As I write this, devastating wildfires continue to rage: the city of Yellowknife, as well as the neighbouring Dene communities of Ndilo and Dettah are being evacuated. as well as the neighbouring Dene communities of Ndilǫ and Dettah are being evacuated, the town of Enterprise has been destroyed and our heartfelt condolences go out to those who lost loved ones in Maui, Hawaii. If we’ve learned anything this summer – after a series of heatwaves, wildfires, and floods – it’s that climate change is no longer something that might affect us in the future; it’s here, and it’s demanding action now. In light of recent events, we want to emphasize the role of hope – not as wishful thinking or passive waiting – but as the result of direct engagement with the climate emergency. In the words of Jane Goodall: “Hope is often misunderstood. People tend to think that it is simply passive wishful thinking: I hope something will happen but I’m not going to do anything about it. This is indeed the opposite of real hope, which requires action and engagement.” With so much loss, despair and grief may be the most natural responses. With this newsletter, we invite you to seek hope through participation in a common project of transformation. You may do this through your art, by engaging in your neighborhood, within your organization or by supporting systemic change. There are countless ways in which we can make a difference, as individuals and as a sector. In this newsletter, we aim to showcase examples of inspiring work at the crossroads of art and climate, offering paths for involvement, but above all, a sense of community anchored in our shared desire for a more just and sustainable future. Let’s get to it. We’re also very excited to announce our upcoming webinar on climate justice on September 5th with Julius Lindsay, Director, Sustainable Communities at the David Suzuki Foundation and co-founder of the Black Environmentalist Alliance, and Syrus Marcus Ware, Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator. Registration will open this week. Please look for details in your inbox. Thanks to all of you who’ve shared news, articles and work in progress with us over the past month. We’re always eager to hear what keeps you inspired. Onwards, Julia MatamorosCommunications LeadSCALE-LeSAUT
Kim Richards
Kimberly Skye Richards is a settler scholar whose writing, teaching, activism, and artistic work engages performance as a vehicle for resisting extractivism, inspiring just transitions, and moving through impasse. She obtained a PhD in Performance Studies from the University of California-Berkeley in 2019, and she was a 2021 Public Energy Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow in Transition in Energy, Culture, and Society at University of Alberta. She co-edited an issue of Canadian Theatre Review on “Extractivism and Performance” (April 2020), which won the 2022 Patrick O’Neill Award for editing in theatre research at the Canadian Association of Theatre Research. She has also published in TDR: The Drama Review, Theatre Research in Canada, Theatre Journal, ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, Sustainable Tools for Precarious Times, and An Ecotopian Lexicon: Loanwords to Live With. Kim is currently teaching in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media at the University of British Columbia. Her recent dramaturgical work focuses on climate grief and transition anxiety. She is on the Mission Circle of SCALE, the Board of Directors for the CSPA, and has been part of the first Artist Brigade cohort convened by The Only Animal.
For this month’s spotlight, we had the privilege to speak with the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE). Read below what Claude Schryer, Board Chair of CASE, had to tell us about the Association and the extensive field of acoustic ecology.
Who is the Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE)? Why was it created? The Canadian Association for Sound Ecology (CASE) is a multidisciplinary coalition of Canadian individuals and institutions concerned with the state of the soundscape. It was created in 1996 as the Canadian Affiliate Organization of the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology (WFAE). Acoustic Ecology is the study of the relationship between living organisms and their sonic environment (or soundscape). CASE’s mission is to improve the acoustic quality of a place wherever possible, to protect and maintain acoustically balanced soundscapes where they still exist and to draw attention to unhealthy imbalances in this relationship.
How is CASE’s work in acoustic ecology relevant in the context of the ecological crisis? CASE’s work contributes to artistic and scientific efforts to promote a healthy acoustic ecology through a range of practices including listening and dialogue, advocating for public privacy and authenticity in field recordings, advancing ethical considerations in soundscape ecology, involving community perspectives in soundscape ecology research, integrating soundscape ecology with other fields, translating research findings into tangible outcomes, etc. H
ow can people engage with CASE and/or the acoustic ecology community? SCALE members can contact or join CASE here: https://www.soundecology.ca
*Soundscape ecology is the study of sound and of how sounds of different origins shape the world around them. It is about how life on our planet, including our own, is shaped by its auditory environment.
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OPEN CALLS
Call for Public Art & Sustainability Facilitator – August 21st deadline The Bentway Conservancy is s seeking a Public Art & Sustainability Facilitator to help shape a process to better define what sustainability means for the programming and production of temporary artworks in the public realm. The process of engagement will include nation-wide partners alongside a smaller Steering Committee composed of those partners.
Call for Public Art & Sustainability Facilitator – August 21st deadline The Bentway Conservancy is s seeking a Public Art & Sustainability Facilitator to help shape a process to better define what sustainability means for the programming and production of temporary artworks in the public realm. The process of engagement will include nation-wide partners alongside a smaller Steering Committee composed of those partners.
