Environmental Art and Green Economy at COP23 in Bonn

Von: Environment Europe <environment.europe@gmail.com>
An: Climate Change Info Mailing List <climate-l@lists.iisd.ca>
Datum: 29. Oktober 2017 um
Betreff: Environmental Art and Green Economy at COP23 in Bonn

Dear Colleagues,

Environment Europe Ltd is very pleased to announce a Green Economy and Environmental Art focused session at the forthcoming UNFCCC COP23 meeting in Bonn to take place at 15:00 November 17th, [2017] in the Press Conference Room 2 in the Bula Zone.

Environmental art could be a new language to reach the hearts and minds of wider public on the most important issues our planet is facing. The “Magical Realism” series to be exhibited at the forthcoming United Nations UNFCCC COP23 meeting in Bonn is drawing our attention to the importance of ecosystems in everything we do. 'Magical realism' series depicts ecologically sensitive and often protected areas in Latin America. Through his work with International Union for Conservation of Nature, the artist developed a new approach to assess the value of ecosystems, highlighting social, ecological and economic dimensions. By capturing unique and meditative landscapes in most exotic locations, the artist aims to communicate the fragile beauty of nature, something money can’t buy. Ecosystems support life on this planet, regulating water cycles, generating oxygen, capturing CO2, absorbing dust, purifying water and processing organic waste. Ecosystems need to be restored and preserved for other reasons other than economic. What is required seems to be a paradigm shift in economic thinking, that could be inspired by ecological economics, a new interdisciplinary field.

The new series from Colombia, one of the world’s “megadiverse” countries, hosting close to 10% of the planet’s biodiversity according to the Convention on Biological Diversity, includes travel notes from high altitude wax palm forest 'El Bosque la Samaria', a charming coffee-producing town of Salamina, Colombian humming birds, Sumapaz Paramo National Park, the beautiful and colourful Cartagena de Indias, the ancient Spanish port city, which saw violent pirate attacks from Francis Drake, and, finally, Tayrona National Park on the Caribbean coast, where fresh jaguar footprints were found on one of the beaches. A small selection of images from this series, made using Hasselblad medium format film camera and Fuji film will be exhibited at the forthcoming United Nations COP23 meeting in Bonn.

Environmental art can be a powerful language to attract attention to the world’s most important problems: climate change, biodiversity loss, plastics pollution in our oceans, the impact our production activities have on this planet. Following in the footsteps of great environmental artists: Sebastiao Salgado, Edward Burtynsky, James Balog, David Maisel and Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Dr Stanislav Shmelev trying to address the issues the world is facing not just through the language of science but the language of art. Engaging the audience’s emotional intelligence and the art historical connotations, his works are aiming to make people pause and think. The most interested viewer could of course read the volumes of theory that Dr Shmelev has edited and written. One of them is called ‘Ecological Economics: Sustainability in Practice’ (2012) and has become a bestseller with over 26000 downloads. The executive education Summer and Winter Schools in Ecological Economics which Dr Shmelev has initiated and run are focusing on inspiring change for sustainability and have already been attended by participants from 52 countries.

The forthcoming session to take place on the 17th of November 2017 will also be a cause for celebration of a new collaborative book that Dr Shmelev has edited. It is entitled 'Green Economy Reader' and is a collection of though provoking articles by the leading sustainability thinkers of our time. State of the art in sustainability thinking, inspired by interdisciplinary ideas of ecological economics, this book is focusing on sustainability pathways, new economic theory, democracy and institutions, multidimensional assessment of sustainability, macroeconomic modelling and policies, climate change and renewable energy, resource flows and circular economy, regenerative cities, environmental conflicts and values. It will be helpful for MSc and PhD students in Economics, Management, Environmental Change, Ecological Economics, Development Economics, Sustainability and practitioners in business, international and nongovernmental organizations, such as UNDP, UNEP, IUCN, OECD. Rich, diverse and thought provoking collection of top level contributions, it will help to facilitate the transition towards sustainability and educational reform.

