By Joel Ong, Director of the Sensorium and assistant professor, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design:

There’s a growing realization in this epoch that much of the crisis we face is caused by decisions that externalize environmental costs and hide the true level of violent extractions and waste from view.  As we encounter the real possibilities of metabolic interventions into the planet by industrial complexes and institutions, art and poetics play an important role in the interdisciplinary approach we all seek, and it is this trajectory that has gained much momentum in changing our narratives and behaviours around climate change.  

At Sensorium and AMPD we are looking at ways to consider environmental solutions as a form of new civic knowledge, such as in collective imagining with communities of practice through site-specific and sustainable eco-scenographics; creative transductions of environmental data, film, sound; simulated evolution and mixed reality worldmaking; and collaborations with scientists and engineers across the campus. These research-creation works are very much indebted to intersectional discourses in feminist, queer, critical disability and Indigenous studies that elevate the aspects of the environment that are traditionally neglected when thinking about climate action - what Marisol De La Cadena calls the ‘anthropo-not-seen’.  Here I will highlight Professors Mary Bunch, Dolleen Manning and team’s work “” (2022), Professor Jane Tingley’s “” (2021), student alumni Ella Morton’s “” (2020) and Nicole Clouston’s “” (2017-), that consider the plurality of ‘ worlds’ other than our own.  These works have been featured in recent Sensorium group exhibitions.

But beyond the aesthetics, art aspires towards a shift in consciousness towards the care and intimacy that we need to encounter, and be accountable to, our environments.  As  Bioartist Jennifer Willet writes, “ notions of love are typically eschewed by academia and science as romantic, popular, or religious; but love can also be interpreted as a radical political act in the face of instrumental rationality”.  Could we say this month, that we love our environment? 

As part of Climate Change Month, Sensorium will be hosting a curatorial presentation and artist talk around the exhibition Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene (2020) on March 21st from 11 am - 12:30 pm. The presenters are  (Feminist Media Lab, Concordia), (Leonardo Network) and (SLO Lab, AMPD).  A listening booth will also be set up to show Liz Miller’s work The Shore Line (2017) that week, an interactive Documentary that features over 40 collaborative videos made with individuals who are confronting the threats of unsustainable development and extreme weather with persistence and ingenuity.  

"For the exhibition Agents for Change | Facing the Anthropocene, we wanted to highlight the often underrepresented voices of women artists and activists in an exhibition on environmental change. Women are so often on the front lines of this type of work (activism), and we wanted to put together a show that highlighted the stories that women artists want to tell. These stories were of course extremely diverse – starting with science, research, and observation – but for me the most exciting part was the interest in highlighting the stories of both human and non-human subjects. The works in varying degrees were informative, experiential, and interactive – and together helped the viewer develop empathy and better understanding of how deeply impactful human activity is on life on this planet – air, water, earth, plant, animal, insect, human. It is extremely important to have diverse representation in gallery exhibitions because ultimately this assures diversity in the stories that get to be told for public consumption. We need this as a society to assure that we begin to comprehend (and hopefully develop sensitivity to) the complexity and diversity that surrounds us in our everyday lives.”

Jane Tingley, Curator 
Director, SLOLab, 91��ɫ

Register .

A recording of the panel presentation is available
for an installation of The Shore Line by Professor Liz Miller (Concordia University) from March 28th - 31st The Shore Line is a collaborative web documentary profiling the efforts of educators, artists, architects, scientists, city planners and youth organizations from nine countries taking actions along our global coasts. The project was exhibited as part of the Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene exhibition co-curated by Nina Czegledy (Leonardo Network) and Professor (SLOLab, AMPD, 91��ɫ).

Visit the project at the Scott Library or on your device .

The post The Work of Art in the Time of Climate Change appeared first on Research & Innovation.

This March, 91��ɫ's Organized Research Units (ORUs) host the first Climate Change Research Month with more than a dozen events aimed at generating awareness of climate change research and mobilizing the community to take action.

News

Hosted by various Organized Research Units (ORUs), 91��ɫ celebrates its first annual Climate Change Research Month this March with events taking place just every few days. Organized by Professor , director of the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR), ORUs have come together to contribute varied and broad-ranging discussions and screenings focused on various aspects of climate change.

The commitment to creating an annual Climate Change Month is another crucial step towards widespread education and another example of how 91��ɫ is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“The climate crisis stands to impact every aspect of our lives, including areas such as employment, equity, health, and the wellbeing of our communities,” says 91��ɫ’s Vice President Research and Innovation, Dr. Amir Asif.

