Author Archives: Ronja Röckemann

Ronja Röckemann was the intern of Cultura21 from April to July 2011. She has a Bachelor degree in the field of Cultural Sciences and will continue to study at Leuphana University in the Master program "Sustainability Sciences".

“Can Artists Change China?” Lecture, film and panel debate around the arrest of Ai Weiwei

Since April 3rd 2011, world-renowned contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei is detained by the police in China, sparking worldwide protests from governments, human rights groups and art insti-tutions, among others, calling for his release. How far can artists contribute to social transformations towards sustainability in contemporary China? On June 16th 2011, a special evening [...]

Symposium: “Animal Ecologies in Visual Culture”

Reposted from: www.antennae.org.uk/Symposium The symposium on October 8th 2011 at University College London proposes an exploration of artistic practices involved with animals and environments. In the recent re-surfacing of the animal in contemporary art, emphasis has been given to mammals, mainly because of the most immediate relational opportunities that these animals offer to us. However, a number [...]

Call for Photographs and Videos: Environmental Photographer of the Year

The Environmental Photographer of the Year is an international showcase for the best environmental photography and video, honouring amateurs and professionals of all ages. Organised by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) since 2007, the Environmental Photographer of the Year is one of the fastest growing photographic competitions in the world. Next [...]

Kumasi Biennial Symposium: Community Arts in Focus

July 16th until August 6th 2011 in Ghana The Curio Kiosks project of the first Kumasi Symposium was a successful attempt to bring international contemporary art to the general public in Sub-Sahara Africa, who might not normally come to art galleries and museums. How can the scope of this project be broadened? How can the rural [...]

Reading of the play “Sila”

Reposted from: www.sustainablepractice.org “Sila” is the name of a play written by Chantal Bilodeau. The titel comes from an Inuit word for the breath of life, the primary component of everything that exists. The play is about an ice scientist, an Inuit activist, an officer for the Marine Communications and Traffic Services and a polar [...]

‘Pool – Creative City Projects

What does “pool” in “Liverpool” stand for? It is the goal of ‘Pool to explore, reveal and celebrate the origins of the city of Liverpool and in so doing to contemplate and influence the city’s future. Through walks, picnics, celebrations, conferrings and positive documentation, ‘Pool works with communities in Liverpool to raise awareness about the ecology and social [...]

Exhibition: “On the Metaphor of Growth”

Reposted from: www.kunstverein-hannover.de Until June 26, 2011 in Hannover, Germany As a concept initially associated with biology, “growth” suggests something natural.  However, if one follows the concept of growth as a metaphor borrowed from biology, one additionally encounters a second side that usually negates the metaphorical use. Organic growth is consistently defined by a natural border; [...]

UK Green Film Festival

The UK Green Film Festival is a not-for-profit, national film festival showcasing films and filmmakers engaging with environmental and climate change themes that challenge, inspire, educate and entertain. Featured films include: The Age of Stupid, Vanishing of the Bees, Fields of FuelGasLand, With Landscape in Mind, Plastic Planet, Planeat, and The Pipe. Films will be [...]

Congress: “Right to the City”

June 2nd to 5th 2011 in Hamburg “The urban is defined as the place where people walk around, find themselves standing before and inside piles of objects, experience the intertwining of the threads of their activities until they become unrecognizable, entangle situations in such a way that they engender unexpected situations.” (Henri Lefèbvre: La révolution urbaine) [...]

Exhibition: “Spaghetti Junctions”

Reposted from www.sustainablepractice.org Exhibition until 29 May 2011 in London In 1979 former American President Jimmy Carter inaugurated a solar installation on the roof of the West Wing of the White House. This symbol of his pioneering energy policy was removed seven years later by the Ronald Regan administration. Through video, sculptural-recreation, text and archive material the artists [...]

Living as Form – Public Talks in New York City

The public talks aim at furthering the discussions surrounding socially engaged practices. They are free and open to the public. All talks will be held from 6:30–8:00pm in the Rose Auditorium at 41 Cooper Square, New York City. The first talk “Considering Useful Art” will take place on May 18th 2011 with Claire Bishop, who is an Associate Professor [...]

News from the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts

1. The magazine CSPA Quarterly explores sustainable arts practices in all genres (performance, visual art & installation, music, and film/video) and policy. It serves as a formal terrain for members of the network to discuss and evaluate diverse points of view, while celebrating innovations and sustainable movements. The fifth issue called for work related to [...]

Conference: “People and Nature in Mountains”

21st to 23rd September 2011, Trondheim, Norway Abstract submission deadline: 15th June. This conference will address how archaeology and cultural history can be integrated with long-term and contemporary ecology to understand landscape dynamics and underpin sustainable management and conservation of both cultural heritage and biodiversity in mountain environments. For more information visit: www.ntnu.no/vitenskapsmuseet/peopleandnature.

Call for Papers for the Graduate Conference “Landscapes and Mindscapes”

Submission deadline: 15th of June. Conference date: September 16th to 17th in Naples, Italy Graduate students, recent Ph.D.s, and junior scholars from different fields focusing on any cultural and literary tradition are encouraged to apply. Papers should investigate critical methodologies (geocriticism, ecocriticism, geopoetics, etc.) and different approaches to the relationship between word and space.