An Unlikely Pair: South Korea and the UK Join Forces to Tackle Climate Change
The British Council and The Korea Foundation have partnered to fund Greenverse: a digital art project for young people in South Korea and the UK to explore their ideas about climate change. The project is part of the cultural programme for the P4G Seoul Summit and COP26.
Greenverse combines the words Green and Metaverse to mean "a virtual world for a better planet" and hopes its Creative Camps will produce works that inspire change.
Watershed, a cultural centre in Bristol, is joined by Art Centre Nabi, a digital art museum in Seoul, and artists Bang & Lee. Together they aim to work with creators ages 18-25 to use art, science and digital technology to respond to climate change.
Victoria Tillotson, the Talent Development Lead at Watershed, said: "So, what the project aims to do is support a number of young people to develop new works in response to the climate crisis. Then from that, developing a kind of exhibition platform to showcase their works to a global audience. We'll also have a physical showcase of some of Bang and Lee's work in Jeju Island in South Korea. All of this should launch at the end of October, beginning of November.”
Art Centre Nabi and Watershed have recruited six young artists, three from the UK and three from South Korea, to take part in the five-day Creative Camp, where they will be encouraged to explore their ideas surrounding climate change.
Tillotson said: "We are inviting some really amazing practitioners to create kind of provocations around the climate crisis. And then we're going to host a number of workshops on each of the days with the young people and some of the practitioners, where they will kind of play, create and make. It will support the young people to develop their ideas, think further about the things that they're really interested in and help shape dialogue and connections across the two countries."
Shortly after the Creative Camp, artists Bang & Lee will showcase their media-based work, ‘A prelude to Noji’ in Seogwipo, Jeju. Seogwipo, Jeju, was chosen due to the significance of the location, as climate change has caused the sea levels to rise and threaten the island.
Jeju Island. Source: N Riazi from Unsplash
Jayoung Bang, from Bang & Lee, told Watershed: "The Greenverse comes at a point where we stand on a rocking bridge between past and future generations. It is an exciting, challenging and necessary project. We are very honoured to be a part of it, to share ideas and develop new work to raise awareness of climate change together with young artists, Art Centre Nabi and Watershed!”
Whilst the climate crisis is indisputably imperative, it's also equally crucial that the younger generation is involved in the fight against it. Moving forward, the damage climate change causes will be left for younger generations to solve, which is why it is critical for older generations and those in power to consider the younger point of view as well.
Tillotson agrees: “I think it's really important that young people's ideas and opinions are showcased. I think we're standing on a bridge between past and future generations, and it's what we do now that will really make a difference to the future. And so there needs to be lots of voices involved in that, including young people.”