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Date: 10 March 2022

Location: Australia + UK

Project: Symposium

Partners: British Council, Bundanon, Cabot Institute for the Environment, DFAT

British Council 21-22 Season: The UK/Australia Season 2021-2022 is a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It will highlight the breadth of partnerships between Australia and the UK and aim to deepen and build cultural connections. The Season will explore and celebrate relationships between the UK and Australia across the arts, creative industries and higher education. The Season’s programme will have a thematic approach, with all projects and initiatives responding to the question, Who Are We Now?

We are delighted to present ‘The Language of Nature’, a symposium which forms part of our project, CONFLUENCE, for the British Council’s UK / Australia Season, a joint initiative between the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Date: Thursday 10 March, 2022 (presented online via zoom)

Watch the Symposium here or scroll to video at the bottom of this page

The Language of Nature is a platform to share cultural and scientific stories that collectively rethink the foundations of existence which underpin our interconnectedness with the planet. Cross-disciplinary vocabularies will inform alternative bodies of knowledge, to demonstrate the urgency of building cross-sector relationships to address the climate crisis. For the past 6 months we have been collaborating with a range of leading experts, discussing the latest scientific discoveries, and Australian First Nations cultural expressions; unearthing insights about how the natural world communicates with us, and how we, as humans, have changed this vocabulary. 

Bringing a diversity of voices together to challenge generalisations around climate change, the panel will reveal some of the latest scientific findings and Indigenous stories about how we might generate new behaviours and understanding, to ultimately embed ecological thinking into everyday life for a more sustainable future.

Speakers include:

Australia:

• Lee Carr (Wiradjuri woman and Aboriginal Languages teacher with the Education Standards Authority), who also works with The Royal Botanic Garden and Kaldor Public Art Projects in Sydney leading Indigenous stories and traditions)

• Jacob Morris (Gumea-Dharrawal Ngundah of the Yuin Murring), a poet, language holder and Educator)

• Sophie O’Brien (Head of Curatorial and Learning, Bundanon) Previously worked in senior curatorial leadership roles at Govett-Brewster, Serpentine Galleries and Tate Britain and led the exhibition teams for the Australian Pavilions at the Venice Biennale and the Biennale of Sydney.

United Kingdom:

• Dr. Andrew Flack (Environmental Historian, University of Bristol, co-Chair of the European Society for Environmental History Conference)

• Dr. Tommaso Jucker (NERC Research Fellow, Lecturer School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol and Founder of Selva lab)

• Prof. Daniela Schmidt (Professor in Palaeobiology, University of Bristol) currently leading the IPCC WGII chapter on Europe for the 6th IPCC assessment

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS:

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, founded in 1934 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. We work with more than 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, the English language, education and civil society. Last year, we reached more than 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall, including online, through broadcasts and publications. britishcouncil.org

Bundanon is a place charged with inspiration. A reimagined art destination. Bundanon is many things. An art museum embedded in the landscape. A wildlife sanctuary set on 1000 hectares. A gift to the Australian people. The vast array of experiences at this South Coast art destination means every visitor’s journey here will be different. bundanon.com.au

The Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol is a diverse community of 600 experts, united by a common cause: protecting our environment and identifying ways of living better with our changing planet. bristol.ac.uk/cabot