Innosanto Nagara, from 'Oh, The Things We're For!'

Love Letters to a Liveable Futures is an online event on November 5, part of the CHANGE festival at Warwick Arts Centre, at which A/UK founder Indra Adnan is speaking. We’re delighted to run an essay (below) on the vision behind the festival by its founder, Becky Burchell.

***

Why is there still so much climate apathy amongst the general public? What is it going to take to move more people to act? The climate crisis accelerated this year, with an onslaught of extreme weather events around the world. From wildfires, to flooding to heatwaves, it is now impossible to ignore the urgent need to rapidly change the way we live on earth.

Perhaps we need more stories and less statistics. It is rare to be motivated by graphs of carbon levels, or maps of rising seas or rainfall reports. We continue to circulate such data because we have a flawed image of ourselves as rational and logical, but much of the time we are provoked less by facts, more by fiction. We seek out the stories that we relate to and help us make sense of our place in the world.

As an arts curator, I have long been aware of the power of a strong narrative in affecting audiences. Watching a theatre show that tells the story of a quiet, nature loving scientist whose observations changed the course of history, is both inspiring and moving and reminds us that ordinary people have power too.

Or attending a show created by teenage climate strikers, where the performers share their agony at having to bunk school to get the attention of their leaders, is a potent perspective for those in the audience who haven’t seen past the indignant truancy headlines in their newspaper.

As storytellers and creators, art and culture professionals therefore have a central role to play in the climate crisis. Yet, in many arts organisations the conversation is still focused very much on practical, even infrastructural action, rather than narrative responsibility.

Should theatre companies reduce international touring? Should venues be turning their heating down? Should audiences be travelling to shows via public transport? These are some of the debates currently happening with targets being set for carbon reductions and sustainability goals. While these are necessary and important steps, the arts plays a unique role in our society and has the power to have a much greater impact on the climate crisis than carbon counting alone.

Instead, perhaps we put more time and energy into thinking about the stories we are telling and the effect these could have on audiences on combatting climate apathy. As artist Lorna Rees says “Culture forms our future.” How can we manifest more arts experiences that facilitate dreaming, imagining and transitions to a different world?

Environmentalist Jonathon Porritt is adept at writing from the future, transporting readers to near and far decades, a tour guide to alternative realities. His 2012 book ‘The World We Made’ was an almanac from the year 2050, detailing what life would be like if we created sustainable societies.

More recently, Jonathon’s projections of the the five years between 2020-2025 centred around five young characters, who each felt compelled to act in different ways to the climate crisis.

Their collective stories, known as ‘Rise Up’ were distilled into a short 30min film, yet still effectively conveying bold and relevant narratives that spanned the human effects of air pollution and rising sea levels, the power of locally grown food and the importance of political action. [See the playlist of the films embedded below]

As well as facilitating urgent storytelling through events and performances, our arts and culture institutions can also have a wider, civic role in responding to climate apathy.

Arts venues and spaces are important gathering places, where we can come together in non-political ways. Sitting with strangers and co-creating an artwork together, or joining a discussion following a theatre show can be powerful moments to share concerns and ideas, as well as listening to alternative perspectives.

It may be hard to combat apathy told through our news feeds or sober scientific reports. But perhaps we have a chance to inspire and motivate through characters, fiction, poems, songs and theatre. Would this help us to see the climate crisis through a more urgent lens? And crucially, to help us find our own place in the story of our future?

Becky Burchell is a Futures Producer, working with the arts, within communities and with the land. She is the founder and curator of multi-arts CHANGE Festival, taking place 5-7 November 2021 at Warwick Arts Centre, with over 30 free and ticketed events, inviting audiences to rise up to the climate crisis.

More from A/UK on telling the story (here and here) and narrative

If we send love letters to a liveable future, will that motivate us better than scary facts, asks Becky Burchell