Art | Disability | Climate Change

* The Zoom link will be emailed to participants the day prior to the webinar on Wednesday 19th July.

ART | DISABILITY | CLIMATE CHANGE
An afternoon webinar exploring disability narratives in a changing climate through the work of Irish artists

Hosted by AlanJames Burns with contributions from Dr Sarah Bell, Cecilia Bullo, Jennifer Cunningham, Peter Kearns, Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, Tia Vellani, Suzanne Walsh, Julia Watts Belser, Marek Wolynski and others

Art, lived experience of disability, climate change, and their intersections will be explored by leading Irish and international arts professionals in an afternoon of free online panel discussions on Thursday 20th July.

Climate change disproportionately affects disabled people through ways such as eco-ableism, lack of accessible information and physical vulnerabilities in extreme weather events, and inaccessible climate policies, to name a few.

However, people with lived experience of disability have expert skill sets which are needed to address the climate emergency, such as resilience, resourcefulness, understanding the value of community care and specialist knowledge of navigating a world of barriers and obstacles. Yet disabled people are routinely and systematically not considered in climate action projects, policies, and discussions.

Accessibility:
Irish Sign Language and live captioning will be available.

Each session will last for 40-50 minutes with breaks between sessions.

An easy read is available through

https://www.alanjamesburns.com/art-disability-climate-change/

Following the webinar recordings of the discussions will be made available online at www.alanjamesburns.com

FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions please email: karinacharles11@gmail.com

MEDIA INFORMATION
For media information please contact Stephanie Dickenson Tel: 087 993 7650 stephaniedickenson12@gmail.com

Supported by
Art | Disability | Climate Change webinar is funded and supported by Arts Council of Ireland Touring Award, Galway County Arts Office, Cavan Arts Office and SFI Insight Research Centre at DCU.

Description of Panel Discussions:
The afternoon’s first session discusses the forthcoming national tour and artwork Augmented Body, Altered Mindby AlanJames Burns. An collaborative interactive exhibition weaving a brain-computer interface with an audio-visual environment inviting audiences to visualise the way they think and how their brains work. The artwork celebrates neurodiversity, and how human brains have evolved to process information in ways that are specialised and divergent from each other that encourages collective and creative problem-solving. Nowhere is creative thinking more needed than the environmental crisis.

The second session discusses art as a catalyst for inclusive climate action and a just transition by looking at the environmental advocacy work by artists and organisations who are addressing the disproportionate impact and accessibility challenges faced by disabled individuals during the climate emergency.

The final session explores how disabled Irish artists raise awareness, challenge societal perceptions, and provoke meaningful discussions about the experiences of disabled individuals in the context of climate change and environmental degradation.