An open lecture series in collaboration with the University of Bonn to shift our perspectives on science and nature, and open new dialogues through art, while diving into the fascinating topic of societal metamorphosis.
Brief presentation of the collaboration
The Forum Internationale Wissenschaft of the University of Bonn and One Resilient Earth explored the themes of “Ecology and the Metamorphosis of Modern Society” through a virtual lecture series, open to all, from November 2020 to February 2021.
Prominent researchers such as David Chandler, Jonathan Pugh, Christophe Bonneuil and Jens Lachmund from renowned European Universities explored how the current ecological crisis could trigger a radical socio-ecological transformation beyond the modern framework – akin to Ulrich Beck’ s idea of a “metamorphosis” in which “the old certainties of modern society are falling apart and something quite new is emerging”.
The lectures investigated the respective fields of politics, science, religion, urban studies and arts, to question the worldviews and practices that are emerging and may be shaping this socio-ecological metamorphosis. The latest research and analyses were shared to better grasp the new world that could be arising alongside continuing modern attempts to rationalize, and govern the ecological crisis, such as evidence-based environmental governance, green finance or geo-engineering. This exploration of the socio-ecological metamorphosis culminated with an interactive session in which panel members were invited to share their thoughts, emotions, and experiences with emerging forms of art, spiritual practices, and community work.
One Resilient Earth supported the University of Bonn in integrating artworks and interactive formats in the lecture series. The artworks are meant to foster an emotional experience complementing the scientific concepts and rationales that will be introduced during the lecture series. Art will also enable participants to dive deeper into the feelings related to the “new world” that may be arising, as well as into its implications on our daily lives. The interactive formats will ensure that the lecture series is open to all, by facilitating exchanges that will benefit both participants and researchers. By bringing arts and science together in a context that encourages dialogues, One Resilient Earth and the University of Bonn are also pioneering set ups that facilitate genuinely transdisciplinary and inclusive science-making.
Videos of the arts-science lectures
From Climatic Paradigm to Socio-Ecological Metamorphosis?
Knowing and Managing Socio-Ecological Transformation: Urban Agriculture in London
The Historian and the Planet: Thinking Regimes of Planetarity at the Intersection of World Ecologies, Environmental Reflexivities and Geopower Configurations
Anthropocene Islands: A Critical Agenda for Ontopolitics in the Anthropocene
The recording of the final panel discussion on ‘Socio-Ecological Metamorphosis in Practice’ is available here.
Building on the insights and questions garnered throughout the five previous lectures, panelists explored how (post-)activists and artists concerned with our ecological crisis venture outside the modern framework to develop “different modes of being in the world, seeing the world and doing politics” with reference to Ulrich Beck’s description of a metamorphosis. The panel comprised:
- Jihan Gearon, Indigenous feminist, painter, writer, organizer, facilitator and a leader in Indigenous environmental justice. Diné and Black, Jihan comes originally from Old Sawmill, Arizona, which is on the Navajo Nation (USA),
- Owólabi Aboyade, hip hop artist and poet, who served as the executive director of the East Michigan Environmental Action Council and is a cultural worker based in Detroit (USA), and
- Ravi Agarwal, artist, photographer, environmental campaigner, writer and curator, who founded the NGO Toxics Link and works in New-Delhi (India).
Panelists reflected on their experience in fostering radical change at the juncture of arts, science, politics, and spirituality, and answered multiple questiond from the audience.