This is what the endorsements read:

• A fabulous composition of papers by the authors who really count! -- Ernst von Weizsäcker, The Club of Rome
• The authors present a refreshing perspective on the possibilities of human progress in harmony with nature, without the need for economic growth to secure long term human welfare and wise use of nature's services. Extremely relevant. -- Peter May, Past President, International Society for Ecological Economics and Professor, UFRRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• The book goes well beyond the Green Economy, offering arguments and blueprints for a complete makeover of the current economic system. With multi- and interdisciplinary contributions ranging from moderately to fundamentally critical of current economics, it raises fundamental questions of value and power, draws on a wide range of theories, opens the eyes for the historical processes that brought about the current crises and demonstrates the value of ecological, but also classical economic thinking to their solution. If better politics require better theories, this is a must read for academics and decision makers in the time of climate crisis. -- Joachim Spangenberg, Sustainable Europe Research Institute, SERI Germany e.V.

The book could be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Economy-Reader-Ecological-Sustainability/dp/3319389173/

Press inquiries regarding the forthcoming presentation at UNFCCC COP23 meeting in Bonn should be directed to director@environmenteurope.org

Dr Stanislav Shmelev is an award winning British photographer, painter, and ecological economist. Holding PhD in Ecological Economics (2003), a LEAD Europe Fellowship (2007) and named on of top four most promising young economists in the world by the Handelsblatt Newspaper.

Stanislav combines his interest in fine art and sustainability and expresses his admiration for the natural world through oil paintings and photographs, printed on aluminium plates. Passionate about green economy, nature protection and sensitive ecosystems, Stanislav creates evocative environmental landscapes inspired by his travels in Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, UK, France and the countries of the Mediterranean. Formerly a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, Senior Researcher at the Oxford University, and Visiting Professor at Universities of Geneva, Paris and Versailles.

Stanislav devotes all his energy to the promotion of sustainability ideas both through the language of art and of science. Stanislav has been a Member of the St Ives Arts Club, was represented by DEBUT Contemporary Gallery in Notting Hill (London), had several solo shows at Oxford University, exhibited with the STITCH ‘Art for the Earth’ auction in London alongside Vivienne Westwood and Marc Quinn, STITCH & OCEANA show at PHILLIPS (London), Swiss Cottage Gallery (London), Royal College of Art (London), O3 Gallery (Oxford), OVADA Gallery (Oxford), Studio 44AD (Bath), Prince Galitzine Library (St Petersburg), British Council (St Petersburg), FOTONOVIEMBRE de Tenerife International Photography Festival (Spain), Brighton Photo Biennial 2014 (Brighton), Brighton Photo Fringe 2014 (Brighton), Global Landscapes Forum (Lima, Peru), United Nations (Vienna, Austria) and is selling his work through SAATCHI ART. 

Stanislav is an author ‘Ecological Economics: Sustainability in Practice’ (Springer, 2012) and author and editor of 'Green Economy Reader' (Springer, 2017) and 'Sustainability Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach' (Palgrave, 2012). His image ‘Complex Systems. Dorset’ is published by National Geographic in an edited volume.

--

Dr Stanislav E. Shmelev
Director, Environment Europe Ltd,
Oxford, UK

Environment Europe Limited is incorporated in the United Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 as a private company, Reg. 9328647
Tel: +44(0) 7729 733366
E-mail: director@environmenteurope.org
http://environmenteurope.org/education/7 http://twitter.com/#!/Environment_EU http://twitter.com/#!/Environment_Art http://www.facebook.com/EnvironmentEurope

New article: Shmelev and van den Bergh (2016) Optimal Diversity of Renewable Energy Alternatives under Multiple Criteria: an Application An Application to the UK': http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116001301

New book: Shmelev S.E. (2016) Green Economy Reader: Lectures in Ecological Economics and Sustianability: http://www.springer.com/kr/book/9783319389172 New book: Ecological Economics: Sustainability in Practice (Springer, 2012) http://www.springer.com/economics/book/978-94-007-1971-2

New book: Sustainability Analysis: an Interdisciplinary Approach (Palgrave, 2012) http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=539023

In a Time of Change (ITOC)

The In a Time of Change (ITOC) program is a strong and well-developed model for art/sci collaborations at field stations, marine labs and artist residencies.

