Tag Archives: environment

Finalist for the Manchester Culture Awards

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Kooj Chuhan & Crossing Footprints: culture arts and climate justice work in Manchester 2022

A quick snapshot of work by Kooj Chuhan and Crossing Footprints showing brief excerpts of five creative projects dealing with climate justice. These were highlighted in Kooj’s nomination by Community Arts North West for the #ManchesterCultureAwards 2022 (sustainability category). Featuring collaborations with Manchester Art Gallery , Amani Creatives , Emmanuela Yogolelo, Manchester Histories and Ayna Arts.

Now Kooj is a finalist for the Manchester Culture Awards. Results are to be announced at the awards ceremony 24th Nov 2022.

Bangladesh Independence with Climate Connections

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Oldham Libraries and Crossing Footprints present an event which celebrates the final victory day for Bangladesh Independence along with a Climate Connections Women’s Group cultural presentation.

Bangladesh Independence Victory Day Celebration

বাংলাদেশের ৫১তম বিজয় দিবস উদযাপন

Artists for Bangladesh Independence with Climate Connections

featuring a programme by Ayna Arts and Climate Connections Women’s Group

জলবায়ু সংযোগ মহিলা গ্রুপ

at Northmoor Library, Wednesday 7th December 2022 4.30-6.30pm

With music and songs by Nuruzzaman Ahmed, Mitra Kabir and Luthfur Rahman

Discussion, poetry and drama by Ayna Arts

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Training to Fight Climate Change

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FREE TRAINING TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
CAN THE FUTURE FOR BANGLADESH, THE UK AND THE WORLD BE BETTER?

at Northmoor Library, Chadderton Way, Oldham OL9 6DH.

Monday 3rd October, 12-2pm:
THE PROBLEM WE FACE
by Kooj Chuhan
• Understanding Climate Change
• How does it affect Bangladesh and the UK?
• What we can do about it?

Monday 10th October, 12-2pm:
LOCAL ACTION
by Arran Rangi
• Can we push our Council to do more to fight Climate Change?
• What are they doing already?
• What more should they do?

All welcome, lunch provided!
If you know people who live in the area please pass on this training to fight climate change or tell them about it.
Organised by Oldham Libraries in partnership with Crossing Footprints and Hope For The Future,with support from the Community Fund (National Lottery).

Climate Connections Community Festival at Northmoor Library

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It’s finally here, the Climate Connections Community Festival is happening outdoors at the back of Northmoor Library, Oldham on Saturday 24th Sept 2022, 12 noon – 3pm. Also coming up, free training to better understand and fight climate change on 3rd and 10th October.

Climate Connections Community Festival at Northmoor Library - banner image

So much is and has been happening due to climate change in Bangladesh over the years but so few know about it. There’s so much to say that needs to be out there and much louder than it is. Crossing Footprints are pleased to have co-developed and be supporting this Saturday’s Festival at Northmoor Library Oldham a great event with songs, stories and craftivism connecting with the Climate Emergency and a strong Bangladeshi viewpoint from some amazing artists. If you’re anywhere nearby come on down, and pass the word on.

Climate Connections Community Festival at Northmoor Library - Kayes and Ahad singing

What’s on at the Climate Connections Community Festival?

The event features Ahad Ullah Shah and Kayes Muktadir singing Bangla songs about climate change co-written with Murad Chowdhury who will also give some musical support. Then there is Apu Chowdhury from Ayna Arts who will deliver some storytelling and drama, and will also be the MC for the day. Also we have the amazing visual and craft climate activist Rabia Begum running a craftivism workshop. The local street will be closed off to be a play street so families and kids can bring their outdoor toys to play with.

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Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival!

