The Art of Nature - Beauty and Complexity
Bringing artists, environmentalists and community together to enable full participation
Complexity is the shortest route to a solution.
The Art of Nature aims to highlight one powerful road that artists, environmentalists and community can take by coming together to address environmental complexity through the arts.
The battle to protect the earth, our only home, can only be won with mass participation alongside sound science. In order to switch on the capacity of people to contribute fully to sustainable development, we need to move beyond simple messages to build layers and layers of understanding of complex environmental concepts. The unique quality of the arts is inspired understanding versus intellectual understanding. It takes a leap across the gap!
The 9 in-depth events across the UK will take on a simple format. We will introduce outstanding ecological arts projects addressing complexity alongside projects that give environmental, social and cultural contexts, followed by substantial time for discussion and working together. The presenters will be participants and the participants can be impromptu presenters. We aim for a legacy of dynamic forums working towards a future in which environmental complexity will be an ongoing feature of community life. Join us!
Day 1
Projects demonstrating the power and significance of inspired understanding in communicating complex environmental concepts
Sharing and discussion.
Day 2
Sharing and discussion bringing in environmental, social, or cultural themes.
Participant preparation for working together
Artists - Be prepared to expand the wider potential of your work. Bring examples of your work and methodology.
Environmentalists - Identify and name the complex environmental concepts that people need to grasp. Consider creating opportunities for artists to work with you to access the understanding needed. Name possible sites and scenarios.
Community representatives – Identify how environmental themes link into social and cultural contexts to make meaning and generate motivation to act. Name possible sites and scenarios.
Impromptu presentations - The events are about in depth conversations. At relevant points you may propose to give a 5 minute presentation.
All – Imagine new opportunities into reality, working towards partnerships that enable.
Street Life: Liverpool
Saturday 31st May, 10am – 5pm
Sunday 1st June 10.30am – 5.00pm
Talking and walking ways of seeing, knowing and connecting. A two-day discursive event to allow connections to be made across professions and sectors in the hope that new collaborations will emerge, towards whole system ecology.
Day 1
To explore ‘in the field’ in the streets:
- biotopes and seeds
- politics and poetics
- brownfields and wildflowers
- green and blue landscapes
- social, ecological
- making our futures
As we walk, we will be introduced to places en-route where global economics and political governance collide with street life in this striking part of the city.
DAY 2
‘talk the walk’; the connections from day one will be explored in a second day of coming together, focused on the concerns those present have about the nature of our changing urban landscape.
- Full information and itinerary, and additional information including transport and accommodation (PDF, 700KB)
- Booking Form (MS WORD, 70KB)