ITOC is a large effort that links a cohort of artists with dozens of scientists for over a year; but the model is scalable to smaller programs, shorter time periods and modest exhibitions. ITOC provides a potential partnership opportunity with museums and galleries near your field station, and could be structured as a university semester program linking art and science grad students. Or the program could provide a Broader Impacts opportunity to NSF-funded researchers at your site.

[ITOC] was founded in 2008 by artists and scientists in Fairbanks with support from University of Alaska - Fairbanks and the Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research program.

ITOC recognizes that the arts, humanities, and sciences bring different, yet synergistic perspectives and reactions to the natural world. Collaborations between the arts, humanities and sciences engage people at the intellectual, intuitive, and emotional levels, and strengthen their appreciation for the environments and ecosystems in which they live. Combining these diverse perspectives also yields greater success in solving complex environmental problems and promoting outreach and education than science alone. 

ITOC was co-founded and is directed by Mary Beth Leigh, an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Wildlife and the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Leigh is an environmental microbiologist with a background in the fine arts as a dancer, choreographer, and musician. She has a strong interest in fostering collaborative arts-humanities-science activities.

The ITOC programs connect a cohort of artists with numerous scientists over many months. The artists learn about the current project theme in the lab, the classroom and the field: on the UAF campus, the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest and the Toolik Field Station. Artists in the program then develop works inspired by the theme.

Artistic media have included painting, sculpture, tile, printmaking, textiles, artist books, writing and multimedia, The project artworks are presented through gallery exhibits, websites, public readings, and other events. ITOC works have been included in exhibits at the National Science Foundation headquarters in Arlington, VA.

Past ITOC programs were themed on Microbial Worlds (2017),  Trophic Cascades (2013), The Art of Fire (2012), Envisioning the Future (2010), In a Time of Change (2008).

Another model that can be quickly adopted by additional field stations is the Ecological Reflections program at the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest.

Helicon report on Socially Engaged Artistic Practice

 "A working definition of “socially engaged art” is artistic or creative practice that aims to improve conditions in a particular community or in the world at large"

Strangely, socially engaged art generally doesn't refer to art that addresses environmental issues from an ecological perspective. This kind of art can change policy and effect cultural change around the grand environmental challenges of the 21st century. Environmental issues are at the root of much social injustice.

Nevertheless, this recent report may offer useful insight into artistic practices that could complement and extend the science occurring at field stations and marine labs. More info about the report here:

"Mapping the Landscape of Socially Engaged Artistic Practice" 

Alexis Frasz & Holly Sidford
Helicon Collaborative
#artmakingchange

Alliance of Artist Communities - 2018 Emerging Program Institute, October 13-15, 2018

Field stations and marine labs with a current or proposed artist residency should seriously consider attending this AAC training, which

"...combines best practices from the arts-and-cultural sector with specific, hands-on information about artist residencies."

Held October 13-15, 2018 in Philadelphia, PA, "this training combines best practices from the arts-and-cultural sector with specific, hands-on information about artists' residencies.

Whether you are still in the early dreaming stage of creating an artist colony or working with an established institution that is developing a new residency program, the Emerging Program Institute will offer models for success, a community of peers, and access to residency leaders, funders, and connectors. #aac18epi

Topics include:

• community engagement and the relevance of place 
• building a support base and funding your program 
• equity and access in artist outreach, engagement and selection 
• business planning for artist residencies 
• "ask an expert" panels of residency leaders, artists and government funders 
• case studies, site visits - and more!

PLEASE NOTE: We cap attendance at 50 people to keep the program participatory and accessible. This Institute sells out every year, so we encourage you to register early to secure your spot! Registration opens in June."

Additionally, the training is held just before the 2018 Alliance of Artist Communities annual conference in Philadelphia, so you can plan to attend that event as well, to make connections that will benefit your program.

