[ISEA2013] Paper: Ricardo Dal Farra – [e]arts for humanitarian actions? the “art!⋈ climate” initiative

ABSTRACT

The ‘art!⋈climate’ initiative emerged from the idea to collaborate with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre -and its worldwide network- with specific actions that could support their humanitarian actions

The first step of this multiple-stage project is a call to create sound miniatures that the Climate Centre will use in its activities, such as: workshops, simulation/educational games, lectures and presentations around the world, and eventually in audio-visual material too. We mean by sound art miniatures: “creations of sound art/music made from the use of new technologies, whose products can fit into what is known as soundscapes, electroacoustic /acousmatic music, sonorizations and sonifications.” Several media art forms are currently being considered to be accepted in the following stages.

The ‘art!⋈climate’ project became possible as a creation-knowledge-action proposal to reach those who are already affected or in imminent danger from the consequences of climate change, and also for those who are not directly touched by it yet. It can be seen as a tool but it is not less artistic for being that. On the contrary, the principal idea here grows from a cooperative effort having powerful means based on artistic creations -with a value independently from its potential functionality- and simultaneously, a tangible application in humanitarian actions.

We propose a true collaboration that can have an effect on “real people” while preserving the significance and meaning of each contribution and action. Art can be created with or without a specific goal, and this appears like one of those cases where both situations harmonize.

The ‘art!⋈climate’ project is part of the Balance-Unbalance initiative and has been developed by the Electronic Arts Experimentation and Research Centre (Centro de Experimentación e Investigación en Artes Electrónicas – CEIArtE) at National University of Tres de Febrero in Argentina and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre.

  • Ricardo Dal Farra (Argentina/Canada), Concordia University, Hexagram, Canada