Cultural collaboration on the Planetary Emergency
The climate crisis is often referred to as a crisis of imagination. Can convening diverse disciplines and ways of thinking foster alternative visions for the future? Museums and science centres are well placed to connect diverse practices such as science, art and the creative sector and invite the public to engage with planetary crises differently.
Speakers will share learnings from multi-disciplinary initiatives including 'Nature of the Future' from the Center for Promotion of Science which convened inter-disciplinary voices and knowledge, Natural History Museum programmes bringing together scientists, artists and activists to reimagine a reciprocal relationship with nature, and the LEVERS project which draws from public engagement, art-science, and psychology to create collaborative learning on a just transition to a sustainable future. An artist whose work explores planetary crises will join remotely to share their thoughts on inter-disciplinary working.
Outcomes: what will participants get from this session? Skills, knowledge, experience etc.
Participants will gain:
- Knowledge in creating engaging content for public audiences that spans science and the arts
- Applicable and proven methods for the integration of diverse disciplines into a creative whole
- Insights from scientists and artists addressing planetary crises regarding both the intentions behind their work and how it is received, and how they envisage the future
- Models of participatory methodologies for the inclusion of citizens into complex, challenging topics
Facilitator
Amsterdam & Leiden
Netherlands
Session speakers
International Partnerships Manager
Camilla co-led a new programme of activity for the Natural History Museum called 'Generation Hope: Act for the Planet' which ran in March 2023. Through active workshops the NHM invited public audiences to engage with scientists, artists and activists to reflect on the climate and biodiversity crises and collectively envisage what alternative futures could look like. Camilla will discuss the outcomes and learnings from these sessions, and others, and invite reflections from participants.
Head of Department of International Cooperation
Lale will present recent initiatives, methodologies and productions which the CPN team has been initiating, developing and running within the framework of the art+science programme. They’re mostly structured through an environment treating scientists and artists equally, allowing them to challenge and upgrade their knowledge and values through a collision with seemingly opposing minds. The ultimate destination of the process are citizens, especially the youth and school children.
Assistant Professor in Science Education
Mairéad is the Principal Investigator of LEVERS, a Horizon Europe project on Open Schooling for science education, operating in 9 European countries. She will discuss the transdisciplinary approach to climate change education taken by LEVERS, involving systems thinking, arts, design and psychology, and combining formal and non-formal science learning.
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is a multidisciplinary artist examining our fraught relationships with nature and technology. Through subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, conservation, and evolution, she explores the human impulse to "better" the world. Her work is in collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and ZKM Karlsruhe. In 2022 she launched Pollinator Pathmaker, a series of living artworks for pollinators, planted and cared for by humans with the long-term desire to create the world’s largest climate-positive artwork. In April 2023, she opens her first U.S. solo exhibition at Toledo Museum of Art.
