You may be aware of the forthcoming climate talks COP26 (Conference of the Parties #26) in Glasgow, UK-but-possibly-soon-to-be-indepenedent-Scotland. We know of and share widespread scepticism, about how effective these big talks between nations really are in achieving anything but piecemeal, too-little-too-late changes. We too would like to see greater accountability, more walk and less talk, and coordinated concessions in industrial activity and associated emissions, spearheaded by the richest and biggest polluters, that have benefitted the most at the expense of the everyone else: Europe, USA, China. That being said, we do believe this kind of conference is important, and the closest thing we currently have to globally coordinated climate action. On that hopeful note, recognising the potential that this meeting holds, we announce our involvement in COP26:
In September 2020, we submitted the [Re]generator concept for consideration in the “Reimagining Museums for Climate Action” (RMCA) design competition. Eight winning competitiors would be given the chance for a funded presentation of their project at the Glasgow Science Center, during the UN Conference. We were very excited to find out about this competition, as we felt that the [Re]generator model could be the perfect way for established cultural institutions to [re]invent themselves as hubs of interdisciplinary community-centered problem solving, or what we choose to call “creative citizens’ assemblies”.
The competition was a tight one, and of the 264 entries, we did not get picked as one 8 winners. ;( We were fine with that though, because they all seemed like really good projects, organized by big teams and in advanced stages of planning and execution. We just started out in 2020, so we’re new on scene. But the good news is, our project was well received and was offered “RMCA partnership activities.” This will include being in their publication and collaborating with individual members of the team, that have shown an interest, in helping to make the first [Re]generator happen. So don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last you hear of Glasgow COP26 and Museums for Climate Action, in conjunction with our project!
But most of all, we really enjoyed transposing the [Re]generator to the cultural venue that is a museum. We originally envisaged our “art incubator” as a space that comes about like makerspaces do: a renovated warehouse, a reinvented art gallery, a repurposed storefront, a reclaimed public space….but why not a reimagined museum?
Museums are perfect because they already exists as multivalent spaces at the intersection of the public and the academic institution. While the creative problem-solving activities involving tools and art supplies might better be housed in satellite spaces, we can think of few other venues that would be better suited for showcasing solutions, and hosting the discussions between the public, the juries and the expert panels that determine the winning proposals, as part of the creative incubation cycles.
To see a copy of our design proposal, please email hans@regenerator.earth
