'Raising the temperature' : the arts on a warming planet

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552The search for decisive actions to remain below 1.5 °C of global temperature rise will require profound cultural transformations. Yet our knowledge of how to promote and bring about such deep transformative changes in the minds and behaviours of individuals and societies is still limited. As climate change unravels and the planet becomes increasingly connected, societies will need to articulate a shared purpose that is both engaging and respectful of cultural diversity. Thus, there is a growing need to 'raise the temperature' of integration between multiple ways of knowing climate change. We have reviewed a range of literatures and synthesized them in order to draw out the perceived role of the arts in fostering climate transformations. Our analysis of climate-related art projects and initiatives shows increased engagement in recent years, particularly with the narrative, visual and performing arts. The arts are moving beyond raising awareness and entering the terrain of interdisciplinarity and knowledge co-creation. We conclude that climate-arts can contribute positively in fostering the imagination and emotional predisposition for the development and implementation of the transformations necessary to address the 1.5 °C challenge

Creative Cities and (Un)Sustainability: From Creative Class to Sustainable Creative Cities

The city today is increasingly conceptualized using terms such as creative cities or creative class and stressing the importance of culture. The effects this development can have on cities and neighbourhoods has been criticised within the wider field of sociology. We explore this critique and place it in the context of the analysis of a culture of unsustainability in order to identify how the concept of creative cities may breed unsustainability. The two cities of Hamburg and Toronto are looked at, considering their implementation of the ideas behind the creative city concept as well as the critical responses from the cultural sector. We then introduce a re-conceptualization of creative cities based on an understanding of the role of the artist in cultures of sustainability. Rethinking creativity and pointing at open dialogue and Richard Sennett's notion of the craftsman, we suggest one possible way toward sustainable creative cities.La ville est, de nos jours, conceptualisée de plus en plus à travers des termes tels que « ville créative » et « classe créative », suscitant l'attention à l'importance de la culture. Les effets d'un tel développement sur les villes et les quartiers, ont été l'objet de critiques de la part de sociologues. Nous explorons ces critiques et les plaçons dans le contexte de l'analyse d'une culture de l'insoutenabilité, afin d'identifier comment le concept de villes créatives peut générer de l'insoutenabilité. Nous prenons pour exemples les deux villes de Hambourg et Toronto, au vu de leur application des idées sous-tendant le concept de ville créative, et au vu des réponses critiques du secteur culturel. Puis nous introduisons une re-conceptualisation des villes créatives, se fondant sur une conception du rôle de l'artiste pour des cultures de soutenabilité. Nous suggérons des pistes de réflexion pour des villes créatives soutenables, reconsidérant le concept de créativité, et évoquant l'idée de dialogue ouvert ainsi que la figure de « l'artisan » chez Richard Sennett

'Raising the temperature' : the arts on a warming planet

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552The search for decisive actions to remain below 1.5 °C of global temperature rise will require profound cultural transformations. Yet our knowledge of how to promote and bring about such deep transformative changes in the minds and behaviours of individuals and societies is still limited. As climate change unravels and the planet becomes increasingly connected, societies will need to articulate a shared purpose that is both engaging and respectful of cultural diversity. Thus, there is a growing need to 'raise the temperature' of integration between multiple ways of knowing climate change. We have reviewed a range of literatures and synthesized them in order to draw out the perceived role of the arts in fostering climate transformations. Our analysis of climate-related art projects and initiatives shows increased engagement in recent years, particularly with the narrative, visual and performing arts. The arts are moving beyond raising awareness and entering the terrain of interdisciplinarity and knowledge co-creation. We conclude that climate-arts can contribute positively in fostering the imagination and emotional predisposition for the development and implementation of the transformations necessary to address the 1.5 °C challenge