Adaptation through culture

We need new, innovative and unique solutions in order to adapt to the challenges of our climate changed world. Cultural Adaptations is exploring how creative methods can help adapt our cities.

We are embedding artists within four city-regions in North West Europe, working with local government, business and civil society to create change. Throughout this, we are producing free resources to help inspire and support future projects like this.

Resources Conference

 “…in many fields an unorthodox approach opens doors and offers usable solutions that would not have been recognized in conventional modes of thinking, such as those of science, social work or ecology.”
WochenKlausur Artist Collective 

Embedded artists

Artists, designers and other creative practitioners who live and work through creative and cultural practices often work in a different way to established institutions in other sectors. These cultural methods of dealing with climate change, adaptation and sustainability, can therefore bring a new perspective, new skills, and new knowledge to such problems.

Placed within local governmental and established institutions, ‘Embedded Artists’ can help drive a systemic, integrated approach to issues of adaptation, ensuring that environmental and social sustainability are considered alongside economics and other pressures, facilitating wider participation and breaking down professional, departmental and disciplinary boundaries.

What will Cultural Adaptations produce?

  • 4 exemplar embedded artist projects, each working on different aspects of adaptation in different city regions
  • 4 workshops on the development and progress of the embedded artist approach
  • 1 international conference for adaptation and cultural researchers, practitioners and policy makers
  • 1 digital resource and toolkit to inspire and support future embedded artist projects

Our Embedded Artists

One artist in each country is embedded within a partner organisation working specifically on climate change adaptation, providing new ways of thinking, fresh perspective and different approaches to the complex and seemingly intractable challenges that climate change presents.

As Cultural Adaptations is an action research project, each artist is undertaking varied tasks, working with different adaptation stakeholders in each of the four city-regions. More about each artists’ project and progress so far can be found below.

Lesley Anne Rose and Climate Ready Clyde
Ulrika Jansson, Rain Gothenburg and Poseidon
Maeve Stone and Codema
Anyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert and City of Ghent

Cultural Adaptations is creating and collecting research, evidence, articles, blogs, videos and case studies on how embedding cultural practitioners within adaptation projects can contribute to city-region adaptation planning.

Who are these resources for?
All these resources are aimed at those interested in developing, hosting or participating in embedded artist projects. This includes: adaptation professionals or policy makers looking for innovative ways to address climate change adaptation; artists currently exploring creative interventions in non-arts contexts for social change, and cultural organisations building cross-sector partnerships

What are the resources?
Resources are free-to-access written, video or audio materials. Each concentrate on exploring the process and product of creative practice in tackling climate change adaptation.

Example resources

Are you looking to embed an artist in your adaptation work? Are you an artist interested in contributing to climate change adaptation?

Cultural Adaptations is a developing project and you are invited to send in relevant resources including blogs, case studies and tools for consideration. Stay up to date with opportunities to participate in the project and the upcoming events, and toolkit development by registering for updates.

Register for the March 2021 conference Register for updates Share your idea