Climate Change Explorer
[North West and North East England] 2004 to present
An ongoing programme of work based around Climate Change. Initially based in the North West and North East of England, but reaching out nationally and internationally. The programme involves artist residencies in schools, supported by scientists and scientific bodies. The output from the programme is disseminated through regional, national and international arts, education and science networks and through the project's interactive POD and website.
Climate Change Explorer aims to:
- use the arts (in particular new media) to raise young people's awareness of the local and global significance of climate change;
- promote education, learning and actions on the issue of climate change in the UK and internationally;
- input all new work (media and other artforms such as music, dance, drama, filmmaking and creative writing) onto the project website;
- assist artists to produce creative work of the highest aesthetic and artistic quality on the issue of climate change to inspire enthusiasm and action;
- encourage artists, scientists and educators to collaborate on the issue;
- extend contemporary practice by building a new body of knowledge about the relationship between the arts and sciences.
Pilot:
During 2004/05, new media artist Peter Rogers undertook a year long cross-disciplinary
collaboration at Dowdales School in Dalton in Furness, Cumbria. Supported by Cumbria Arts in
Education and scientists from the Environmental Change Network (ECN), the work culminated in a
'Super Learning Day'. Collaborative processes and creative work are being developed as learning
resources to provide a curriculum resource for schools.
Current activity:
In the North West, visual artist Adam Clarke has run a series of workshops with pupils at Dowdales School and users of the Dropzone in Cumbria to produce a series of short films and animations exploring climate change. In addition, visual artist Lorraine Berry spent some time with the scientists at the Environmental Change Network (ECN) and has produced a series of fractal images linked to climate change.
In the North East, Mortimer School in South Tyneside worked with street dancers Robbie Graham and Conor O'Kane, graffiti artist Paul Richardson, DJ Jonny Deeper and film-maker Emily Barber to create a climate change dance, graffiti boards, rap and short film.
A series of INSET training sessions and materials are now being produced to enable teachers to interact with, and contribute to, the climate change explorer website.
