Green practices are becoming more pertinent in the fight against climate change. How can the arts contribute and respond to imminent ecological concern? The fifth session of Arts Council Malta's ACM Hangouts – Sustainability and implementation of sustainable practices in the artistic world – puts the spotlight on this conversation by bringing together a panel of cultural practitioners and artists to discuss the measures that are currently being taken in order to bring about change.
Coordinated and hosted by Elaine Falzon, this edition of the monthly sessions raises a number of questions with respect to a topic that has far-reaching applications and interpretations.
ACM Education and Development Associate Christabel Catania opened the discussion by explaining how, as part of her role at the council, she collaborates with a variety of institutions, seeking as many cross-sectorial collaborations as possible.
Catania talked about the importance of approaching the topic from a number of different perspectives, which in turn offers an opportunity to create a new narrative that encompasses various viewpoints for a better understanding of the topic.
Cultural sustainability is thus approached from a logical, scientific, political and even emotional and value-centred aspect, with three main areas of action – economic, environmental and psychological. One of the main aims of reaching sustainability within the creative industries, she added, is also to embrace an all-inclusive approach so that anyone seeking to engage with the creative sectors is able to do so.
This involves the identification of new solutions to existing problems. Catania referred to the importance of including the participation of the younger generation, while keeping the doors open for activism even within the political agenda in order to identify best practices for sustainability.
The second guest on the panel was architect, cultural manager and creator Elyse Tonna. She discussed how sustainability can be embedded within the arts, stating that the concept’s various meanings need to be tackled in order to help the arts thrive within its different interpretations.
Tonna acknowledged that the idea of compromise remains an important element of sustainability. Artistic endeavours need to keep in mind the impact on the environment, our surroundings and the communities themselves. Thus, public art can be used as a device to highlight pertinent issues such as climate change, while also incorporating the different facets of sustainability.
Lucy Latham, from Julie’s Bicycle, joined the discussion to talk about how this global organisation is working to find ways for the arts sector to reduce the environmental impact and to act as catalyst for a new creative ecology. The cultural sector, she explained, is well-placed to achieve this through its practices and operations, and by managing the environmental impact while keeping sustainability at the forefront in cultural programming and commissioning.
Latham added that sustainability can be advanced via a constellation of different interventions that the artistic sector is very well-placed to carry out. Thanks to their flagship support programme carried out in partnership with Arts Council England, the organisation works with a number of entities and policymakers to harness the power of the sector and to communicate the reality of climate crisis and the imperative of action based on science.
Festivals Malta director Annabelle Stivala intervened to explain how the organiaation has created and implemented a green policy for sustainable creative practices throughout all of its events. Training was offered across the board in order to ensure that the policy is adhered to at all levels, including within the office premises. Measures include the introduction of reusable plastic cups, the simple communication of green messages to festival-goers, waste separation and collection and control of energy consumption.
Guest speaker Luke Azzopardi shared his thoughts about embedding sustainability in his work as couturier. Acknowledging that the fashion industry has been a notorious contributor to environmental degradation, he explained how his studio has focused its efforts on advocating slow fashion, working to do away with the belief that pieces come with an expiry date. His studio focuses on creating garments that are intended to be passed down through generations by using top tier luxury materials sourced directly from independent businesses across the world.
Kristina Borg, who initiated the trans-disciplinary project You Are What You Buy, was the last guest on this ACMHangouts session. She explained how the project brings together a group of creative practitioners from different artforms with the aim of questioning the choices of consumers when it comes to buying certain products. The project invites the audience to think about its daily practices, thus engaging into more critical processes.
These, and other issues, are addressed during this edition of ACM Hangouts. The sessions are organised by Arts Council Malta and streamed live on a monthly basis on Facebook. For more information about upcoming ACMHangouts, check out the Arts Council Malta Facebook page.