Tag Archive | Symposium

Celebrate our cultural and physical connections to the sea with artists, writers, historians and scientists at ‘Sounding the Sea’ a symposium as part of Hull UK City of Culture.

Organised by Invisible Dust and Steven Bode – Sounding the Sea is taking place at Ferens Gallery and The University of Hull, 15 – 16 June 2017.

Two-Day Tickets (Thursday 15th & Friday June 16th): Full price £45, concessionary £20

One-Day Tickets (Friday June 16th ONLY): Full price £25, concessionary £10

Tickets: Eventbrite

Programme: Sounding The Sea

Join leading authors China Miéville and Philip Hoare, artists Alec Finlay, Bik Van der Pol and Mariele Neudecker, marine biologists and ocean campaigners; Professor Alex Rogers, University of Oxford, Dr Magnus Johnson, University of Hull and Jo Ruxton, producer of groundbreaking film Plastic Oceans, for thought-provoking talks, workshops, artist performances and film screenings.

Varied topics will include: the critical importance and health of our oceans, climate change, catastrophes such as tsunamis and earthquakes, bioluminescence and deep sea marine life, Hull’s maritime history, rising sea levels along with our myriad of cultural connections to the sea.

Day 1: Ferens Art Gallery and Hull Maritime Museum

The symposium will open with registration at 12.30pm on Thursday June 15th. Artists talks, gallery tours and other events will start at 1.30pm and run in to the evening at Ferens Art Gallery, Hull. Teas and coffees and the option of an evening buffet will be available.

Day 2: Middleton Hall, University of Hull

The symposium will open with registration at 9.00am on Thursday June 16th. Artists talks, session and events will run until 4pm when the symposium will end. Teas & Coffees and a light lunch will be available.

Sounding the Sea is part of exhibitions ‘Offshore: Artists explore the sea’ curated by Invisible Dust at Ferens Gallery and Hull Maritime Museum, and ‘Somewhere Becoming Sea’ curated by Steven Bode, supported by Film and Video Umbrella at Humber Street Gallery.

The symposium is independently supported by the Universities of Hull and Oxford, Arts Council England, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Hull Culture and Leisure and the Wellcome Trust.

How inappropriate to call this planet Earth, when clearly it is Ocean.

Arthur C. Clarke

April 25, 2016

in Events, Musings, Opportunities
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Doing Nothing is Not an Option – June 17-19 2016 – Tipping Point

A major event in partnership with Warwick Arts Centre and Julies Bicycle

This event is intended for everyone concerned with climate change and the role performing arts has in exploring it and its ramifications. It will energise, re-energise and inspire; our aim is that all will leave with a clear sense of direction and purpose, and not a few with concrete ideas or commissions and collaboration that will have the active involvement of producing partners.

Background
COP21 has justifiably been hailed as a diplomatic triumph; it went a long way further than any previous attempts to achieve international consensus on a concerted response to climate change. But a world that includes, in the small corner of the UK, daffodils flowering in December and unprecedented flooding, reminds us of the scale of the chasm between what can be successfully negotiated by the Body Politic and what is actually needed. The Paris agreement is much better seen as the end of the beginning, rather than something we can take comfort from, a finale. The fact remains that the West has still not taken on board the scale of action – technological, political, intellectual – needed to deal with this challenge, not by a long chalk.

Taking place at the large Warwick Arts Centre, Doing Nothing is Not an Option – DNNO – will be our most ambitious event ever. It will offer an opportunity for people in the performing arts sector to reflect on what the subject means for artists today and in the future. During this three-day gathering, exclusively targeted at the performing arts, 200 people – writers, directors, producers and others, together with climate specialists of all types – will come together to shape new ideas and develop a platform for creative responses and new work. This will take place in the context of a public festival of climate related performance work.

The programme – details here
Using the celebrated methodology TippingPoint has used and refined in five continents, over the three days participants will work, play and eat together. They will share their knowledge, experience and understanding of climate change and will leave feeling affirmed, informed and energised; their horizons broadened, their imaginations enriched and their practice developed. It will be the beginning of a creative journey and a focus for new performance work.