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Crossing Footprints has developed a set of events focusing on Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival 8-12 June 2022. This year’s theme for the Festival is the history of climate change, for which Manchester has played a pivotal role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

Climate Change is a Race and Migration Is for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival 2022
photo credit: Joe Brusky

We’ve organised four events in solidarity with low income and racially marginalised communities, including a panel discussion ‘Climate Change is a Race and Migration Issue‘ followed by a powerful Bangladeshi theatre piece ‘GHOORNI‘ by Ayna Arts, both at Manchester Central Library on Friday 10th June from 6pm. Then on Saturday 11th June at 6.15pm the singer-songwriter Emmanuela Yogolelo from DR Congo will perform a music set focused on Climate Justice at Angel Meadow. Finally, throughout the Festival the ‘Climate Connections‘ set of short video films made mostly by low income and diverse communities in Oldham responding to climate change will be exhibited on a screen at Oldham Art Gallery, with an informal talk by project director Kooj Chuhan at 1pm, Saturday 11th June.

Video still from video by Emmanuela Yogolelo for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival

More details about our events for Climate Justice at Manchester Histories Festival below:

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EVENT: Linking climate change with migration Film screening and panel discussion 7/3/16 London

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Is the devastation of our climate forcing increased migration and is it projected to worsen in the future?

A new film shows how recent research linking climate change with migration has strengthened our understanding of this enormously, and how artists have begun to articulate this in human terms. In stark contrast virtually no mention was made of migration in the Paris climate summit agreements.  A leading panel explores the underlying issues and asks whether and how migration should be made more visible across public and policy agendas on climate change?

Crossing Footprints - Linking Climate Change with MigrationMon 7th March 2016, at 6.30pm
Room K2.31 Nash Lecture Theatre, 2nd Floor, King’s Building, King’s College, Strand, London WC2R 2LS
Book your FREE place at: http://linking-climate-change-with-migration.eventbrite.co.uk/

Linking climate change with migration event includes speakers:

Richard Black, leading scholar at SOAS on migration in the context of climate change
Zita Holbourne, community, union and human rights activist, writer, artist and curator; co-founder of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts
Andrew Baldwin, chair of international Climate Change and Migration research network based at Durham University
Alex Randall, UK Climate Change and Migration Coalition
Kooj Chuhan, artist, filmmaker and curator of the ‘Footprint Modulation’ exhibition exploring climate migration and justice

+ Public launch and screening of the film ‘Crossing Footprints: Human Migration and the Environment’ by Kooj Chuhan / Metaceptive Media, about both the Human Migration and The Environment Conference and the Footprint Modulation art exhibition www.metaceptive.net/footprint-modulation

Chaired by Dr Helen Adams, researcher on human interactions with environmental change at Kings College Continue reading →

Kooj Chuhan’s video art at Royal Geographical Society: ‘Buy This v3’

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The Impact Of Diasporas is a day-long event on Thurs 17th September 2015, including Kooj Chuhan’s video art at Royal Geographical Society titled ‘Buy This v3’ alongside key seminar presentations and a set of other video art works all under the umbrella title ‘Doh Mix Meh Up.  http://www.migration.ox.ac.uk/odp/impact-of-diasporas-event.shtml

Buy This v3 - video installation art by Kooj Chuhan

Buy This v3 – video installation art by Kooj Chuhan

The event is the culmination and conclusion of two innovative, multidisciplinary five-year research programmes, generously supported by the Leverhulme Trust. It will showcase the work of these two programmes and celebrate their achievements.

It will have an academic focus with four themed panels: ‘Home and Away’; ‘Lost and Found’; ‘Coming and Going’ and ‘Remembering and Forgetting’. Both programmes will present research in the panel discussions and the audience will have the opportunity to engage in debate around these themes.

Alongside the event itself, there will be extensive displays of work from each programme in the form of project posters, photo-essays and publication displays; artist’s pieces from the Doh Mix Meh Up exhibit; and an exhibition by the Royal Geographical Society that will display a selection of their extensive archival holdings.

Buy This v3

Refugees and ‘third-world’ migrants bring with them intimate and undervalued knowledge about climate change.  ‘Buy This’ juxtaposes such voices on one screen against another, over-saturated with colliding imagery of wars, colonial struggles, environmental upheaval and UK racism, overlaid with scrolling news messages.

