Climate Imaginaries at Sea
Starting in 2023, three newly developed artistic research studios will invite artists to develop artistic imaginaries that address rising sea levels. The artistic research studios will pay particular attention to perspectives often missing from mainstream climate change debates: material, indigenous, and interspecies inquiry. Each studio will work without predetermined disciplinary boundaries through practice-led artistic research and written and non-textual forms such as installations, sounds, movements, images and objects. In addition, students will be actively involved in the research by developing imaginative engagements with rising sea levels as both a future prospect and a present reality in various parts of the world.
Imagining the future of climate change is crucial for accepting change, whether in our personal lives, environment or politics. As the author Amitav Ghosh points out, "the climate crisis is also a crisis of the imagination."
Who has the privilege to imagine the future of climate change, and for whom are its effects already present? Acknowledging an unequal present where rising sea levels affect low-income populations and people of colour the hardest is crucial, as those communities are also the most vulnerable and the ones with the lowest amount of emissions responsible for the climate crisis.
How can artists connect people to indigenous water and climate knowledges across multiple cultural perspectives where the consequences of rising sea levels are already a reality in the present?
How can we understand the impact of rising sea levels in relation to housing, clothing and soil through material artistic research?
How can interspecies imaginaries help form different relationships with rising seas beyond considering them as merely a threat?
Climate Imaginaries at Sea Take a look at the photos from the Climate Imaginaries at Sea festival that took place from 19 April to 25 April 2024 in Amsterdam. An event for artistic and participatory research practices that speculate on possible futures in and around water. It was an exciting week with two exhibitions, an open studio day programme, the launch of the second issue of the Making Waves zine, a closing concert and more.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea This is a video recording of the open studio day programme Studio Encounters on Water #2 of the Climate Imaginaries at Sea festival, at Perdu on 23 April 2024. With talks by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Mikki Stedler, Joy Brandsma, Janine Armin, Carlo De Gaetano, Femke Dekker (Loma Doom), Müge Yilmaz, Kim Spierenburg, Claudine Arendt, Katía Truijen & René Boer (Loom Collective) and Marialena Marouda.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea How can we liberate the imagination from recurring stereotypes that understand climate change as something from the future, far away, affecting others, while so many people around the world already live with its devastating impact? How can material research, interspecies perspectives and indigenous water and climate knowledges help us form new ways of relating to the climate emergency?
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea This short episode sits alongside the conversation between Raoni Muzho and Phoebe Osborne. The audio here contains a sighing practice that is led by Raoni, and which Rajni, Raoni and Phoebe all took part in during their conversation in October 2023. We recommend that if you are able, you do the sighing practice before listening to the full episode. For the full conversation episode, please go here .
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea This second episode of the Climate Imaginaries podcast was recorded over zoom in October 2023. The three artists you hear speaking in the episode, Phoebe Osborne, Raoni Muzho, and Rajni Shah, had a long slow dialogue leading up to this conversation, creating a shared map (linked below) which could be with them as they spoke. Grief and loss were present in different forms throughout the process of meeting, postponing, and then recording this conversation, and there is a strong current of grief in relation to Palestine that flows through the episode.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea This first episode of the Climate Imaginaries podcast was recorded in early 2023. It took place at the invitation of Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca, as she explains in the episode introduction (see transcript below). Laura invited Rajni Shah to host a conversation between Joy Mariama Smith and Michaela Harrison. All three artists had taken part in the launch of the Climate Imaginaries project in September 2022 but since both Joy and Michaela participated remotely, the three artists had not met prior to this conversation. There are some variations in sound qualities since the recording happened over zoom and was held by fluctuating internet connections. Nevertheless, we hope you will enjoy the many stories and wisdoms that come through.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea The Climate Imaginaries at Sea coalition is excited to invite you to our upcoming festival in Amsterdam. An event for artistic and participatory research practices that speculate possible futures in and around water. Join us for an exciting week-long exploration with two exhibitions, an open studio day programme, the launch of the second issue of the Making Waves zine, a closing concert and more. Take a look at the programme below and get your free tickets here: eventix.shop/kuaujj4j
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea Artists affiliated with Climate Imaginaries at Sea showcased their work as part of the Warming Up Art Route. This event was a segment of the annual "We Are Warming Up" festival, taking place at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam from October 30th to November 5th.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea On Thursday October 5th The Research Group Art & Spatial Praxis organized a workshop with the Brackish Collective and a lecture with artist Müge Yilmaz on salt and effects of salinization of earth.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea On April 13-14 2023, the Rietveld research group, Art & Spatial Praxis co-hosted 'Studio Encounters on Water', a two-day event in Perdu, Amsterdam where participants could learn more about the research project Climate Imaginaries at Sea. In three artistic research studios, Climate Imaginaries at Sea speculates possible futures in and around water through various artistic and participatory research practices. One of the studio's is The School of Mountains and Waters initiated by Chilean-Mexican artist-researcher Amanda Piña. A school of unlearning the modern/colonial idea of the human as pre-existent and separate from that which sustains its life. You can watch the talk of Amanda Piña and Cecilia Vallejos in this video.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea We are happy to announce that LASP has invited artist Müge Yilmaz to partner on the Materiality research studio of the Climate Imaginaries at Sea project. Her research proposal S.A.L.T is intended to look into the effects of salinization on qualities of soil, architecture and ecology.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea Artists from each of the Climate Imaginaries at Sea Artistic Research Studios will be presenting work as part of the Warming Up Culture Route during the annual We Are Warming Up Festival at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam from the 30th of October to the 5th of November.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea On Thursday October 5, we would like to welcome you to Müge Yilmaz’s lecture on salt and the effects of salinization on Earth. The Research Group Art & Spatial Praxis (LASP) has invited Yilmaz to partner on the Materiality research studio of the Climate Imaginaries at Sea project. During her lecture, Yilmaz will delve into one of the immediate consequences of rising sea levels and ground subsidence: saline water entering flows of sweet water and soil. Before her lecture, you can experience a performative salt-resistant bite by the Brackish Collective. Earlier that day, you also can attend a workshop by the Brackish Collective.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea On April 13-14 2023, the Rietveld research group, Art & Spatial Praxis co-hosted 'Studio Encounters on Water', a two-day event in Perdu, Amsterdam where participants could learn more about the research project Climate Imaginaries at Sea. One of the studio's is The School of Mountains and Waters initiated by Chilean-Mexican artist-researcher Amanda Piña.
Art & Spatial Praxis – Climate Imaginaries at Sea The coalition Climate Imaginaries at Sea invites you to Studio Encounters on Water, a two day event filled with workshops, presentations, talks and pod reading sessions where you can learn more about what we’ve done, where we are going and how you can be part of it.