Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Will We Be Drawn to Action With Art?

 


Most years, Diane Husic and I teach a course about climate change and negotiations, and we have always discussed the importance of art for communicating climate change.  In this blog, we have highlighted art installations at the COPs over the past decade. This year, I was happy to see that art was highlighted at the Egyptian pavilion.  As the host country, Egypt has one of the most prominent and largest pavilions at the COP.  This year, they have chosen to exhibit the "natural heritage, biodiversity, and Egyptian culture linking humanity to nature through the expression of art."  There are four or five large areas in the pavilion, and walking through them is much like strolling through a museum. Check out the "Pava Bean Bronze Sculpture" or the lovable "Garden Creatures" at the base of the "Tree of Mary." 







So, yes, despite my love and support for the arts, and my genuine belief that arts have an important role in communicating climate change, I'm a bit puzzled.  At the nearby pavilions for UK/Scotland (COP 26 host) and United Arab Emirates (future COP 28 host), the exhibits are about education and solutions.  Scotland shows off a virtual reality platform, with its awe-inspiring "Space Safari," while UAE features interactive exhibits on solutions ranging from mangroves to hydrogen.  For COP 27, however, Egypt is not using their platform to tout their achievements.  I appreciate that there is a lot of discussion about "nature-based solutions," but these artworks are more of a celebration of nature. So is that the message?  We need to celebrate and preserve our natural world? It may be.  The artwork is beautiful, and hopefully it will inspire the parties to increase their ambition to "keep 1.5 degrees alive."





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2 comments:

  1. Dwight HollowayNovember 16, 2022 at 2:26 PM

    Thank you for sharing the information abut the artwork. I agree art has a unique way of getting people to connect to an issue. It can provoke more insightful thought, and can cause inspiration. I often think of photographs of places around the world of places like the Serengeti I have not been there but the beauty and wonder displayed in photos make me want to save it. I do hope that the point of just the artwork was about connection and inspiration. Thank you for sharing the pieces were great.

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  2. Reagan BonforteNovember 22, 2022 at 3:18 PM

    I love this blog it is just amazing! I noticed how you mention the importance of art this year compared to years in the past. This year, they have exhibited the "natural heritage, biodiversity, and Egyptian culture linking humanity to nature through the expression of art." By artists using nature as a form of art expression and sending the climate change message, it has definitely confused some. It is interesting to see how such a large climate change event is promoting the message a bit differently in the past years. Hopefully by promoting the beauty of nature through these pieces, the message is sent that we need to preserve our nature's beauty by taking care of our precious planet. Additionally, this year there are interactive rooms that give the people a unique experience depending on their answers to certain questions. By having an interactive and emotional experience, people are able to connect to the issue of climate change and better understand it. If people were to just base their opinions on facts and science, they may not feel emotion towards the crisis and that can be crucial in their will to make a change. I really enjoyed keeping up with the blog and seeing a unique perspective from the COP27!

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