The Climate Art Programme: Are We COPing?

I work as a Teaching Fellow at UCL and Jevgenija is an International Initiatives Manager at the V&A, and we set up Climate Art programme independently of our institutions with the view to collaborate with them in the future. The initial inspiration for this was my study of public art and the fact that we found the tone of most environmental communication and art overly negative. Looking at similar research carried out in Norway, we agreed that such an overwhelming existential threat as climate change can also be a reason for individuals not to act. That is why we wanted to create an itinerant participatory public art programme that would focus on inspiring people rather than triggering guilt and shame. In fact, we started working with UCL on a public art residency programme in Somers Town, where at the forefront of the residents’ concerns is the air quality, with HS2 and Crossrail 2 construction, affecting their daily lives. This has, of course, slowed down, but we are hoping to restart the project asap.

Jevgenija and I have also been thinking about Glasgow and what impact, if any, would the hosting of COP26 would have on local communities. And that is why hearing you talk about The Climate Fringe was truly exciting. We want to run a creative workshop with a group of residents and an artist, and the summer leading up to COP would probably be the best time for hosting such an event. We are interested in getting in touch with residents’ groups or local NGOs that might be interested in a public art event. We are, of course, very flexible with dates and are happy to work around schedule/venues availability. I can share more details, once we’ve identified the artist and secured funding for this particular workshop.

If you would like to get involved or find out more, please email [email protected]