Climate Culture | The Art of Becoming Sustainable — Conference

Living in an era when the human impact on the climate and ecosystems is rapidly becoming catastrophic, cultural institutions need to be at the forefront of the effort to achieve environmental sustainability. Onassis Stegi is committed to embedding sustainability in its activities at all levels. This includes reducing our own environmental footprint, contributing to social awareness, developing good practices through education and the arts and joining forces with environmentally active people and organizations throughout the world.

Two years after the launch of our sustainability program here at Onassis Stegi, in collaboration with Julie’s Bicycle –a London based charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental change– Onassis Stegi was planning a major event on the role cultural organisations can and must play in acting on the climate emergency for June 2020, by inviting artists, academics, activists, policy makers and cultural practitioners to gather in Athens for an interdisciplinary symposium including various parallel events.

In the time that has elapsed since then the world has been immersed in an unprecedented crisis that left no aspect of human life unaffected. At one point it seemed as though the enforced reduction in mobility and production might increase understanding of how human activity affects climate change and the destruction of natural habitats was frequently connected to the onset of the pandemic itself. Today, one year on, things are still in the balance. On the one hand, the return of the USA to the global discussion on climate change, the central position of the Green New Deal for EU policies and the many discussions and initiatives ahead of COP26 indicate a global will to forcefully address this most critical of issues. On the other hand, climate data consistently reveals a worse and worsening situation than previously known, global fossil fuel extraction far exceeds levels that would be consistent with the Paris goals, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic is sorely testing most societies’ resilience and the shocking imbalance in access to vaccines shows that we are far from taking the need for global justice seriously.

The cultural sector itself has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic with many organisations fighting for their survival or having to radically re-adjust their plans for the future. And yet it has never been more important for the sector to intensify its efforts to do whatever it can to inspire society to change through its own examples of best practices and the powerful narratives of the work presented in its spaces. This is why Stegi decided to move forward with its initiative to contribute to the discussion about how cultural organisations can do this.

In view of the ongoing restrictions to travel and at the same minimizing our environmental footprint, Onassis Stegi has organised a hybrid event, drawing on our learnings from the past year – one that will both stimulate conversations and leave resources to be used by others in the future. The digital symposium program will consist of 4 keynotes by important figures from the world of the arts, culture and environmental policy, 4 panel discussions about the themes of climate justice, environmental policies, best practices and the role of art in combating the climate emergency respectively and an audiovisual program including thematically relevent films, documentaries, video and sound artworks.

View the Keynotes & the Discussion Panels

Keynotes & Discussion Panels

Program | 7-13 June 2021

Monday 7 June 2021 | 12:00

Introductory note | Christos Carras

People become increasingly aware that response time to climate crisis is getting shorter. All sectors should play their respective part, and culture is no exception. By improving their environmental footprint, and promoting works and ideas that motivate society, cultural spaces are an integral part of this effort.

Climate Culture: Transition polices for sustainable cultural ecosystems

Sustainable development, policy and systems, and art making. Can the current policies deal with the climate crisis and the global inequality?

Speakers
Nancy Duxbury, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra
Robert Palmer, International Cultural Expert, Former Director of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, Council of Europe
Anaïs Roesch, Head of Project - Cultural sector, Climate and Energy, The Shift Project

Moderator: Alison Tickell, Founder and CEO, Julie’s Bicycle

KEYNOTE 1: “From policy to practice: Notes from the field”

Alison Tickell, Founder and CEO, Julie’s Bicycle

Audiovisual program

Ana Vaz and Tristan Bera, "A Film, Reclaimed" | 2015 | 19' 36'' | Dolby Digital 5.1
Ursula Biemann, "Subatlantic" | 2015 | Duration: 11´ | Video Essay
Michele Koppes & Susie Ibarra, "Water Rhythms- Listening to Climate Change" | 2021 | Duration: 26’12” | Podcast

Program | 14-20 June 2021

Monday 14 June 2021 | 12:00

Climate Culture: Climate justice as the foundation of a sustainable future

In which way coloniality is linked to the climate crisis? Which are the hardest-hit communities and regions across the globe? A discussion on the urgent need to implement Climate Justice.

