CLIMATE PARLIAMENT. STORIES OF THE NON-HUMAN

10.12.2022 – 19.02.2023

MOMus-Museum of Contemporary Art-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art and State Museum of Contemporary Art Collections

The debate on the climate crisis constantly brings us face to face with the problem of climate change. The global scientific community now agrees that this is the change in the Earth's climate system that is directly or indirectly due to human activities. Global warming and its consequences threaten the ecological balance and affect the relationships between the species that coexist on Earth.

What if our environment could speak for itself, that is, if non-human beings and things were given a voice to help shape the politics of our planet? What would they say?

What if all beings that affect our climate and being affected by human actions, could coalesce and come together for a consultation?

What would we argue and debate about? What concrete decisions would be made?

And how about if the appeals of the non-human beings and things are collected and given to the political authorities, with the obligation to take respective action in their areas of responsibility and even bring them to the Parliament of the country?

How about if there was an efficient way for humans to empathize with the non-human world and represent the non-human voices in a political-oriented constellation, like a parliament, that it will call for respective action towards the betterment of our environment and world?

What if artful representations and storytelling could be the vehicles for such an ambitious attempt?

And finally what if this process has a profound impact on shifting the current mindset and opens up a field of connection among citizens, which will inspire collective and sustainable climate-related actions?

This is the Climate Parliament and its Stories initiative.

The award-winning project "Climate Parliament of all Beings and Non-Beings" by metagarten - Amelie Hensel and Judith Henning (Hamburg, Germany) and helfersyndrom - Steffen Lars Popp (Offenbach, Germany) has been enriched by the narrative, methodological forms of Yannis Angelis (Bad Homburg, Germany). This new version entitled "Climate Parliament. Stories of the Non-Human", which is the synthesis of an artistic approach based on creativity, storytelling, community practices, mobilization, and empathy, comes to MOMUS and the 8^thThessaloniki Biennale Contemporary Art.

See more information about the award-winning project here: www.klimaparlament.org (in German)

Curators: Yannis Angelis, Maria Kokorotskou, Areti Leopoulou, Thouli Misirloglou

Collaboration: Steffen Lars Popp, Amelie Hensel, Alexandra Chryssadakou