Such an inspiring panel this morning at the Alliance of Arts Communities conference in Denver this morning. #aac17conf #digitalsketchnotes #digital #sketchnotes #politics #values

A post shared by Heather Leavitt Martinez (@corpgraffitiart) on Oct 4, 2017 at 9:52am PDT

I replaced my Apple Pencil and am back in business! Sketchnoting Evolution of a Board from "The Art of Governance" with Carolyn Love #aac17conf . . #sketchnotes #digital #sketchnoting #applepencil #nonprofit #arts #boarddevelopment #ipadpro #lettering #adobedraw #evolution

A post shared by Heather Leavitt Martinez (@corpgraffitiart) on Oct 3, 2017 at 2:03pm PDT

Learning so much about funding for artists at the Alliance of Arts Communities conference in Denver this morning. #aac17conf #digitalsketchnotes #digital #sketchnotes #politics #values #adobedraw #applepencil #ipadpro #yellow #red #blue #white #digitalink

A post shared by Heather Leavitt Martinez (@corpgraffitiart) on Oct 4, 2017 at 10:37am PDT

While I didn’t finish the first skectchnote (there was so much to learn and it went so fast), here you can see how two of my digital sketchnotes came to be last week at the Alliance of Artist Communities conference in Denver. #aac17conf #digitalsketchnotes #sketchnotes #ipadpro #adobedraw #applepencil #instavideo #videogram #digitaldrawing #timelapse

A post shared by Heather Leavitt Martinez (@corpgraffitiart) on Oct 11, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT

Prix COAL 2017

"The COAL association is pleased to announce the names of the ten finalists of the COAL Art and Environment Prize 2017! 

The 2017 COAL Award will be awarded on 29 November 2017 by the Ministry of Culture during a ceremony organized at the Museum of Hunting and Nature [in Paris]. The event is part of a day dedicated to Art, Culture and Biodiversity organized at the Museum of Hunting and Nature by the Ministry of Culture, the Museum of Hunting and Nature, COAL, the French Center of Funds and Foundations and the French Agency for Biodiversity. 

In seven editions, the COAL Prize has become the international rendezvous for artists who are taking over the main universal issue of our time: ecology. This year again, nearly 350 artists from 66 countries representing the six continents competed as part of an international call for projects. The ten nominated artists were selected for the aesthetic qualities of their proposals, their relevance to environmental issues, their inventiveness, their ability to transmit and transform, and their social and participatory approach. Together, they demonstrate how creation, in its diversity of forms and actions, is a key force in shaping the future of our societies.

The finalist artists of the 8th edition of the COAL Prize are

• Erich Berger and Mari Keto (Austria, Finland) - INHERITANCE - The Ritual of Measurement
• Isabelle Daëron (France) - Topical - unsafe water 
• Abdessamad El Montassir (Morocco) - Resistance to Nature 
• Anne Fischer (France) - Rising from its Ashes 
• The Valley ( France) - Pietra P. 
• Martin The Chevallier (France) - Scheduled obsolescence 
• The New Ministry of Agriculture (France) - New local products. Diamond Gnetton 
• Mendel (South Africa) - Drowning World 
• Afour Rhizome (South Korea) - This wind you are talking about takes us far from ourselves 
• Anaïs Tondeur (France) - Carbon black

The global ecological crisis now affects all societies, territories and activities, whether through climate change, the scarcity of resources, various types of pollution or the erosion of biodiversity. A global crisis that intertwines with its economic and social consequences. But this crisis is also a cultural crisis. The dominant values ​​and representations, our globalized culture, determine our individual and collective behaviors, and ultimately our collective impacts on the planet. Also, the solutions to this crisis cannot only be political and technical. Culture can be a major player. This is what COAL has been promoting since it was founded in 2008. The COAL Award is aimed at all artists who, throughout the world, witness, imagine and experiment with solutions for the transformation of territories, lifestyles and organizations, and modes of production. Together, they are helping to build a new collective narrative, a new imaginary, common heritage under development, a positive, optimistic and necessary framework for everyone to find the means and the motivation to implement the necessary changes towards a more sustainable and just world."

See the winning artists and learn more here.

Thalie Lab grants

"...the foundation invites visual artists, curators, designers and chefs to submit a project on the theme of deceleration, that explores concepts for the collaborative economy (recycling, textiles, 3D creation, food…) and has a social impact."

The two laureates will receive a production grant up to 10,000 euros depending on the project, workspace and residential accommodation at ThalieLab in Brussels.

Public Lab

From Carol Lafayette...

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"Public Lab is a community where you can learn how to investigate environmental concerns. Using inexpensive DIY techniques, we seek to change how people see the world in environmental, social, and political terms.

I. The Problem Communities lack access to the tools and techniques needed to participate in decisions being made about their communities, especially when facing environmental hazards.

