The Culture|Futures conference will be held from 6-9 December in Copenhagen during the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Culture|Futures aims to define the cultural element needed to deliver an ecological age by 2050. It will bring together around 50 experts from various sectors (including environment, culture, engineering and media) to explore proactive and operational interconnections between arts and culture, on one side and holistic solutions for delivering 2050 goals. The conference will be held at the National Gallery, Copenhagen on 7 December and at facilities provided by the Civil Society Climate Forum in central Copenhagen on 8 and 9 December.
Culture|Futures is being organised by ASEF along with its partners, the Danish Cultural Institute and Khoj International Artists’ Association (New Delhi, India) and with the support and co-operation of the Danish Arts Agency; European Union National Institutes for Culture; International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies; Cultura 21; Cambridge Sustainable City Programme; Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts (UK), British Council; Goethe Institute; Italian Cultural Institute; Arts Council England; Arup and Trivium Aps.
Arts, Culture and Sustainability: Building Synergies between Asia and Europe
ASEF will bring together the 12 cultural leaders from Asia and Europe in a meeting, Arts, Culture and Sustainability: Building Synergies between Asia and Europe on 6 December 2009 at the Danish Cultural Institute in Copenhagen. The 12 cultural leaders will discuss the vision of the cultural sectors in engaging with environmental sustainability. They will also contribute to a discussion paper on the subject commissioned by ASEF.
Circles of Engagement
The discussion paper will serve as the start of a wider reflection process on the vision and role of the cultural sector in environmental sustainability through virtual circles of engagement beyond the contributing participants of the paper and the conferences. These circles of engagement aim to actively engage the cultural sectors in Asia and Europe in the dialogue on sustainability. To this end, ASEF has set up an online platform on art and environment on its Culture360 webportal (www.culture360.org) that focuses on artistic and cultural exchange between Asia and Europe, http://connect2culture.blogs.culture360.org. Representatives of the cultural sectors in Asia and Europe will be invited to engage with ASEF and each other as members of the two virtual circles.
Other Connect2Culture initiatives in 2009 include,
Mapping of Best Practices
Connect2Culture will work towards closing the knowledge gaps on initiatives linking the arts, culture and environment through a mapping of best practices. The mapping will include initiatives by the cultural sector working on environmental issues and result in an online publication. The idea of mapping best practices linking the arts to environment and sustainable development is based on the observation that carefully documented case studies can not only provide inspiration for networking and collaboration in and between Asia and Europe but also aid policy making and planning. The Research Brief on the Mapping of Best Practices is available below, in the Documents section.
Follow Up Projects
In 2009-10, Connect2Culture will support five collaborative projects linking arts, culture and the environment as Follow Up Projects to Connect2Culture and the ASEM Dialogue on Art, Culture and Climate Change (Beijing, October 2008). The selected projects will become part of ASEF’s ongoing efforts towards creating policy inputs on art, culture, environment and sustainable development.
In Partnership with the Danish Cultural Institute
ASEF contribution is with the financial support of the European Commission