For more about the Buy This v3, see http://crossingfootprints.com/buy-this-v3-video-installation-art/

Doh Mix Meh Up

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Silence Would Be Treason performance by Platform plus Footprint Modulation events weekend

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Silence Would Be Treason / Footprint Modulation

performance, poetry, music, film event by arts-activists Platform on Sunday 28th June
+ weekend of events as part of the Footprint Modulation exhibition 27th-29th June
Justice campaign for Ken Saro-Wiwa; divestment from corrupt fuel; diaspora responses to climate refugees; miners and workers rights.  In partnership with the international conference ‘Human Migration and the Environment’ www.durhamconference.eu at Durham University

Silence Would Be Treason performance by PlatformFive events over three days 27th-29th June as a part of Footprint Modulation exhibition – art and interventions exploring climate change, global justice and human displacement www.footprintmodulation.net . Download PDF flyer-programme HERE .

SUNDAY 28TH JUNE (a great day out!)
7pm-11pm PERFORMANCE NIGHT: Oil, politics, poetry with a performance by Platform ‘Silence Would Be Treason’ and also Transition Durham – at EMPTY SHOP HQ
4.30pm-6.30pm DEBATE-DISCUSSION: Workers rights, migration, miners and climate change – at Miners’ Hall
2pm-4pm ARTIST PRESENTATIONS + DISCUSSION: Connecting migrant realities in the UK – at Oriental Museum

SATURDAY 27TH JUNE
2pm-4pm PANEL DISCUSSION: Art, Climate Change, Migration and Activism – at Durham Art Gallery

MONDAY 29TH JUNE
6.30pm FILM SCREENING + PANEL DISCUSSION: ‘EXIT’ film by Diller Scofidio + Renfro – at Appleby Theatre, Geography West Building, Durham University (free, but registration necessary at www.exitfilm.eventbrite.co.uk)

webcast-wendy-brown_sw+ LIVE WEBCASTS OF KEYNOTE CONFERENCE SESSIONS
29th June – 1st July
Selected keynote presentations will be webcast live! No special software needed.
http://crossingfootprints.com/footprint-modulation/webcast/

 

PREVIEW – Watch a short extract of the interview with Shahidul Alam on YouTube, right now:


  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC8GOonSSjI

FULL DETAILS BELOW (incl. performance by Platform):

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Launch of Footprint Modulation – art exhibition exploring climate migration

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FOOTPRINT MODULATION
An exhibition of art and interventions exploring climate change, global justice and human displacement across five venues in Durham, UK.
5th June – 5th July 2015  www.footprintmodulation.net

FOOTPRINT MODULATION_horizontalPromoWide2text_750x184Exhibition Preview and Launch
Thursday 4th June, 6pm-8pm at Durham Art Gallery   www.dlidurham.org.uk

The preview evening’s gathering will include presentations by Kooj Chuhan (artistic director), Maya Chowdhry (co-producer), Dr Andrew Baldwin (Geography Dept, Durham University) and selected artists.  Launching an art exhibition exploring climate migration and displacement,  includes live poetry by Sai Murray, short screening + more to be announced…

You can join this event on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1385392818458056/

The exhibition runs 5th June – 5th July 2015 at five venues:
DURHAM ART GALLERY / ORIENTAL MUSEUM / MINERS HALL / EMPTY SHOP HQ / DURHAM UNIVERSITY
+ Special Events Weekend 27th-29th June

Artworks and contributions from:
SHAHIDUL ALAM : PLATFORM (LONDON) : KOOJ CHUHAN : MAYA CHOWDHRY : MAZAHER : TRACEY ZENGENI : APU CHOWDHURY : TRANSITION DURHAM : DILLER, SCOFIDIO + RENFRO : UK CLIMATE CHANGE & MIGRATION COALITION : MIKA LAIHO : SAI MURRAY & SELINA NWULU : DAVE DOUGLASS : NIGEL HULETT : JUDY PRICE & ANDREW CONIO : GEOGRAPHY@DURHAM UNI

A Metaceptive project in partnership with the international conference ‘Human Migration and the Environment: Futures, Politics and Invention’ at Durham University 28th June – 1st July 2015 www.durhamconference.eu

Sai Murray to read some poetry at this event

Sai Murray to read some poetry at this event

An exhibition exploring climate migration:

Popular ideas of climate change rarely connect with migration even though migration is probably the largest human consequence of climate change. The creative work presented here moves on from often didactic climate-art approaches from a decade ago without ducking strong critiques, and harnesses fresh perspectives from migrants and global voices.