INHABIT // Artist-in-Residence Program – August 31 deadline The INHABIT Artist-in-Residence Program of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics invites artists from various disciplines to collaborate with their team of scientists and researchers. INHABIT invites artists to spend three months creating new work, or further developing an existing project, in a scientific research environment. The institute will provide space, resources, and facilities for productive experimentation, dialogue, and collaboration. Work developed during the residency will be presented in cooperation with various local arts institutions in the form of an exhibition, performance, concert, or other mode of presentation, and complemented by discursive formats.
Photograhy4Humanity Global Contest on Climate Justice – August 31 deadline The 2023 Global Contest has turned its lens towards climate justice. The contest is looking for images that show people impacted by the escalating climate crisis, appealing to climate change as a human rights issue. All photography must relate to people being impacted by climate change, and/or people trying to reverse and/or mitigate climate change. The 2023 Global Prize Recipient will receive $5,000 USD.
Loss and Damage in Focus at COP28: Submit your photograph – September 1st deadline The WIM Executive Committee will present Loss and Damage in Focus: Ten Years of the Warsaw International Mechanism, a photography exhibition that will take place at COP 28. The exhibition will feature select photos from a diverse set of contexts to illustrate responses to loss and damage and possible solutions, while telling the stories of the people and the communities on the frontlines of climate change. Amateurs as well as professionals are encouraged to submit photographs. You can submit your photos easily by email. Please find details regarding the photo submission process outlined below.
Globus Call: across cultural, geographical and disciplinary boundaries – Sept 14 deadline In a time of growing inequality, community disruption and an escalating climate crisis, the ability of art and culture to look beyond fixed categories, and to build and sustain links across the boundaries of different contexts, is more relevant than ever. The Globus Call responds to this need by welcoming projects that work with experimental approaches and methods, and which strive to explore interactions between the local and the global. Applicants from all over the world can apply for funding through Globus Call. Applicants can be individuals, groups, associations and companies, as well as organizations or institutions in public or private sector.
#CreateCOP28 Open Call – October 16th deadline #CreateCOP28 invites creatives of all nationalities, races, genders and faiths, aged 14-30 to submit work that generates conversations around the urgent need for climate action and raises awareness of the issues that must be considered at COP28, the United Nations’ annual climate summit. Finalists will be awarded cash prizes of $10k, $5k or $2k. Creatives can apply with any medium, including photography, film, performance art, new media, social media projects, fashion design, spoken word, and musical compositions at artpartner.com
THIS MONTH’S NEWS
New Living Climate Impact Framework
The brand New Living Climate Impact Framework for the Arts is out! The framework explores indicators for measuring arts’ impact on environmental sustainability and is intended to foster climate action and adaptation. The Living Climate Impact was created by Emma Bugg at Dalhousie University and developed in collaboration with CreativePEI. Congratulations to Mass Culture and Emma Bugg on this huge milestone and contribution to the sector!
‘It’s positive, not apocalyptic’: can climate change art help save the planet?
The climate emergency has inspired a raft of disquieting art, and opinion is divided as to whether it encourages action or despair. But some artists are showcasing a more optimistic vision of tomorrow’s world.
Eco Exhibitions Won’t Save Us
An opinion piece from Art Review which calls for a shift in emphasis in eco art: “This proposed shift in art’s function from the production of speculative art objects to one of material praxis, particularly with regard to ecological art, inevitably dredges up the age-old question: what is art’s function? Given the current state of ecological degradation, perhaps it’s time for a more concerted effort towards action… Does this necessitate a fundamental shift in how we define art? Yes. But in times like this such rules are made to be broken.
Sustainability as a Muse: Inspiring Eco-Artists Around the World
From innovative materials to thought-provoking installations, Ki Culture’s latest blog piece explores the powerful intersection of art and sustainability.
Climate disrupts festival planning
Heat, thunderstorms, smog, torrential rain. The weather increasingly complicates the work of stage technicians and artists working outdoors during the summer season. Aware of this new reality shaped by climate change, festival organizers have no choice but to adapt, not without some concern for the future. (In French).
Using design as a ‘positively disruptive force’ in circular economy
An interview with award-winning designer, entrepreneur and social scientist Dr. Leyla Aacaroglu on using design as a ‘positively disruptive force’. Leyla has helped countless creative and social enterprises to gain the critical skills they need to contribute to a circular and regenerative future, she was also one of the Make it Circular Challenge winners. Leyla speaks about the responsibility of design and its connection to circular economy and systems thinking.
READING/ LISTENING
The Long Time Academy Podcast
Over six episodes, activist and storyteller Ella Saltmarshe will take you on a journey to discover how to become a better ancestor. You will learn from scientists, politicians, economists, artists, philosophers, lawyers and indigenous wisdom-holders. Contributors include Roman Krznaric, Brian Eno, George the Poet, Adrienne Maree Brown, and Celeste Headlee. The podcast is meant to give you a sense of spaciousness and awe, inspiring you to make change in your own communities, workplaces and worlds. Enjoy!