We’ve started producing quarterly newsletters which will be out on the solstices and equinoxes of the year. To sign up for future newsletters, go here. Here’s our Autumn news. If you’re already on our mailing list, do check your spam filters if you don’t see it.
Autumn Equinox (or Mabon) is one of only two days in the year when day and night are exactly the same length. It is a rare moment of balance between night and dark. Here in the northern hemisphere it signals a move towards winter, it is a moment to gather in the last of the harvest, and when we see the leaves start to turn.
Here at Climate Museum UK this is a moment where we ask:
What have we grown this summer? What fruits are we grateful for? What would we like to cut back or compost? And are we in balance?
This exceptionally unusual year has been challenging for each member of our team in different ways, especially combined with the recent news of the loss of biodiversity and this succinct roundup from the Greenpeace UK newsletter that: “Our planet is suffering and it’s showing. Record-breaking fires have been raging across the world. Entire towns have been turned to ash in the western USA and abnormally warm temperatures in eastern Siberia have led to intense and widespread fires. Flooding in Sudan has killed nearly 100 people and left thousands homeless. And the impacts from storms like Hurricane Sally, which just reached the southern USA, are predicted to become more intense due to climate change.”
With the emergency ever more evident, we are entering autumn with a renewed energy, with new members, a stronger online programme, a new collaboratively designed exhibition proposal and call outs for participation in our digital commons.
Please offer the warmest of welcomes to our new members:
William Wardlaw Rogers, sustainable change facilitator, working with narrative strategy.
Joe Martin, exhibition producer and interactives developer.
As always, if you are interested in working with us, pop us an email and we will arrange a good time to talk: climatemuseumuk@gmail.com
We are collating Extreme Weather Stories about the Fire in America: It’s important that we capture the extremity and emotion of the experience of these gargantuan fires, and to do this swiftly. If you would like your voice to be added here, please get in touch on climatemuseumuk@gmail.com
Our print-it-yourself exhibition is heading to Innsbruck for the International Nature Festival from 2 – 10 October 2020.
We are planning lots of upcoming workshops in Lewisham with local groups and have funding to run more – email us if you are interested at climatemuseumuk@gmail.com. We are also running sessions as part of the Big Draw, including an in person workshop Draw a Green Future (29 Oct), an online talk on What can drawing do for the climate? (27 Oct), as well as weekly online drawing challenges.
OUR ACTIVATIONS COMING UP
Throughout October:Weekly online drawing challenges as part of this years climate themed Big Draw running throughout October with a new challenge launched online each Thursday
2 October: Bridget and Lucy are running a workshop as part of South West Fed Conference 2020 called How to Climate Curate Your Museum.
2-10 October: International Nature Festival, Innsbruck
7 October: Bridget is speaking in Julia’s Bicycle’s Creative Climate Chats
23-25 October: Bridget is speaking with Rob Hopkins on imagination at the Green Christian Festival 2020
27 October: What can drawing do for the climate? (digital discussion, via zoom)
29 October: Draw a Green Future (in-person drawing workshop in Telegraph Hill, Lewisham)
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
Justine Boussard has helped to create a new audio journey along Regents canal that includes Bridget speaking about being ecocentric. Commissioned by National Park City Foundation for the London Design Festival 2020. Listen here from 18 Sept.
Lucy Carruthers has created an animation for Scarborough Museum Trusts as part of their new digital commissions. Animal Archives: Re-wilding the Museum re-examines Scarborough’s Natural History collection and sites, through a climate and ecological lens.
Ash Tree Stream is a one-year art and ecology project, led CMUK team member James Aldridge, with Andover Trees United, CAS (Chapel Arts Studios) and 5 Andover schools. November sees the project culminate in an exhibition and associated online events, sign up for updates via the project website.
FROM OUR FRIENDS
We are inspired by Mock COP, who are are filling the void of the postponed COP26 with a big, inclusive online Mock COP for young people from around the world. The two-week event will be run by young climate activists and is happening in November, if you are under 25 and would like to get involved you can find out how here.
Our friends at Culture Declares Emergency are in the middle of a month of Declaration and Taking Action. They are inviting people to write Letters to Power and to share their stories of action online using #CultureTakesAction
We are delighted that this year’s Big Draw Festival is the Big Green Draw Festival: A climate of Change 2020 focusing on the relationship between people and our living environments and ecosystems. We are running a few events and there are lots more running 1-31 October 2020. Follow the action on #ClimateOfChange and #BigGreenDraw
Climate Museum UK 