Artists and activists at all levels from internationally acclaimed to local and emerging, and from countries including Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Iran, Brazil and Australia are involved in this exhibition exploring climate migration. Footprint Modulation culminates in a fantastic weekend of public performance, film screenings and discussions involving artists, activists, performers, community members and researchers, and which dovetails neatly into the final conference at Durham University.

Artistic director, curation and project management – Kooj (Kuljit Chuhan) of Metaceptive Projects and Media.
Collaborative research partner and conference chair – Dr Andrew Baldwin, Geography Dept, Durham University.
Artistic producer and transmedia consultant – Maya Chowdhry.

FootprintModulationLogoSpread_1000x321

Maria Benevides on Eco-Brazil, Chico Mendes, Forests and Water: live link confirmed

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Maria Benevides on Eco-Brazil, Chico Mendes, Forests and Water

Maria Benevides

The exhibition opening for ‘Chamada From Chico Mendes’ will talk using live video with Maria Benevides on Eco-Brazil, Chico Mendes, Forests and Water on Saturday 28th February 2015 at Global Grooves Arts Centre (MAP).  This will bring some of the realities that people in Brazil are currently facing direct to the audience at the event, where the audience will be able to ask questions chaired by the poet Sai Murray who has worked for some years on issues of climate justice and is the MC for the event.

Chico Mendes, Forests and Water – the context for a digital art work

‘Chamada From Chico Mendes’ is a digital art work by Kooj Chuhan made up of art and documentary video, imagery, poetry and sound from across the world – full details at www.metaceptive.net/chamada . Visitors encounter a range of objects which they can play like instruments, which then spark off visuals, music and words from guest artists, film-makers and environmental activists.  Kooj describes it as an “exhibition within an installation” because of the wide range of material that the audience can view and interact with.

Its starting point is the powerful story of Chico Mendes, who was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist committed to protecting the Amazon’s ecosystem. He had opposition from industrialists and corrupt government officials, was jailed, fined and threatened, and just over 25 years ago he was eventually murdered but has now become a national hero in Brazil.  “Chamada” means a ‘call to all’ in Portuguese, and the exhibition is about other voices contributing their parallel experience to that of Chico Mendes.

During the evening event, which includes live performance, guided tour, poetry and food, Maria will talk to us live from Brazil and will discuss:

– What are the important issues for climate change in Brazil?
– How is Chico Mendes is understood in Brazil?
– What influence did he have?
– Which other people are doing that kind of work now?
– What are the difficulties right now for people doing this kind of work?
– How serious are the water shortages and what are the future issues that they raise?

If you can’t make it to the event, maybe because you are too far away, the event will be webcast live at 7.30pm GMT (UK time).  You will be able to watch it on ANY device that can play a YouTube video, and you will be able to type in any comments or questions live during the event.  The web address for the webcast is: http://crossingfootprints.com/chamada/live-webcast/ or directly from this YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRjDjx-TjE0 .

About Maria Benevides:

Maria Benevides is a Brazilian journalist working for NGOs, research institutions and think thanks on media relations and content production related to environmental issues. She has previously worked as a producer for the BBC World Service and the BBC Media Action in London.  She also acted as a UNHCR spokesperson in Angola, UNDP’s press officer in Brazil, IRIN’s editor in South Africa and Head of Communications for the British Embassy in Brazil. Her continuing interests are in green economy, sustainable development, the Amazon forest and the people living there.

video - legacy of chico mendes

Videos about Chico Mendes and Wangari Maathai now online:

There is a great video about Chico Mendes as told by his close collaborator Marcos Afonso now online:
http://crossingfootprints.com/chamada/chico-mendes/ . This is accompanied by an excellent article ‘Martyr of the Amazon: The legacy of Chico Mendes’ by Kate Evans / CIFOR, well worth the read.  “At first I thought I was fighting to save the rubber trees; then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest.  Now I realise I am fighting for humanity,” Mendes famously said. Continue reading →