How arts & culture work for our planet
We know about the potential of arts and culture to stimulate change. Social transformation processes need more than rational logic. In order to engage a critical mass for transformation to take place, it needs emotional involvement. Art is able to create such emotional involvement. Art makes complexity human. This is extremely important regarding the complex and for us Western societies very “distant”...
The climate crisis can no longer be neglected. And so do cultural professionals look for answers and solutions to deal with it. This article discusses two aspects of sustainability with which they can have an impact: Indirectly and directly sustainable; synergy effects on top. It answers the following questions: Why is it not only important and necessary but also...
Today, on the 19th of March 2021 we enter the global climate strike #7 of the Fridays for Future movement. Back in 2018 when it all started, it might have only been students that went on strike. But rather quickly this movement went global and many adults and professionals from all industries and sectors have joined and stand in...
Today, the 11th of March 2021 is the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown, a tragedy which took lives, homes and hopes. The disaster left the Japanese population in great despair. Because the Japanese government passed a ban which, out of security reasons, prohibited any reporting inside the country, a group of artists set up a website...
In the first part of this series about the functionalities of art, I have introduced you to the ‘battle’ between the instrumental vs. the intrinsic value of art. It is certainly not a new debate – indeed it all started about 2500 years ago with Plato and Aristotle. Continuing with: the seven functionalities of art #4: Morals The civilising...
This article will introduce you to the many functions attributed to art. It takes you on a 2500 years’ trip from Plato to Bourdieu. The battle is between instrumentalization and autonomy, between utility and freedom of the arts. Both sides are still valid in today’s cultural policy debates. This article provides a shortcut to a better understanding of the opposing positions....
