2 Degrees Festival 2017 – what now?
2 Degrees Festival, Artsadmin’s biennial celebration of art and activism focussing on climate change has come to an end for 2017.
We’ve collated a list of what went on with handy links to great content from the festival for those that missed out or want to be reminded of some take-homes across the week.
1. Carbon Capture
At Old Truman Brewery, Daniel Gosling’s installation, Carbon Capture, invited audiences to take their share of five tonnes of anthracite coal and bury it somewhere.
Head over to Instagram where you can take a look at where others have buried it with #WhereIBuriedIt
2. Future economic systems
Zoë Svendsen met with finance and economics expert Frances Coppola for a public conversation on future economic systems in light of climate change.
To find out more about Frances’ thoughts on future economic models such as universal basic income, read Frances’ article MONOPOLY.
3. Sign of the Times
Bernadette Russell and Rob Kennedy asked people to create their own personal protests in Sign of the Times.
Take a look at people’s handmade placards over on Flickr or you can listen to Bernadette’s podcast where she reads out workshop-goers demands, post-UK general election.
4. CRAZY BUT TRUE
Ant Hampton’s CRAZY BUT TRUE cast 8-12 year olds as the experts, sharing a series of facts and ‘fake news,’ both becoming harder and harder for the audience to distinguish between throughout the course of the show…
Read widely on the subject of climate. Don’t stick to receiving all your information from the same sources, there are a wealth of good journals and articles on the subject. skepticalscience.com is great for some simple starting points about climate science. Or visit www.cat.org.uk/info-resources/ for some useful, basic domestic energy saving advice and eco-building ideas.
5. Power, Death and Money
In the lively chat show, Power, Death and Money, The Futurenauts, gauged how hopeful we were about the future as they revealed more and more about the state of things.
Switch to a green energy supplier. More often than not, there is no difference in cost! Futurenauts suggested: GoodEnergy, Ecotricity and OVO Energy. You can listen to their regular podcast via their website.
6. POC – Stories of Climate Resistance
Skin Deep, Virtual Migrants, Voice that Shake and Platform London used a mix of music, videos and poetry to explore why race, gender and colonial histories should be at the centre of the climate justice movement in POC – Stories of Climate Resistance.
Buy Skin Deep’s latest issue online
7. Kill Climate Deniers
David Finnigan took us on a fast-paced journey of the Australian climate politics in award-winning Kill Climate Deniers, with a good measure of early nineties house and techno thrown into the mix.
Take a few minutes to contact local politicians and the media to tell them you want action on climate change. There are many environmental pressure groups in the UK who have strong relationships with local representatives – take a look who is in your area and find out who you local MP is.
8. Lookout
Audiences encountered Tower Hamlets schoolchildren on a rooftop overlooking the city, and shared their visions of the future of London – both utopian and dystopian – all while looking out across the cityscape in Andy Field’s Lookout.
Many of the children wanted London’s future to contain more green spaces and opportunities for people to be part of nature. You could join the campaign to make London the world’s first National Park City, to help make London a greener, healthier and fairer place to live. Find out more at nationalparkcity.london.
9. Climate Symphony
Disobedient & Forma Arts told the story of what climate change means through sound in Climate Symphony, with a day-long lab and a performance featuring two live illustrated performances by leading sound artists Kate Carr and Lee Patterson.
Hear Disobedient filmmaker and artist Leah Borromeo talk more about the project on BBC Radio Click (skip to 17:40). You can also participate in the lab at Newcastle Culture Lab on 8 July.
10. Festival of Ancients
Three structures woven from used used plastic bags popped up in Allen Gardens for Jo Hellier’s Festival of Ancients. Audiences were then invited to lie down inside, imagine they are in the future and listen to past voices emanating from the ground.
Be aware of the materials you buy, use and throw away on a daily basis, maybe challenge yourself to try living without plastic for a day, a week, a year? Visit ethicalconsumer.org for information and news on sustainably and ethically sourced products.
11. Festival highlights
Browse the Facebook album of festival highlights here.
12. Share your thoughts
If you came along to the festival and would like to share your thoughts with us, please complete this survey and be in with a chance of winning an organic hamper from our festival partners, local food store, As Nature Intended. We pick the winner at random on Monday 26 June.
13. Sign up
Sign up to our 2 Degrees Festival & green projects email list to be among the first to hear about our festival in 2019 and other upcoming projects.
2 Degrees Festival is produced by Artsadmin and supported by Arts Council England, TippingPoint and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union as part of Imagine 2020 (2.0) and Create to Connect. We’d also like to thank all of the individuals who have generously donated to this year’s festival, the dedicated runners who ran the Hackney Half Marathon to raise funds for our schools projects, and our local partner As Nature Intended. Photos by Paula Harrowing.