefings for artists and works with arts organisations to address their own climate impact and potential for leveraging change. Tipping Point also has offices in Australia and Canada.
COAL is a Paris-based organisation that stands for ‘coalition pour l’art et le développement durable’, translated as the coalition for art and sustainable development. It brings together professionals in contemporary art with environmental and research professionals. They award an annual prize of 10,000 euros to a contemporary artist proposing an environmentally themed work. They also commission exhibitions, events and generate publications.