Creative Responses to Sustainability | New Guide for Australia launched!

Since 2015, culture360.ASEF.org has been publishing Creative Responses to Sustainability, a series of country-specific guides looking at creative responses to sustainability in different countries in Asia and Europe. We are pleased to present this new Guide for Australia, the 5th in the series, written and researched by Claire WILSON. As for the previous guides, the guide for Australia will feature a directory of 25 most pioneering and significant cultural organisations contributing to social and environmental change through their artistic practice.

Recording sounds in Noosa Biosphere Reserve (Creative Responses to Sustainability Australia Guide)

This new Guide for Australia is the first written by a local researcher and features an interactive map of the country with links to identified organisations, so as to facilitate connections with the local operators in the country. The Guide also gives an overview of some of the key ways of working and challenges in the Australian context, based on interviews and surveys as well as research on key organisations and trends. Some of the environmental challenges identified are specific to the context of Australia: reliance on coal and the impact of mining, coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, introduction of exotic species; while others such as pollution or over-fishing are global challenges faced by many other countries. In this context, the researcher has also identified some trends such as advocacy and education, science and technology, indigenous connection to land, regional art and disaster recovery. Based on these trends, a selection of arts organisations have been highlighted as the most representative in each focus area.

Sculpture by David Ball

Creative Responses to Sustainability builds on the discussions initiated by the EU funded network Green Art Lab Alliance (GALA) since 2013 and previously on ASEF’s engagement with the topic of artists and climate change in global dialogues around environmental sustainability through its Connect2Culture programme (2008-2011).The Guides on Singapore (2015), Korea (2016) and Indonesia (2017) were researched by Yasmine OSTENDORF, the initiator of GALA. Through this series, culture360.ASEF.org also contributes to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly, ensuring public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements (SDG #16). culture360.ASEF.org contributes to the pursuit of this SDG by providing public access to information and arts & culture in the 51 countries of the ASEM region.

Download the Australia Guide here:

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