Events

Gender Equality in Low-Carbon Economies: Continuities, Contradictions, Disruptions
March 3, 2022
12:00-1:30 p.m.
The Centre for Feminist Research presents a talk by Canada Research Chair in Global Womens Issues and a Professor at Western University, This presentation identifies opportunities and constraints for women’s employment in renewable and clean energy in industrialized, emerging and developing economies, and makes recommendations for optimizing their participation.  

March 4, 2022
12:00-1:00 p.m.
The 91��ɫ Centre for Aging Research and Education presents a talk by , a political economist and health services researcher. This talk explores how climate change actions engage with inter-generational tropes. It highlights fault lines, raises questions about inter-generational blame and points to how we might consider inter-generational solidarity for climate action moving forward.

Pikopayin — It is Broken (Film)
March 7, 2022
3:00-4:30 p.m.
The Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages presents a documentary video project. Taking place in the oil sands regions of Alberta, Pîkopayin (It is Broken), the film foregrounds Bigstone Cree Nation members’ perspectives and insights on energy projects and industrial activity within Treaty 8 Territory. The video project documents Bigstone Cree Nation members’ experiences of resource-extraction projects and activity within the First Nation’s traditional territory.
Learn more and register.

Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, and Community Planetary Health in Bangladesh
March 9, 2022
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Increasing salinity induced by sea level rise is causing planetary health impacts in the world's coastal communities. The coastal area of Bangladesh is no exception; the health and well-being of communities in coastal areas in Bangladesh have been strongly affected by increased water and soil salinity. These planetary health impacts can be categorized as (1) primary (communicable and non-communicable diseases; scarcity of potable water), (2) secondary (food and nutrition security; migration and related health impacts), and (3) tertiary (adaptation-related emerging diseases; disaster-related health vulnerability). Dr. Byomkesh Talukder will explore these multidimensional health impacts and associated salinity factors and present a collective intelligence-based framework to address the challenges currently being faced by coastal communities in Bangladesh.
Learn more and register.

March 10, 2022
1:00-2:00 p.m.
The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies presents an event that addresses how can renewable energy be transformative for communities and what new research areas and opportunities this provides for current scholars wishing to pursue a just renewable energy transition in research and in practice. The event features , an associate professor at the University of Victoria's department of geography.

March 14, 2022
12:00 p.m.
Hosted by the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies, (University of Toronto) will deliver a talk about examining faith-based environmentalism and the ways that specific Jewish values are emphasized. His talk highlights how faith leaders and activists are increasingly vocal about environment and climate issues.

March 15, 2022
9:00-10:00 a.m.
Towards the formal launch of the Consortium of Excellence for the 17 Goals, please be invited to the organization's 2nd gathering, a.k.a. Café 17, at 9-00 am EST on March 15, 2022. The topic of the conversation this time is quantifying the contribution of inclusive insurance to helping the "missing middle" avoid poverty and climb the socio-economic ladder in the era of limited data.

Host: Professor , University of Lausanne;
Special Guests:  and , International Labour Organization;
Panelists: Professors , University of Liverpool;  and , 91��ɫ.

March 17, 2022
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Cities cause climate change. What are we doing about it? Dr. will provide an informative and timely discussion of the issues and challenges of cities and climate change, drawing upon her experience in the Toronto area. Cities are undergoing a paradigm shift to deal with climate change through a variety of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy use and to prepare to be more resilient to climate impacts, while promising environmental justice and social equity.

Agents for Change: Facing the Anthropocene
March 21, 2022
11:00-12:30 p.m.
Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology presents a curated and artist talk featuring Liz Miller, Jane Tingley and Nina Czeglady.
The presenters are  (Feminist Media Lab, Concordia),  (Leonardo Network) and  (SLO Lab, AMPD).  A listening booth will also be set up to show Liz Miller’s work The Shore Line (2017) that week, an interactive Documentary that features over 40 collaborative videos made with individuals who are confronting the threats of unsustainable development and extreme weather with persistence and ingenuity. 

March 22, 2022
11:30-1:00 p.m.
The 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research presents a talk featuring speakers: Teti Argo and . In the wake of the failure of talks at COP 26, scholars and activists have taken grassroots actions to build for communities an alternative infrastructure they need for climate change adaptation. This talk presents a discussion about what we can learn from the local residential knowledges of residing alongside rivers in Jakarta; how the residents develop their own sense of risk and coping mechanism in and through social media; how they work at the local level with scholars, designers and activists to provide a shared structure of knowledge and practice below the formal system of adaptation and mitigation plan.

UN World Water Day - Human Environmental Health, Engagement with Indigenous Communities, and Engineering Scientific Solutions 
March 22, 2022
9:00-12:00 p.m.
Co-hosted by CIFAL 91��ɫ and the Office of the Provost, in partnership with the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, 91��ɫ and part of CIFAL 91��ɫ’s In-Focus Knowledge Exchange Series for Nature, Climate, and People.

