Discussion for The Future of Global Governance Series - Workshop: Nature and natural objects as actors in everyday lives

Hi all,

Thank you very much for participating in discussions and brainstorming with us during Part I of the workshop on Saturday. I would also like to thank our co-organizer Joachim Nijs as well as guest speaker Julien Isoré for some wonderful insights. Here are a few takeaways from the workshop:

1. When we think about incorporating nature into everyday lives, a holistic approach is required. This means going beyond just "more green". We need to introduce thoughtful cultural practices in order for the initiatives relating to nature to have a lasting impact.

2. In areas that have historically been prone to earthquakes, we see greater disaster preparedness, and to different degrees an earthquake culture where earthquake preparedness and readiness is integrated into local culture. This includes risk-aware building practices, art, legends, rites and rituals, narratives of survivors, poems, as well as disaster education and training. What cultural practices relating to nature and natural objects go unnoticed around us? What cultural practices can we introduce to help build resilience given the drastic changes in climate we expect to see in the near future?

3. We currently attribute value to man-made objects, craft, and human intervention, with very little appreciation for wildlife. This is unhelpful towards the cause of preserving nature. In certain cultures, natural forests are considered monuments and vital cultural property. How do we advocate for the cultural value of nature and create the desire to co-exist with nature?

We will be using photography as a way to explore some of these questions. Creative brief for Part II of the workshop this Saturday the 20th: photograph unexpected cultural practices in, near, or about nature; or natural objects that take on a more sculptural, artistic form without human intervention. Please upload one or two photographs together with a few sentences to SDG16 Hub. https://www.sdg16hub.org/group/center-global-agenda-recommended-un-action-plan-close-compliance-gap-ccg/discussion If you have any difficulties with technology, please feel free to reach out to me by writing to this email: marvin@UnbuiltLabs.com.

Separately, if you attended Part I and/or Part II of the workshop, you will be listed as a participant on our published Workshop Proceedings together with your name, organization, and title that you have entered when you registered for the workshop in recognition of your contributions. Please email me if you would like to opt-out.

Thank you again for joining us - please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. We will send out a new Zoom link before Part II of the Workshop as well.

As a housewarming present, a neighbour sent over an easy-to-care-for spider plant to everyone who is new to the block. Should we encourage potted plants as housewarming presents? How do we introduce nature into households in more friendly ways?

The plants that were introduced by the designers/ architects/ landscape architects wilted but the weeds are thriving. Some plants are considered weeds because they are aggressive and may take over the entire flower bed, or they can cause structural damage to buildings. However, some may also be more benign. Do we need an updated guide on "weeds"?

Hi, here is my contributions ! About the first one, I'm a little bit on the same questions as Marvin.

1. Incorporating nature into everyday lives,

I didn’t go any further than on my balcony to take this photo to illustrate a way of holistic approach to incorporating nature/wildlife into my everyday life:

• I have a big plant pot where I didn’t plant anything (or what I once planted didn’t grow) : there grows only  wild plants that came without my intervention.
• Two years ago, I hanged a birdhouse (nesting box approved by a conservation association), each year a family tit is being born under my eyes and I can observe all the process of nest building, wedding parade, feeding the babies, and (with a little bit of luck this year), first flight of the little family from my work desk. I love that feeling of being close to (the magic of) wildlife in my everyday life !
• 

2. What cultural practices can we introduce to help build resilience given the drastic changes in climate we expect to see in the near future?

I happen to have the past few days deepened the subject of sustainable management of water and especially the system https://www.eautarcie.org/en/index.html,

I visited this weekend a private system PLUVALOR, recovery of rainwater, for all usages including drinking water (in that system, rainwater is considered the golden standard).

With 3x7,500 litres tanks (2 to 3 persons in the household), after a quite dry winter and spring, plus 3 months of extreme drought, they still don’t have had to take water from the distribution network : (on the photo, the gauge measured the water in the tank : 1 cm = 10 m3)

3. How do we advocate for the cultural value of nature and create the desire to co-exist with nature ?

I like to meditate in nature and take photos in that state of non-labelling things. I post them on Instagram, is that advocating ?

