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 Kri Foundation presents Critical Conversation on Climate change and the Arts India Habitat Centre, 7pm April 19, 2025 New Delhi April 3, 2025  Creativity in climate conversations: the role of art in impacting action The world is in a climate crisis. We have the data, and the disasters around us to remind us of it every day. But between the information overload and calls to action falls the shadow. Why is it that deadlines are missed, solutions are fragmented and signals disconnected? How does one break the silos of science, policy, media and culture so that a multiplicity of voices can come together to effect change? Can artistic practices reshape narratives, create new paradigms of trust and inspire sustainable action? To explore these intersections, Kri Foundation and ClimArts present "Climate Change and the Arts: A Critical Conversation", an evening of discussion bringing together leading voices in environmental policy, sustainable development and the arts. Why critical? As Dr Arshiya Sethi of Kri Foundation, puts it, "There is no doubt that climate change is the most life-destroying problem before us today. It requires urgent action and here we have not even started the conversations with the gravitas needed. That is why I have called this conversation a critical conversation. We must have it. We do not have a choice anymore." The evening will open with a keynote address by Sunita Narain, Director-General of the Centre for Science and Environment, a leading figure in the field of sustainable development and environmental justice. This will be followed by a conversation between Neha Bansal, founder of Asianism Retold, an initiative on development pathways from the global South, and Neelambaree Prasad, founder and director of ClimArts, a platform dedicated to enabling climate action through storytelling. Explaining the significance of artists in climate conversations, Bansal said, "What does a paintbrush or a song say about our future? For one it reminds us, so powerfully, of the fundamental relationship between human beings and nature. A reminder that is essential to our work on climate action. It is therefore visionary for Kri Foundation to host this conversation understanding that while we already have in the room scientists, policymakers, businesspersons and students, we must have the artists..." Prasad, an Odissi dancer and strong advocate of the arts as a tool for science communication, said, "Art is not merely decorative for entertainment but a powerful cultural catalyst and a vital tool for communicating the story of our time - climate change." She added, "We see a lot of technical messaging which can be daunting and pushes the audience away. The doom and gloom in the news can generate paralysis and apocalyptic fatigue. What we need are stories of hope, potential, possibilities and such narratives woven with art, performance art can be very potent to nudge positive climate action." Dr Sethi, an arts professional and activist, added, "For long I believe that the arts have a persuasive power and constitute a power that few languages have. It's not for nothing that the polyphony of voices during the Bhakti movements used the arts as a tool for change. The arts impact sharply. The impact stays and the framework of the impact increases receptivity. Therefore, I feel that even today they are the best way to go for difficult and critical conversations." "Climate Change and the Arts: A Critical Conversation" will be held at India Habitat Centre, Delhi, at 7pm on April 19, 2025. |
