Wednesday, February 05, 2014
Climate Science’s Challenge to Artists
HowlRound: Relatively recently, the climate modeling of climate scientists has allowed us to see into the future. While we don’t know everything we know enough to ask if we wish to damage the planet beyond repair in this the new Anthropocene era, when the earth’s ecosystems are being altered by human beings at an unprecedented rate. The knowledge we now have thanks to climate models creates both a terrifying certainty and a spiritual dilemma for every person. And to confront the spirit, humans turn to art. Literature changes paradigms, whether the literature of the Bible or of the great Greek Tragedies, we learn our selves through the word.
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3 comments:
A noble gesture. It looks like the drive to change public opinion about the climate's endangerment is becoming more resourceful in its employment of idea-changers. Malpede suggests that a conceivable way to educate the public about the severity of the climate crisis is through art– to tug at the heartstrings of the public and inspire a movement to change climate policy. What I would add to that discussion, and would tell Ms. Malpede herself, is not to insult the intelligence of the theatre-going community. She cites the Greek tragedians enough, and their use of drama to create a forum for social and political change, but they did so through metaphorical drama, not literal interpretation. It is apparent that the general public is fed up on global warming, being shouted at by the truth-tellers and feeling manipulated by those who would have us remain ignorant. Who is going to want to go to the theatre to watch a play about climate control? I haven't seen these plays, but from the sound of it, something tells me Sniffley is unnecessary. And stupid. An audience can sympathize and digest information without it being spelled out for them. Why does dance affect us so if there are no words spoken? Why can we sit and observe, and feel something, without being told how to feel? My proposal: find a more accessible vehicle. Trust your audience will understand your analogy. If your theatre is inspirational-- not condescending and contrived-- people will want to contribute to your cause. Level with your viewers.
The challenge with doing stuff like this is that this can too easily turn into a lecture-play. I know I'm not interested in going to the theatre to be talked at about how global warming is bad. The majority of theatre audiences are made up of educated liberal people, and I'm pretty sure that most of us have been fully convinced of the dangers of climate change. We don't need to watch a polar bear cub dying on stage, and watching this isn't going to change our behavior. With that being said, if plays can be written that address climate change in a constructive way, perhaps by talking about it in the context of human nature and our society, then they could be constructive. The message of the play can't just be "climate change is bad."
I agree with Clayton and Sarah’s comments. Karen Malpede’s description of her play ‘Extreme Whether’ seems preachy and ill-conceived. And of course, the people who really need to be convinced about the effects of climate change would not dream of attending such a performance. To be fair, the idea of attempting to stage a successful and engaging play addressing such a massive issue is not something I can conceive. Perhaps Chantal Bilodeau’s Arctic Cycle series of eight plays might have a better chance of making a dent. But I would have to know more than the limited information currently available on her website to be hopeful.
I like Maya Lin’s What Is Missing project, because it asks people to contribute personal or historical/factual memories of specific species and/or habitats that have been either greatly diminished or have disappeared.
http://whatismissing.net
However, Maya Lin herself is skeptical as to what it may take to create actual change. In a conversation with Frances Beinecke (President of the Natural Resources Defense Council) and Anne Pasternak (President and Artistic Director of Creative Time), Lin asks, “At this point in time, I wonder, is it art that can make a difference or is it marketing?”
A hopeful quote from Beinecke: “Art can engage people in a dialogue about climate change that does not become a political conflict. I think that’s what art does that policy doesn’t, because in the advocacy world we’re on one side or the other. Art can expand your thinking rather than put you into a box; it can open your mind to different possibilities, which I think is really important.”
You can read the Creative Time dialogue with Lin, Beinecke, and Pasternak (from December 2013) here:
http://creativetimereports.org/2013/12/02/climate-change-maya-lin-frances-beinecke-anne-pasternak/
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