We were over seating capacity for our Symposium on Art and the Communication of Climate Science!

We were delighted by the number of people that came down to Craft Victoria to share in our discussion with the panel. The audience participation raised some pertinent issues and topics. Professor David Karoly began the symposium by explaining the impacts and causes of the ozone hole in Antarctica. David’s presentation enabled the audience a clear understanding of the affects of ozone hole depletion. Following on was Professor Kate Rigby. Who discussed the importance of the literature, music and the visual arts to enable a greater understanding of climate change. Kate raised the importance of the arts to effect cultural change. Professor Lesley Duxbury and Harry Nankin discussed their practice, and how they research and investigate environment issues within their works.

One of the most rewarding parts of the symposium was the audience engagement and discourse following the panels opening addresses. Issued raised included “can art be political”, “Is art that concerns the environment a form of activisms”, “What is our Climate Change anthem? We have had numerous songs that discussed/ explore the Vietnam war and Feminism. Where are the anthems of Climate Change?”

We would sincerely like to thank all the members of the Symposium and Professor Linda Williams for donating their time for this important discussion. And thank everyone that attended. It was a inspiring and energetic evening.

Click the poster image to find out more information on the speakers and event.

We will try and upload some excerpts from the evening soon, so check back for more updates.

Chair for Exhibition Public Forum Announced

Art and the Communication of Climate Science- Making Sense of how artists and scientists can collaborate on the question of the ozone hole and biodiversity in Antarctica.

We are pleased to announce Associate Professor Linda Williams from RMIT will be Chairing the Public Symposium during the exhibition of Making Sense at Craft Victoria.The objective of the symposium is to stimulate an open dialogue between Melbourne based Artists and Scientists. We are interested in bringing together key people from both these fields to construct a community for future collaborations, further enriching both research disciplines.

Chair- Assoc Professor Linda Williams Associate Professor in Art, Environment and Cultural Studies and Program Coordinator of the Honours Program in the School of Art. She also leads the Art and Sustainability Research Cluster at RMIT. Along with her work as a widely published art critic, she has published in the field of the history of culture and science, philosophy and critical theory, and is an active member of the Globalization and Culture project in the Global Cities Research Institute at RMIT. She is also an international reader for the ARC.