Lecture by Tom Albrecht with workshop for guests and artists as part of the exhibition “Leichtfüßig, 10 Jahre Kunst der Nachhaltigkeit”, Berlin, 3.11.2023
Tom Albrecht: What is sustainable art? (Photo S. Bahlecke)
What is sustainable art?
- Art that practices sustainability in theme, material and location.
- Reduces your own ecological footprint.
- Increases the ecological handprint through impact on society,
- Is low barrier, dialogic, uses exhibitions, website, mailing, press “Do good and talk about it”,
- Practices consistency and credibility,
Economic, social and ecological sustainability go hand in hand.
Germany has the greatest ecological deficits: Climate protection, species extinction. In international comparison, Germany is considered to be a largely functioning state in economic and social terms. Solving deficits with a focus on the ecological, combined with the social and economic.
Motifs for sustainable art
- Climate change and species extinction are major social challenges, locally, nationally and globally.
- The linear dialog between the press and science is reaching its limits.
- Art is a source of social impetus here.
- Art can touch, stimulate the imagination, move solutions through associations.
- Voluntary process. Reasons can be concerns about the world, passing on experiences, influencing society
Sustainable art is political
Art can be political: In the tradition of John Heartfield founder of political photomontage, Otto Dix anti-war glorifying, Picasso Guernica complaining against war and destruction. Art is politically concerned with ecology: Joseph Beuys is worthy of criticism, but planted 7000 oaks “Stadtverwaldung statt Stadtverwaltung” (urban forestation instead of urban administration) as a sign against the destruction of nature. The Berlin artist Ben Wargin, for example, installed the Parliament of Trees in the new government district. Sustainable art supports the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as political objectives of the United Nations (UN), which are intended to ensure sustainable development on an economic, social and ecological level worldwide.
SDGs at GG3 exhibitions
Three areas belong together
- The operation of the art venue, e.g. its CO² product. For artists, the material they use, their business
- The theme of the exhibitions, the works
- The public for guests, advertising
Operation of the exhibition venue
Establish green team, formulate mission statement Record consumption values Potential to save electricity for lighting and appliances? Lighting concept Heating of exhibition and work rooms: shock ventilation, room temperature Print jobs e.g. RC paper Waste separation, waste avoidance Ecological service providers: catering, provider, bank Reuse packaging Kitchenette Coffee machine
Operation: Networking
Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) is an international non-profit community of arts organizations committed to reducing the environmental impact of their sector. The GCC’s primary goal is to reduce its CO 2 emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and to promote zero waste. Members are artists, commercial and non-commercial art institutions. Offer CO2 calculator, best practice guidelines, “Sustainability Action Network” campaigns, focus on operational ecology, trains consultants, certificate, e.g. museums with air conditioning, theaters GG3 offers on gg3.eu under “Gallery”, “Sustainable”: mission statement, sustainability check for project spaces, sustainability as a theme for works and exhibitions, sustainability for visual artists, sustainability for commercial galleries
Material of the artists:Inside
As a gallery, encourage the use of sustainable materials E.g. the exhibition “Leichtfüßig” has as a condition the small ecological footprint of the work. The organizer expresses the wish that the artists use NH material. gg3.eu/nachhaltigkeit-fuer-bildende-kuenstlerinnen/ He refers to material sources such as the HDM, Kunststoffe e.V. Wishes for the delivery by post instead of the artists’ journey. Arrival e.g. by train instead of flight
Sustainability in the topic
From current social discussion Works e.g. Thomas Behling “Map of Berlin” (excerpt) GG3 exhibitions: after the catastrophe in the Ahr valley: “Flood today” “Farmer seeks industry” Species extinction “Cargo” Transport for goods, delivery services “Light-footed” small ecolog. Footprint of the works
Intentions
Creating images for the abstract Wants to change, interferes can help for movement, encouragement seeks topicality picks up on problems Continues where science ends Dystopian with window of hope Art location: gallery, project space, museum, studio, collection, outdoors
The public
People are looking for answers to the crises Opportunity for art to touch, credibly Inform guests about public transport connections rather than parking options for cars. Join the GCC Present your own commitment on your own website Advertise on sustainable websites e.g. gemeinschaftswerk-nachhaltigkeit.de GG3 has resonance: Radioeins, Creative City Berlin, Art next Door, Prolog, RBB Kultur, Senatspreis, TAZ, bpigs, 1000 Interwievs, coinspiration, Zeitschrift für Kultur
Movement for more sustainability in art venues is happening slowly
- Big places like museums are starting to move. Reduce energy costs, support federal government, sustainability action network, e.g. energy consulting for theaters, train transformation managers.
- Kommunale Galerien Berlin: The working group organized a conference on the NH.
- Commercial galleries Berlin: 2022 competition by the Berlin Senate of Economics, galleries show very different levels of commitment
- Art colleges: KH Weissensee has a NH mission statement, Berlin University of the Arts has a climate protection concept for operations and teaching. The process is too slow. The focus is on operations, but not on research and teaching.
Workshop
“Problem bubble”: How can sustainable art generate more impact?
Lecturer
Tom Albrecht Artist, founder and curator tomalbrechtart.de GG3 has been showing 62 exhibitions on visual arts and sustainability since 2013 GG3.eu, gg3.eu/nachhaltig/ Leuschnerdamm 19, 10999 Berlin