EcoArtLab – Relational Encounters between the Arts and Climate Research
Prof. Dr. Yvonne Schmidt, Johanna Paschen, Riikka Tauriainen, Thubten Jonas Shontshang, Mirko Winkel, and Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme
The EcoArtLab is a transdisciplinary think-and-do-tank at the Bern Academy of the Arts – HKB of the Bern University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the mLAB at the Institute of Geography of the University of Bern, that initiates collaborations between designers, artistic researchers, scientists and the public in the field of climate crisis and ecological sustainability. We are dedicated to questions of environmental and social justice as well as transdisciplinary approaches to ways of knowing that integrate different perspectives.
We are convinced that to tackle complex problems, such as the climate crisis, it is necessary to develop new institutional frameworks, methods and practices, and mediation formats, involving artists, scientists, activists and the public. Our aim is to create spaces for transformation and bridge the gap between knowledge and action. Therefore, we conceptualise and organise various interventions such as residencies, teachings, and workshops, as well as conduct a SNSF-founded research project (2023-2027).
Methods and Practices of Knowledge Co-Creation in Transdisciplinary Collaborations
The research in this subproject conducted by Johanna Paschen discusses and emphasises the importance of just collaborative knowledge co-creation about critical climate and ecological justice. Thus, the research aims to investigate how different actors collaborate and how their collaborative work is influenced by framework conditions to reduce marginalised knowledge and ensure epistemic justice. The focus is on artists, artistic researchers, scientists in the field of climate and ecology, societal actors, and living more-than-human. That means that every actor’s knowledge and experiences are equally represented, and on eye-level knowledge production is happening. Thereby, art is highlighted with the potential of reflexivity and critical analysis and is not well served by the mere communication of scientific results in transdisciplinary collaborations aiming to co-create knowledge.
Additionally, the climate crisis intensifies debates on the transformations needed for ecological and social sustainability, with a focus on climate justice. Researchers adopt artistic methods, artists engage in climate activism, and activists draw on academic concepts. However, the impacts of these convergences remain insufficiently understood. Thus, the research also addresses how artists, activists, and researchers collaborate through different practices to create utopias.
More information of the project website.