The value of the event
Different people will gain different things from attending this event. However, our central aim is that all will have a clearer idea of ‘what to do next’ – it is designed specifically to do that. Particular benefits should include, for people from the performing arts world:

– Greater clarity on the phenomenon of climate change
– The chance to go into real depth on particular aspects of the topic
– The opportunity to identify possible collaborators for creative work
– The chance to access commission opportunities

For people from the research world, our intention is that the event will deliver:

– An opportunity to work closely with creative people from a very different world – who will put a high value on particular expertise
– An entirely new way of getting research into the public domain, of politics and policy
– The potential for very rewarding long term partnerships

We can virtually guarantee that all who attend will leave feeling affirmed, enlightened and reinvigorated, with horizons broadened and work of all types enriched by a sense of purpose and new ideas.

Costs
Charges for attendance are as follows; they include all meals and refreshments, though accommodation onsite, very close to Warwick Arts Centre and strongly recommended, will cost extra. All TIppingPoint events are very carefully designed, with a beginning, middle and end, so we strongly discourage partial attendance. The booking page is here.

For people from arts organisations with grants of over £750k and research institutions	£240
For people from arts organistions with grants between £250k and £750k	£190
For people from arts organisations with a grant less than £250k	£150
For independents	£95
An ‘early-bird’ discount of 10% will be available to all those booking before Sunday May 8
Bursaries – application for a limited number of £100 bursaries can made by completing a form here – deadline April 29.

March 21, 2016

in Events, Opportunities, Research
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Call for proposals – Feeding the insatiable – a creative summit – November 9-11 2016

Feeding the insatiable

real and imagined narratives of art and energy for a troubled planet

a creative summit

http://feedingtheinsatiable.info

November 9 -11 2016

Dartington Hall, Devon, England

Encouraging all manner of energy generation through creative intervention and invention and new approaches to scientific enquiry including the quirky, the impossible, the micro and the personal. Encouraging debate – practical, philosophical, metaphysical, and theoretical – bringing creative minds from many disciplines to bear on these pressing issues.

Who is it for?

This is an interdisciplinary event; we anticipate proposals and participation from artists, writers, designers, engineers, industry professionals, philosophers, ecologists, and all those interested in new approaches to energy, energy policy and ecosophy.

Of course, all are welcome.

Topics of interest

Not intended to proscriptive or prescriptive, this list of topics suggests the areas we are likely to explore. However we are open to all relevant ideas, from the philosophical to the most practical and pragmatic.

visioning change
imaginative and invented narratives and technologies
micro-generation and body-derived energy
plant and other organic power generators
transformational potential of art
beyond communication
energy and metaphor
message and instrumentalisation
slow art, process
non-literal big data visualisation
envisioning the profound
aesthetics of art/science
using imagination for social change
emotion / science
sensible / actual
new ways of seeing
new ways of knowing
evolving meaning
celebrating authenticity and ethos
energy in the animal world
exploring chasms between artists and industry
energy futures and questions of design
ethnographics, big data, climate change, understanding

Types of submission

Submit any ideas that inspire you and which you think may have a place during this event. Given its deliberately constrained scope and size, there will be limited slots available, so please inspire us.

We are interested in submissions that embrace the following formats. Note that in each case we will add time for Q&A, but please think about how interaction with the audience can be built into your offer. Formats might be:

academic paper presentations lasting no more than 20 minutes (with 10 minutes for Q&A)
panel discussions, live interviews, and other discursive formats, lasting between 30-50 minutes. There is potential to broadcast these live.
presentation of artwork, indoor or outdoor
walking and other outdoor activities, particularly ones that engage with theoretical or philosophical thought in addition to their creative content
workshops, lasting 90 minutes (please indicate how many participants you can support)
if you are geographically distant, you can send papers for inclusion in the publication only. These submissions will be considered along with all others, on the understanding that you are unable to attend the event itself. There will be a nominal registration fee to help cover publication costs.