The impacts of climate change and ecosystem degradation are experienced by local communities regionally and around the world. These experiences are exacerbated by underlying social inequities. World Water Day is an opportunity to contextualize research that sheds light on these experiences against the backdrop of global efforts to boost ambition on adaptation action, and strengthening inter-regional and cross-boundary adaptation to the impacts of planetary stressors  — e.g., food systems, water, agriculture and fisheries, and energy — with special focus on human and environmental health. This one-day event will have presentations from convenors Drs.  and   and a keynote address from Dr. James Orbinski. As well, Dahdaleh Institute’s Global Health and Humanitarianism Fellow Dr. Syed Imran Ali (and many others) will engage in discussions on the science and governance of freshwater, including Human and Environmental Health; Local Actors and Communities; and Engineering Scientific Solutions. 
Learn more and register.

March 23, 2022
9:00-12:30 p.m.
As part of the commitment to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, Risk and Insurance Studies Centre at 91��ɫ is delighted to invite everyone to a one-day workshop that brings together renowned international scholars from distinct disciplines and influential leaders from the private sector, aimed at generating awareness of climate change risks and mobilising the community to take action.
Presenters , Mathematics, University of Liverpool, UK; , Biology, 91��ɫ, Canada; , Finance, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; , Engineering, 91��ɫ, Canada.
Panel lead: , Canadian Business Coalition for Climate Policy.

Children’s Brain Development in a Changing Climate
March 24, 2022
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
LaMarsh Centre for Child & Youth Research will be hosting a climate change seminar on "Children’s Brain Development in a Changing Climate". Brain development in the early years lays the foundation for lifelong cognitive function, productivity, and mental health. How does the changing climate threaten children's brain development globally? This presentation will provide an overview of impacts on child health and development of both the sudden climate change effects, including extreme weather events, extreme heat, and effects on natural systems; and consequences of the changing climate, such as displacement, migration, and social instability. Some key challenges towards to studying and modelling these impacts will be shared. Finally, action and commitments to protect children from climate change will be highlighted. The session concludes with reflections in small groups.
Learn more and register.

March 28, 2022
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas features a special event with , , . Marcondes Coelho is a forest engineer and holds a Master's degree in Environmental and Forest Sciences. Dr. Chrislain Eric Kenfack's research is at the heart of the critical issues of our times. His questions concern the grounds for solidarity among social movements. Balikisu Osman is finishing her PhD in Environmental Studies at 91��ɫ. Her doctoral research focuses on climate risks, household responses and sustainable food security in northern Ghana. 

Climate Change in the Caribbean: The Role of Capital in the Climate Crisis and the Movement for Climate Justice
March 31, 2022
6-7:30 p.m.
The Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC) is pleased to present and to discuss Climate Change in the Caribbean. Join us for an important and timely presentation that will discuss the role that capital plays in the Climate Crisis and the movement towards Climate Justice in the Caribbean. Malene Alleyne is a Jamaican human rights lawyer and founder of Freedom Imaginaries with a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. Dr. Esther Figueroa is a Jamaican independent film maker, writer, educator and linguist with over thirty-five years of media productions.

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This will provide you with a basic roadmap to library resources – and put you in the driver’s seat. Learn how to: find your way around the library website; start your search with subject guides and research strategies; access and use OMNI and databases to find the sources you need for your essays and assignments; evaluate different sources and understand different formats; and ask for help when you need it. If you’re just getting started with library research – or maybe don’t know where to start – this workshop is for you.

Information and registration link: .

The post Road to Research Success: How to find scholarly articles and books through 91��ɫ U Libraries Online appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Now you can send it to the Research Forecast, a new online tool designed to assist researchers with submitting their ideas for stories about upcoming discoveries, publications or events to communications staff in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation (VPRI) and the (C&PA).

The purpose of the Research Forecast is to ensure that communications staff in VPRI and C&PA are aware of important research underway so that they can first determine its newsworthiness and target audience, and then proactively promote it through C&PA Media Relations to external media, and through YFile to the 91��ɫ community.

91��ɫ Researchers should consider submitting upcoming news to the Research Forecast if they have advance information about a significant discovery, publication, exhibit, event or other research product that will be made public in the coming weeks or months. Researchers, if they have knowledge of a research project that will be of interest to the wider public, even though it may still be in progress with no findings or products available yet, should also submit the information to the Research Forecast.

Researchers are asked to submit their story ideas and/or notice of upcoming events and publications as far in advance as possible to facilitate the appropriate development time needed for stories when media opportunities are identified. VPRI and C&PA staff will work with researchers to respect publication embargoes.

to access the Research Forecast form to submit your story for consideration, or visit the Research website and click on the Suggest a Story link.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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