Exploring climate change through art, science and digital technology.
We are pleased to announce that the Creative Commissions for Climate Action are continuing this year in the lead up to COP27 in Egypt, November 2022.
The Creative Commissions brings together artists, scientists, and digital innovators from the UK and around the world to connect and collaborate on creative responses to the climate emergency. They aim to stimulate global conversations around the climate emergency and inspire transformational change.
Launched on 21 June, the World Weather Creative Commission takes place in India, South Korea, Philippines and South Africa. It is part of the World Weather Global Network, and was selected from the International Collaboration Grants scheme.
World Weather Creative Commission
World Weather is a new worldwide collaborative network involving 28 arts organisations around the world working on projects in their localities with artists, writers, climate scientists, environmentalists and communities. Launching in June 2022, World Weather will offer a platform for artists to share their imaginative responses to weather patterns and the climate emergency in order to raise awareness of many different ways of experiencing, understanding and talking about local weather and the world’s climate.
The World Weather Creative Commission is a series of arts, science and digital technology projects taking place in India, South Korea, Philippines and South Africa. These will be experienced locally through exhibitions and learning programmes, and globally on a new World Weather platform. The platform will also host a programme of online events from June 2022–June 2023, including one specifically for COP27 in November 2022.
Partners: Khoj (India), Museum of Contemporary Art and Design MCAD (Philippines), NGO Nothing Gets Organised (South Africa), Art Sonje Center (South Korea), Artangel (UK)
Countries: India, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, UK and global.
Check out the World Weather Creative Commission website.
motherEarth international
motherEarth international is a cross-art form and multimedia performance in response to the climate and ecological emergency. The project brings together filmmakers, performers, composers, producers and choreographers from around the world.
Partners: ThisEgg (creative lead, UK), Cambridge Science Festival (UK), Bebe de Soares (Brazil & Argentina), QTP (India), Padepokan Seni Bagong Kussudiardja (Indonesia), Violeta Luna (Mexico), Kuo-Shin Chuang Pangcah Dance Theatre (Taiwan), Centre of Contemporary Art DAKH (Ukraine).
Check out the motherEarth international website.
Creative Commissions for COP27
In the lead up to the United National Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP27), we funded ?? Creative Commissions. The Creative Commissions were widely represented at COP27.
These projects include interactive projects that encourages young people from Egypt and the UK to respond to climate issues, interdisciplinary art pieces that involve compelling storytelling, dance, music, visuals and citizen science and projects that explore themes of migration, the planetary emergency and human civilisation.
Find out more and read about all the selected prosposals.
UK-Korea commission for COP 27
The Korea Foundation and British Council invited applications for a creative commission which will bring together art, science and digital technology and offer innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative responses to climate change. Among high-quality innovative project proposals, ‘The Daily Rituals: Four Earths’ jointly submitted by ARTEBAH, D-Fuse and Jinjoon Lee (TX lab KAIST) have been selected. Read more about these selected proposals.
Creative Commissions for COP26
In the lead up to the United National Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), we funded 17 Creative Commissions. The Creative Commissions were widely represented at COP26. They also featured in an outdoor exhibition in Winter 2021.
Each project was unique in nature, and addressed different climate challenges such as rising sea levels, deforestation, plastic waste, consumption, and our carbon footprint. The Creative Commissions engaged directly with 10,000 people face-to-face and digitally from over 45 countries, with a global reach of over 4 million. Key outputs included films such as Listening to Ice, the Songs of the Earth music album, The Museum of Plastic 2121 Virtual Reality museum, Trees for Life plant graffiti in Ethiopia visible from space, Nine Earths immersive art installation, Tales of Care and Repair Policy Declarations, Connecting the Climate Challenge educational resources and more.
Museum of Plastic has been the recipient of the South African 'Beyond Borders Partnership' award, as well as a finalist in the 6th International VR Awards in the 'Social Impact' category.
The Creative Commissions actively supported those currently underrepresented in climate change conversations, and engaged individuals of different genders, ethnicities, and ages, with the majority of the projects being youth-led or having a youth focus. The effects of climate change have repercussions for people, planet, prosperity and peace, and the Creative Commissions demonstrate how arts and culture can address a number of these global challenges, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Creative Commission projects
Read more about previous projects that have been selected for the Creative Commissions.