Festival Albertine: How Do We Get People to Care

Literature, music, drama—these are key resources for societies trying to come to grips with new realities. In recent years we’ve seen them begin to grapple with climate change, but that engagement must now grow. The arts have traditionally engaged with what seemed the most dramatic questions: the struggles of one set of human beings with another. That struggle is still underway, of course, but now we’ve added something different: the terrifying drama of people with a suddenly angry natural world. How does this new moment redefine what we think about when we take up brush or pen, camera or keyboard? What is the work of a poet in a world on fire, or an orchestra in a city where the seas are rising? We have enough examples now that we’ve begun to see what this work can look like: in literature, for instance, “Cli Fi” has emerged as a genre of its own, with remarkable storytellers. Can they be connected with the scientists, activists, and engineers to help societies change with the speed required? Is ‘fine art’ on these topics useful, or do we need artists deeply engaged with the social movements now rising? These are questions that suddenly come with high stakes.

With Irina Brook, Lauren Groff, Fabrice Hyber, and Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky. Moderated by Bill McKibben.











When: Sun., Nov. 10, 2019 at 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Where: Albertine
972 Fifth Ave.
332-228-2238
Price: Free
Buy tickets/get more info now
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Literature, music, drama—these are key resources for societies trying to come to grips with new realities. In recent years we’ve seen them begin to grapple with climate change, but that engagement must now grow. The arts have traditionally engaged with what seemed the most dramatic questions: the struggles of one set of human beings with another. That struggle is still underway, of course, but now we’ve added something different: the terrifying drama of people with a suddenly angry natural world. How does this new moment redefine what we think about when we take up brush or pen, camera or keyboard? What is the work of a poet in a world on fire, or an orchestra in a city where the seas are rising? We have enough examples now that we’ve begun to see what this work can look like: in literature, for instance, “Cli Fi” has emerged as a genre of its own, with remarkable storytellers. Can they be connected with the scientists, activists, and engineers to help societies change with the speed required? Is ‘fine art’ on these topics useful, or do we need artists deeply engaged with the social movements now rising? These are questions that suddenly come with high stakes.

With Irina Brook, Lauren Groff, Fabrice Hyber, and Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky. Moderated by Bill McKibben.

Buy tickets/get more info now