Workshop: Sustainability, Democracy and the Arts – Cultural and Artistic Responses to Environmental Change
As the impact of climate change becomes increasingly alarming, the Goethe-Institut and the Prince Claus Fund have joined forces to support initiatives from Africa, Latin and South America, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe that enable cultural practitioners to respond to the threatening changes to nature and our environment through contemporary artistic interventions. These initiatives will be presented in a digital multimedia exhibition curated by Maya El Khalil that will be previewed during the workshop. In conversations with the curator, the participating artists will discuss the role that culture can play in responding to environmental change. How can the arts inspire and motivate us to meet the challenges of climate change? Can artists help modify our present perceptions? Can their radical, trans-disciplinary perspectives on climate justice inspire us to change our habits?
The workshop is part of a series of workshops organized by the Goethe-Institut and the Prince Claus Fund in the context of this year’s NECE activities. Three events, as well as a digital exhibition curated by Maya El Khalil that will be previewed during the conference, present global cultural initiatives that address pressing environmental issues. These activities are part of the Goethe-Institut and the Prince Claus Fund’s joint funding initiative: Cultural and Artistic Responses to Environmental Change. The sessions bring into dialogue artists, practitioners in the field of civic education and experts on climate change and democracy. By connecting leading figures who are driving the conversation on environmental and social justice, the workshop create a multidisciplinary network of solidarity and exchange.