The deadline for submission is 22.00 GMT on May 8th, 2016. We are requesting 250-word abstracts or outlines, which must be submitted through the event website at http://artenergysymposium.info/proposal-form/. We are unable to accept any submissions after the deadline.

February 23, 2016

in Artworks, Events, Opportunities
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ICE Arts & Energy 200 – Looking for sites

ICE Arts & Energy 200 – A clean energy generating art competition

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), working in collaboration with Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) and the sustainable energy experts Regen SW, are developing a high profile art competition completed in time for the Institution’s 200th Anniversary in 2018 and a permanent art installation forming part of the long-term legacy.

ICE Arts & Energy 200 will challenge will challenge artists and designers to collaborate with civil engineers, to construct an iconic piece of public art that also generates energy at scale.

This project is currently in development and we are looking for an appropriate site, partners and funds. Please get in touch if you are interested in getting involved with this project.

THE IDEAL SITE WILL BE:

Visible by many people, potentially from a main transport route
Able to harness renewable energy resources
Contained within a rich conceptual or historical backdrop from which artists can be inspired
Suitable for Planning purposes and with a grid connection or energy user
Located in a space that is visually captivating
Owned by an entity that will be a good partner
Accessible for learning

A shortlist of artists will each win:

A cash prize and a concept design stipend to develop their idea further in the second stage.
The opportunity to collaborate with a high profile civil engineering company to develop the proposal
Inclusion in a publication and documentary about the project
Participation in an art exhibition at the ICE’s prestigious headquarters in Westminster and at the actual project site
The opportunity to win the final commission, which will be located in a highly visible location.
The competition will be judged by a prestigious panel of experts from the arts, engineering, and energy sectors, and with input from local stakeholders and community members.

Through the design and build of this innovative piece of public art that generates energy we will celebrate:

The ICE Bicentenary in 2018 – marking the moment when the cost of renewable energy development is on par with other energy generation technologies
The talents of artists and engineers working together
The power of communities to bring about change
The history of energy generation and a new vision of the future

We will focus attention on some of the important questions of our age:

How will we power our economy going forward?
How can we respond to the challenges presented by climate change and extreme weather events?
How civil engineers build the essential infrastructure upon which society depends
How individuals and communities can affect change and be at the centre of the decision making process
What role can artists and designers play in challenging society and in bringing about change?

THE PARTNERSHIP:

ICE
Established in 1818 and with over 85,000 members in 187 countries, ICE is the oldest professional engineering body in the world. ICE’s vision is to place civil engineering at the heart of society, delivering sustainable development through knowledge, skills and professional expertise.
ice.org.uk

Land Art Generator Initiative
Through competitions and educational outreach LAGI is showing how innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration, culture, and the expanding role of technology in art can help to shape the aesthetic impact of renewable energy on our constructed and natural environments. The goal of LAGI is to design and construct a series of large-scale site-specific public art installations that uniquely combine art with utility-scale clean energy generation.
landartgenerator.org

Regen SW
Regen SW is an independent not for profit established in 2003 that uses expertise in sustainable energy to work with industry, communities and the public sector to revolutionise the way we generate, supply and use energy.
regensw.co.uk
power-culture.com

Schumacher College
Schumacher College is an international centre for nature-based education, personal transformation and collective action. Come here for short courses and postgraduate study with the leading thinkers, practitioners and activists of our time. The College is launching an Arts & Ecology programme, leading towards a new MA in Arts & Ecology in 2017.
schumachercollege.ac.uk
artdotearth.org

LAUNCH EVENTS:

17 March 2016 – 9-10am Smart Energy Marketplace, Sandy Park, Exeter
A invitation only event for potential project partners to find out more and or get involved in the project
12 October 2016 Schumacher College, Devon
Project launch
13-15 October 2016 Schumacher College, Devon
Arts and Energy Symposium
www.artenergysymposium.info

“As we move towards our renewable energy future we should recognize the inherent differences that exist between the old and the new means of energy production and the change to built manifestations that consequently follow from this shift. When power generation facilities were adapted for the urban environment in previous eras, they necessarily responded to the aesthetic considerations of the time required of them to integrate with the fabric of the community. As the days of the gas or coal fired power plant at the farthest outskirts of the city come to a close, we will find more and more integration of energy production within the fabric of our commercial and residential communities. The need for large-scale exurban generation will always be there, but it will be augmented more and more by urban and rural micro-generation and mid-scale generation.