This photograph is sadly entitled Garden War, because it represents a battle to grow food in our yard, which is quickly eaten by the animals who share the domain. The nets were put up after everything was eaten by  local deer and all kinds of other hungry animals. We encourage the preservation of wildlife; we encourage organic farming; but we do not have a plan to coexist with the animals who we displace by our human presence. We build where they live, but we do not let them share our homes. How should we address this issue as we try to improve food networks and global hunger issues? How do we accommodate our shared existence?

Forest art avant-la-lettre? The Japanese have enshrined -and thus protected- pieces of wild nature as part of their religious practice for centuries. Such is the case for this amazing waterfall I visited today in the mountains around Matsuyama, Ehime. The photograph was taken from the spot where a humble buddha figure watches over this magnificent sculpture of nature.

A value system that operates in parallel to the market and still works to protect nature today, sometimes even in the middle of a big city like Tokyo. 

The Future of Global Governance Series

Proceedings for Workshop: Nature and natural objects as actors in everyday lives

by the Center for Global Agenda (CGA) at Unbuilt Labs

Organizers

• Joachim Nijs, 自然をつくる国日本 (Japan: Nation Building Nature), Founder
• Marvin Cheung, Center for Global Agenda (CGA) at Unbuilt Labs, Co-Director
• Marguerite Van Cook, Center for Global Agenda (CGA) at Unbuilt Labs, Co-Director

Guest Speakers and Invited Artists

• 13 August: Julien Isoré (Alan Tod), Forest Artist
• 20 August: Peggy Cyphers, Professor of Painting at Pratt Institute

Summary

We would like to thank our co-organizer Joachim Nijs and guest speakers Julien Isoré (Alan Tod) as well as Peggy Cyphers. We would also like to thank SDG16 Hub, a portal hosted by the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre, for hosting our online discussions. Further, we would like to thank our workshop participants for joining us on the weekends to discuss and examine our relationship with nature and natural objects.

The two-part workshop began with an introduction to how different conceptions of nature impact our socio-political realities and built environment. We then invited participants to use practice-based research, and in particular photo-elicitation as a tool to record and investigate nature and natural objects as actors in our everyday lives. Finally, we held a studio discussion centered around ideas inspired by the photographs participants took and an open-ended discussion session.

Below are the highlights of the workshop:

1. When we think about incorporating nature into everyday lives, a holistic approach is required. This means going beyond just "more green". We need to introduce thoughtful cultural practices in order for the initiatives relating to nature to have a lasting impact. Simultaneously, with the rise of eco-distress and eco-anxiety, great care needs to be taken when communicating and introducing nature-related cultural practices to avoid extreme behaviours.

2. In areas that have historically been prone to earthquakes, we see greater disaster preparedness, and to different degrees an earthquake culture where earthquake preparedness and readiness is integrated into local culture. This includes risk-aware building practices, art, legends, rites and rituals, narratives of survivors, poems, as well as disaster education and training. Given the drastic changes in climate we expect to see in the near future, we need to engage the culture industry to develop adaptive practices. These practices require active effort, building, and engagement.

3. We currently attribute value to man-made objects, craft, and human intervention, with very little appreciation for wildlife. This is unhelpful towards the cause of preserving nature. In certain cultures, natural forests are considered monuments and vital cultural property. We need to re-examine ways to advocate for the cultural value of nature to create the desire to co-exist with nature, both at a grass-roots level such as social media advocacy, and at a policy level.

4. The toxicity of art materials and waste generated in the process of creating cultural products whether that is at art schools or in industries demands further attention. We need to research and develop materials as well as practices that are more sustainable.

Participants

• Amparo Elisa Rojas Ramirez, SIU Ventures Miami part of SIU at Educative Group San Ignacio de Loyola - Peru, Project Leader
• Arthur Wandzel, Karbuu, Cofounder / CTO
• Cathleen Zeippen, Individual
• Dr. Swati Bute, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal-India, Associate Professor
• James Romberger, School of Visual Arts, Artist and Professor
• Lee Cherry, NC State University College of Design
• Louise O'Boyle, Ulster University, Associate Dean (Academic Quality & Student Experience)
• Nabiha Miskini, National Institute of Statistics, Chief Service
• Rashida Atthar, NGOs and Institutes, Educationist
• Sarah Johnson, Kingston School of Art, PhD Candidate