Declaring climate emergency is not an option. Climate action requires artists and the cultural sector to bring the issue forward for wider understanding. Arts of Coming Down to Earth, initiated by Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro - seeks to engage artistic institutions through three steps: (1) Evaluate the environmental footprint of Taipei Biennial 2020; (2) Regeneration actions; (3) Symposium and workshop.
Facilitated by Bamboo Curtain Studio, the third movement aims to raise sustainability awareness and commitments among visual art organizations and networks in Taiwan, by supporting institutions and individuals to evaluate their carbon footprint, transform their practices and restore local environments through artistic, activist and educational work.
The symposium and workshop on December 19th and 20th congregates professionals and wider public to understand the background, concept, issues at hand, experts to find possible strategies/solutions, and artists to join institutional efforts.
On the first day, the Symposium will introduce environmental commitments within arts organizations and how to adopt an environmental policy, with the help of case studies. It proposes to rethink and redesign cultural institutions into models of radical sustainability that inspire experimentation and mutation across society and productive fields at large. The Workshop on the second day, moderated by professionals in visual arts, and practitioners of eco-action, invites culture workers and activists to witness the challenges at stake, bring to awareness the sector's environmental footprint, then suggest methods for emission reduction, community-based carbon capture and ecosystem restoration.
Intended as a platform for intra-institutional activism, the event will result in a collectively written and signed declaration towards environmental commitments and pathways for action.
* Simultaneous translation in Mandarin and English will be provided in the symposium. The workshop will be conducted in Chinese.
Symposium
Time: 2020.12.19 13:30-17:20
Reception: 13:10-13:30
Venue: Gallary D
Number of participants: 65
* Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
* Please indicate in the Note section if an audio guide for simultaneous translation is required. Since we have a limited number of devices, we strongly suggest that you request a device in advance.
* One form of personal ID will be requested for the translation devices at the reception counter.
* The organizer reserves the right to make adjustments and changes to the agenda.
Workshop
Time: 2020.12.20 13:30-17:00. On-site alternate will start at 13:35.
Venue: Gallary D
Number of participants: 40
* This is an audit only workshop. The registrars will be observers who will not engage in discussion groups.
On-line Registration
The registration starts from 11:00am, Dec 1, 2020, till 12:00, Dec 14, 2020.
When making online registration, please make sure the correct conatact information is filled.
Team
Co-planners /
Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro: Born 1987 in France, lives and works in London, Paris and Dakar. Artist, Environmental engineer, Curator.
Margaret Shiu: Founder and Director of Bamboo Curtain Studio, Artist. With long-term focusing on environment and ecology, as well as cross-cultural exchanges。
Ming-Jiun Tsai: Assistant Professor of Department of Fine Arts in Tunghai University, Contemporary art curator and Artist.
Project Manager /
Yves Chun-Ta Chiu: Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Department of Fine Art in National Kaohsiung Normal University, Independent curator.
Project Assistant /
Nancy Tsai: Former Operations Manager of a software startup, Co-coordinator of COSCUP 2020 Open Source AI track.
Reader: Arts of Coming Down to Earth
The reader Arts of Coming Down to Earth edited by Stéphane Verlet-Bottéro, brings together active voices in the field, speak from various contexts and with diverse perspectives, to rethink and redesign system of art production, as well as address environmental externalities in the visual art industry. A reader PDF file is available for download.