Artful Ecologies 2

Art, Nature & Environment Conference 2008
9 - 12 July, University College Falmouth, Cornwall, UK

The second Art, Nature & Environment conference organised and hosted by the RANE research cluster at University College Falmouth, will take place over four days in July of this year. The conference aims to bring together some of the leading members of the artistic community and the growing community of artists and researchers already engaging with RANE, to consider and discuss how artists might best address current ecological concerns.

Since the successful inaugural Artful Ecologies conference in 2006, any doubts that our planet's ecology is now in real danger have been left far behind. Many now argue that we are on the verge of a crisis that could very soon turn to catastrophe. The number of different scenarios we now face, largely of our own making, all present harsh realities and paint bleak pictures of our future. These problems include the creation of a climate that will make large regions of the earth uninhabitable and force an unprecedented loss of species to rival the planet’s previous mass extinctions. Within a generation, toxic levels of pollution and the predicted population explosion will begin to place huge demands on limited resources, with potential shortages of food and water making survival for many an impossibility. The magnitude of the task ahead is almost impossible to imagine, harder still to tackle.

Over the course of four days we will be asking whether there is a role for art to play in facing this impending ecological crisis. If, among other things, art is to be seen as a method for making sense of the world; as a means of interpretation and communication; as a way of exploring and proposing alternatives, then is there more for art to do than simply foreground the problems? What can artists do to provide solutions and address practical concerns? With our environment in crisis, what role for art?

For details of booking rates, including student concessions and artist's bursaries, plus how to register for the conference please visit www.rane-research.org/ae2

Please note keynote speakers and the final schedule are still to be confirmed, so please re-visit the website for regular updates to the conference programme.