The UAL Climate Emergency Network is a growing community of staff and students at UAL.
This term, we will be presenting Carnival of Crisis a season of events taking place in parallel to the COP26 Climate Summit hosted by the UN in the context of the global environmental crisis. We aim to demonstrate that the arts can – and must – respond to the climate and ecological emergency.
Our Carnival brings together UAL’s community of students, alumni and staff, along with our global network of arts universities, our partners and our publics. Our season of talks, workshops and exhibitions positions Culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development. Join us!
The UAL Climate Emergency Network is a growing community of staff and students. We launched during lockdown as an extension of the Climate Assemblies that took place at Central Saint Martins, Camberwell and Chelsea in 2019 and early 2020. The Network is open to staff and students at UAL.
Climate Emergency Network Newsletter
You can sign-up to our monthly newsletter. This brings together ecology-driven student, staff and alumni projects, events and actions, as well resources, news and opportunities. Use the links at the top of this page to sign up, or to view past editions.
Looking ahead
Our focus for 2021 is to develop a creative response to the COP26 climate summit in November. We'll be working in partnership with Glasgow School of Art and other cultural and educational organisations. We will build on our Five Days conference with an ambitious festival programme and campaign demonstrating the unique role of culture and education in imagining more just and eco-centric futures.
The story so far
In September 2020, we hosted the online conference Five Days. Ten Years. One Planet. bringing together academics, students and external guests in a week-long series of talks, workshops and debates.
During lockdown, a group of students and staff from the Network produced an interactive introduction to the climate and ecological emergency and hosted online ‘watch parties’ to groups of students at UAL and beyond. The project continues to develop dynamically and reach young audiences through our local engagement teams.
The 2020 Graduate Showcase Collection People & Planet was curated by a cross-college jury of Network staff. For the 2021 Graduate Showcase you'll find a collection of work curated by the UAL Climate Emergency Network.
Ecocentric is a collection that aims to inspire, provoke and empower: elevating work that speaks to the vital urgency of our intersecting cultural and environmental crises, advocating for human and non-human species, proposing alternative materials, systems, relationships and practices.
Creative Ecologies
Designing in Turbulent Times exhibition, Lethaby Gallery for London Design Festival
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Pastures New by Jessica Mumby-Price, UAL Graduate Showcase: https://graduateshowcase.arts.ac.uk/projects/253959/cover
Climate Emergency Network presents: MATERIAL HEROES
In collaboration with King’s Cross Design District for London Design Festival, MATERIAL HEROES aims to provide a platform for UAL recent graduates to showcase their work through a physical exhibition hosted on the ‘Outside Art Project’ photography benches located around King's Cross. We are inviting UAL graduating students to submit one image that provides a visual ‘clue’ to their work that highlights a material ‘hero’ from their final major project.
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Adipa Klomchitcharoen, BA Graphic Communication Design
Class of 2021: Ecocentric
On the Graduate Showcase you'll find a collection of work curated by the UAL Climate Emergency Network. Here, we pause on a few of those selected projects responding to the climate emergency in bold and witty ways.
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Sachi Patil, MA Graphic Communication Design
Maison/0 Green Trail 2021
We're proud to announce the six winners of the Maison/0 Green Trail which celebrates innovative responses by graduating students to the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
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Climate Emergency Interactive: hear from the students involved
We spoke to two current Central Saint Martins, UAL students who have been actively involved in the creation of the ‘Climate Emergency Interactive - an Introductory Video from UAL’.
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University of the Arts London responds to climate emergency
UAL aims to use our leadership in human-centred research, teaching and knowledge exchange to influence the creation of a sustainable future for everyone.
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Climate Emergency Posters
Climate Emergency Assembly
Ahead of Central Saint Martins' first Climate Emergency Assembly, we hear from staff and students about their perspective on, and hopes for, this open and experimental process to creative collective action across the institution.