We live in a world that cross-culturally puts a high emphasis on design. As energy generation necessarily comes in closer proximity with the real estate that it powers, issues of aesthetics that drive acceptance are becoming more and more debated. A holistic approach to a renewable energy infrastructure has a place for both macro and micro-generation.

Macro installations in the landscape should also take care in their design to integrate with their surroundings both visually and environmentally. Micro installations should take care in their designs to integrate with the fabric of the urban community. Just as buildings and public art and land art exist as interventions in the fabric of the environment, so must power generation constructions—from our green fields to our suburbs to our downtowns—react responsibly to their role as permanent additions to our shared experience.

We have, on the one hand, an ever increasing drive toward designing buildings and cities to run on 100% renewable energy. The design community and city planners are moving in this direction driven by the collective will of society. On the other hand, we have technologies proliferating that are still rather utilitarian in their form such as the standard horizontal axis, three blade wind turbine. And these utilitarian forms are seeing some pushback from individual communities, especially as they come closer and closer to the city. The first warning signs of this are seen in rural mountaintop residential communities and coastal communities but this debate will only get more and more heated as the devices integrate into more dense urban environments.

What is needed in order to bridge the gap—between the larger desire for a renewable future and the community level negative reactions to the application of the systems required for it—is an artistic movement that can set a course towards aesthetic considerations in sustainable infrastructure.

Because, after all, sustainability in communities is not only about resources, it is also about harmony.” Land Art Generator Initiative

LAGI is currently working with Glasgow City Council to develop an art and energy project to regenerate a plot in Port Dundas.

February 15, 2016

in Events, Opportunities
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CALL FOR PAPERS: SUSTAINABLE EARTH 2016

A global forum for connecting research with action – 23 and 24 June 2016

Open call for papers

You are invited to participate in, Sustainable Earth 2016 – a global forum for connecting research with action taking place on 23 and 24 June 2016 at Plymouth University.

Sustainable Earth 2016 builds upon the annual Plymouth University sustainability research event, held since 2012, but this year we want to make it bigger and better! This year we are inviting papers from the academic community on sustainability research and also organisations interested in highlighting their sustainability related activity and where universities can help in the future.

If you are interested in profiling your sustainability research or initiative and connecting with like-minded people then this forum is for you!

Submission deadline: 28 February 2016

1ply2

February 15, 2016

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Cultures and Practices of Belonging: Sustainability across Disciplines

Symposium Cultures and Practices of Belonging_Page_2

Monday 21st March 2016

9am to 4.30pm

Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK

A one day symposium bridging the arts, science, humanities, NGOs, and policy-making, with presentations by Dr Sergio Fava and Dr Michael Hrebeniak.

Belonging has the potential to bring together different methodologies to think creatively about themes such as common ownership, ecology, identity, and community, in a future-oriented yet grounded manner.

Through workshops, talks, and discussions, the event will create a space for dialogues across disciplines, and foster a network of creative collaborations.

The Symposium will start at 9.30 prompt (registration from 9am). Refreshments will be provided at 4pm with an opportunity to register any interests in pursuing collaborative dialogue or research beyond the Symposium.

How to book

Attendance fee £25 per person. Places are limited to 40 participants. Lunch and refreshments provided.

To register for a place please send an email to belongingsymposium@gmail.com .

Payment details will be sent to you nearer the time.

If you are a student or self-employed and require a free place, please send an email (‘Bursary Application as subject) with a 50 word biography and state why you wish to attend the symposium.

For further information about the event visit our website http://belongingsymposium.blogspot.co.uk/ and to get in touch with any questions please contact us via email belongingsymposium@gmail.com.

power culture

Sounding the Sea Symposium – Invisible Dust – 15-16 Jun – Hull