Art for the Environment: UAL & Bow Arts Launch Exhibition That Explores Human Impact on the Environment

Today see the launch of Art for the Environment, a new exhibition curated by Camilla Palestra, that explores the nature of human impact on the environment. The exhibition follows the international residency programme, Art for the Environment (AER) – set up by acclaimed artist, Professor Lucy Orta, at the University of the Arts London – and presents, for the first time, a selection of work created from past residencies, including film, sound and interactive installation.

“Artistic activity, no matter how abstract or removed from rational activity, leaves intriguing and thought provoking clues that need an emotional energy to decipher and reinterpret,” say Professor Orta. “The more artistic traces that are left, the more they are likely to stimulate curiosity and creativity in others, who in turn may take up action to reinvent.”

Established in 2015, the AER programme invites artists and designers to explore concerns that define the twenty-first century – including biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy and human rights – and through artistic practice, envision a world of tomorrow. The exhibition sees six past AER residents combine to create a powerful presentation that probes preconceptions and concerns around the environment. Accompanying events include an afternoon on the lifecycle of plastics, performances, artist-led workshops and panel discussions.

(c) Annabel Duggleby

Exhibiting artists, followed by their AER residency hosts are Annabel Duggleby (Hauser & Wirth, Somerset 2017, UK); Magz Hall (Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2015, UK); Nana Maiolini (Joya: arte + ecología 2016, Spain); Noemi Niederhauser (Fondazione Berengo Murano, Venice 2015, Italy); Matt Parker (Joya: arte + ecología 2016, Spain); and Matteo Valerio (Fondazione Zegna 2016, Italy).

UAL and Bow Arts are also partnering to present a new nine-week AER residency at their Royal Albert Wharf (RAW) studios on the Thames, east London. and have just announced the sculptor Clemence Hemard as the new resident. Hemard’s work questions the modern characters of our communities, looking at people’s vulnerability heightened by the poverty and the solitude that seeps through urban environments. RAW studios are part of a new housing development so Hemard’s research will be particularly pertinent.

Art for the Environment has been put together with the support of University of the Arts London, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion and Arts Council England.


Events
Thurs 1 Feb, 6-8pm First Thursday Late Opening with Liminal Mass, an evening of live performance examining our bodies’ relationship to their surrounding environment FREE

Sat 3 Feb, 2-5pm Dream Recording Workshop with Magz Hall, share your dreams in Hall’s bespoke dream space to realise four radiophonic dream channels to the themes of earth, air, fire and water. Drop-in throughout the afternoon, open to all ages, FREE

Sat 10 Feb, 2-4pm EcoACTIVE: Powerful Plastics, learn about the life-cycle of plastics and the difficulties surrounding their disposal in this family friendly recycling workshop £3/5, free for children.

Thurs 22 Feb, 6-8pm Art for the Environment: Panel Discussion, artists, academics and philosophers discuss how art can contribute to a better environment. Speakers: Bergit Arends, David Buckland, Dr. Loïc Fel, Prof. Lucy Orta. £3/5.

Thurs 1 March, 6-8pm First Thursday Late Opening, FREE

Sat 3 March, 10am-12noon Field-recording workshop in the Olympic Park with Matt Parker, a sonic journey into the sounds of our environment, participants will join Parker in recording. £3/5, free for children.


Exhibition: Art for the Environment | Dates: 26 Jan – 18 March 2018 | Admission: Free
Opening Hours: Tues to Sun, 10am – 5pm | Address: Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts, 181 Bow Road, London E3 2SJ
Travel: Bow Road Tube Station, Bow Church DLR | Contact: 020 8980 7774 / nunnery@bowarts.com