Arts & Climate Adaptation with Aberdeen Adapts

Arts & Adaptation

An exciting partnership project to explore how cultural practitioners can help communities understand the impacts of a changing climate and engage with the local decision making process to become more climate ready.

In early 2017, Creative Carbon Scotland teamed up with Adaptation Scotland, Aberdeen City Council, Robert Gordon University and four creative practitioners to deliver a min-arts festival focused on involving communities in the story of our changing climate. This project aimed to explore the benefits of using creative activities to stimulate new discussions on climate change, reach out to new audiences and discover new skills.

Effective community engagement is an important element of creating transformational change. This case study explains how the organising group used a mini-arts festival in Middlefield, Aberdeen, to explore the contribution artists, or cultural practitioners, can make to adaptation engagement and the benefits this can bring to local decision making.

The below video created by SHMU shows the workshops in action and reflections on the day from participants and organisers.

A reflective blog on the project by socioligist and project collaborator Leslie Mabon is also available here.

Project contacts

Ruth Wolstenholme – Project Manager: [email protected]

Creative Carbon Scotland – Gemma Lawrence: [email protected]

Aberdeen City Council – Alison Leslie: [email protected]

Robert Gordon University – Leslie Mabon: [email protected]

Project participants

Our four artists were:

Simon Gall www.clypemusic.com

Jo Hodges & Robbie Coleman www.museumsofthefuturenow.wordpress.com

Alice Mary-Cooper www.alicemarycooper.co.uk


This project was part of Creative Carbon Scotland’s culture/SHIFT initiative which seeks to understand and support the contribution of cultural practices to a more environmentally sustainable Scotland. For further information about this project please contact Creative Carbon Scotland Producer, Gemma Lawrence – [email protected]

About Creative Carbon Scotland

We believe cultural and creative organisations have a significant influencing power to help shape a sustainable Scotland for the 21st century.

[email protected]

+44 (0)131 243 2760

Supported by

Creative Scotland logo City of Edinburgh Council logo

A project initiated by Edinburgh’s Festivals with key partners the Federation of Scottish Theatre and Scottish Contemporary Art Network

Edinburgh Festival City logo Federation of Scottish Theatre logo Scottish Contemporary Art Network logo

Accreditations

Scottish Living Wage Accreditation