Speakers
Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat, Curator, Displacement Policy Specialist and PhD Candidate, University of the Arts London
Giorgos Kallis, ICREA Professor, ICTA/UAB
Farhana Yamin, Environmental Lawyer, Climate Change Policy Expert and Activist
Baroness Lola Young, Forced Labour, Campaigner and Activist

Moderator: Christos Carras, Executive Director, Onassis Stegi

KEYNOTE 2: “Hope is better than optimism”

Cory Doctorow, Writer, activist, journalist

Audiovisual program

Molly Willows, “Before the Wave” | 2015 | 24΄ | Digital Film
Konstantina Messini: “St. Viniri – Sacred Forest” | 2019 | 24΄24΄΄ | Film
Jana Winderen, “Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone” | 2019 | 36΄51’’ | Digital Audio

Program | 22-27 June 2021

Tuesday 22 June 2021 | 12:00

Climate Culture: Best practices in the cultural and creative industries sector

Social responsibility, activism, green economy, and circular fashion. Four diverse initiatives with a common goal: shaping of a ‘green’ eco-conscious society. ufaFabrik, a ground-breaking urban experiment in Berlin; Vovousa Festival, a cultural and environmental event in the mountainous Greek hinterland; Reet Aus, a designer spearheading circularity in Estonia; and Onassis Stegi, a leading cultural organisation ‘going green’.

Speakers
Reet Aus, PhD, Researcher and Designer
Christos Carras, Executive Director, Onassis Stegi
Faidon Moudopoulos - Athanasiou, Archaeologist and Heritage Professional / Vovousa Festival
Sigrid Niemer, Board member of the International Culture Centre ufaFabrik, Berlin, Germany

Moderator: Iphigenia Taxopoulou, mitos21 General Secretary and Julie’s Bicycle Associate

KEYNOTE 3: “Culture and Climate: Beyond borders”

Frances Morris, Director of Tate Modern

Audiovisual program

Program | 28 June - 4 July 2021

Monday 28 June 2021 | 12:00

Climate Culture: Art-driven narratives to combat the environmental crisis

How do we narrate the climate crisis? Which of the stories being told raise awareness regarding the environment, and how can a narrative bring forth change?

Speakers
James Bridle, Artist and Writer
Phoebe Giannisi, Poet and Architect, Professor at the Department of Architecture of the University of Thessaly
Lucia Pietroiusti, Curator, General Ecology, Serpentine Galleries
Jonas Staal, Artist and Propaganda Researcher

Moderator: Daphne Dragona, Independent Curator and Writer

KEYNOTE 4: “Geostories”

Design Earth

During their talk the artists will broadcast their artwork “Elephant in the Room” | 2021 | Duration: 6΄| Graphic Animation

Audiovisual program

Monday 28 June 2021 | Tainiothiki (LAIS roof) | 21:00

Fabrizio Terranova, “Donna Haraway: Storytelling for Earthly Survival” | 2016 | 77΄ | Film HD

Free admission, on a strictly first come first served basis

Sunday 4 July 2021 | 12:00

KEYNOTE: “From outside the horizon to inside the horizon”

Olafur Eliasson, Artist

Sunday 4 July 2021 | 21:00 | Onassis Channel on YouTube

Fabrizio Terranova, “Donna Haraway: Storytelling for Earthly Survival” | 2016 | 77΄ | Film HD

Credits

Curated by
Christos Carras, Iphigeneia Taxopoulou, Pasqua Vorgia
Production Coordination
Pasqua Vorgia
Online material co-edited by
Konstantina Melachrinou
Online showcase co-curated by
Ioanna Zouli
Organized by
Onassis Stegi
In collaboration with
Julie’s Bicycle

More about Onassis Stegi green policy & initiatives

Culture is the way we choose to live.

Culture is power. It can tell fascinating stories, related from different points of view, fostering productive dialogue around major issues of our time – most important among them, the sustainable future of the Earth. One of the first cultural organizations in Greece to take a stand against the climate emergency, Stegi takes proactive measures to reduce its ecological footprint. Our policy reflects our profound belief that the energy and resources consumed, and the waste generated by our operations, which will not magically disappear, all have a direct impact on the environment. Stegi therefore acts to minimize the impact of the services we provide on the Earth; moreover, the good environmental practices we have adopted are communicated to our people – our staff, the artistic community, and international cultural organizations, our audience, and our suppliers.

As part of its master planning, and in collaboration with international organizations, Stegi has been organizing a number of events and actions on environmental sustainability issues, such as recycling, waste management, and renewability.