II. The Collaboration We are an open network of community organizers, educators, technologists and researchers working to create low cost solutions for monitoring air, water and land. Discover, collaborate on, and contribute to locally important matters with the support of a global community.

III. The Solution Join us today, as we work together to build and inspire a community of DIY activists and explorers using simple tools to build a growing body of data about our local environments."

Communicating music

The idea of transcribing music is really interesting if you think about it. It is a translation of the products of one of our senses to another, like trying to translate the visual experience of, say, color into the tactile experience of touch.

But there's more than one way to interpret this task:

"It all started around 840 C.E. when a former monk named Aurelian of Réôme created one of the first examples of Western musical notation."

Read the entire article here.

Beautiful abstractions of complex physics concepts

This work is so interesting: Tufte's ideas and observations at the link are stunning!

"Edward Tufte's wall-mounted sculptures, All Possible Photons,generate an enormous multiplicity of three-dimensional opticalexperiences of line, light, airspace, color, shadow, form.Made from stainless steel and air, the artworks grow outof Richard Feynman's famous diagrams describing Nature'ssubatomic behavior. Feynman diagrams depict the space-timepatterns of particles and waves of quantum electrodynamics.These mathematically derived and empirically verifiedvisualizations represent the space-time paths taken by allsubatomic particles in the universe.The resulting conceptual and cognitive art is both beautifuland true. Along with their art, the stainless steel elementsof All Possible Photons actually represent something: the preciseactivities of Nature at her highest resolution."

The Orchestra as Ecosystem: Symphony Symbiosis

From Carol Lafayette...

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2017-2018 Learning in Concert

The Orchestra as Ecosystem: Symphony Symbiosis 

© 2017 Terry Wolkowicz, All rights reserved 

So divinely is the world organized that every one of us, in our place and time, is in balance with everything else. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Balance is defined as a condition in which various elements are in proper proportion or arrangement. Within an ecosystem, balance is key in maintaining a harmonious interaction among a biological community of interacting organisms and their environment. Balance is also a vital component in music. A composer’s concern for balance can be heard through the manipulation of many musical elements including form, melody, harmony, rhythm and texture.

The 2017-2018 Learning in Concert program will explore the concept of balance in music and ecology. The children will explore various ecosystems to analyze whether it demonstrates elements of stability or imbalance. By focusing on ecological instability threatening salt marshes, rain forests and wetlands, the children will identify specific actions or ideas that could help restore ecological balance to these areas. In music, the children will explore balance in classical music—hear how composers achieve balance through the orchestration of musical parts among musical instruments. They will develop a strong understanding of the various instruments of the orchestra and hear how individual instruments, sections and families interact to achieve balance within a piece of music. Children will analyze balance cross-disciplines by determining niche (the musical part’s role in creating balance within a piece of music and the organism’s role in creating balance within an ecosystem), population (number of the same species within an ecosystem or number of same instruments playing within a piece of music), and biodiversity (how many different musical parts transpire and interact throughout a piece of music or how many different species exist within an ecosystem).

In the classrooms, the children will analyze various ecosystems that are in some state of ecological imbalance. Using a large magnetic “Ecostration” board, animal and plant life magnets and sound recordings of various orchestral instruments as their tools, they will orchestrate a section of music that demonstrates the instability found in their selected environment. The children will first determine what level of stability exists in the base with microbes and represent that stability through the selection and scoring of a bass line for their music. They will then analyze the balance of the plant life in the ecosystem and select supporting harmonic material to represent the plant life’s stability. Lastly, the students will add melodic lines to represent the population and diversity of species within the ecosystem. Through classroom discussions and research, the children will identify potential actions or interventions that might begin to restore balance to this environment. With these actions in mind, the children will adapt and change their orchestration to demonstrate the ecosystem moving from a state of imbalance towards a state of balance.

Students will have also have an opportunity to interact with the NBSO Salt Marsh Model. They will work through several scenarios to explore a salt marsh food web and how development, pollution and tidal restriction effects the balance within a New England salt marsh...

Contact Terry Wolkowicz to bring the “Learning in Concert” program to your school!
email: twolkowicz@nbsymphony.org
phone: 508-493-4288

More...