Editor：TNUANEWS / Date：2023-11-25
The TNUA-organized 2023 International Forum for Art and Sustainability took place on November 24 and 25 to share strategies and practical experiences of art sustainability.
In her keynote speech delivered at the forum, Julie’s Bicycle founder Alison Tickell pointed out that arts and culture can influence people’s lives, and urged the arts and cultural sectors to take action on climate change. Julie’s Bicycle is a non-profit group calling on the arts and cultural communities to act on issues concerning the climate and nature.
Tickell noted that she would be attending a ministerial-level meeting at COP28 in Dubai on November 30, urging governments around the world to include the cultural industries into dialogues concerning climate change. Tickell said policies must take into consideration cultural activities as one of the solutions to climate change.
In 2022, TNUA and four non-profit groups – the Taiwan Art Gallery Association, the Performing Arts Alliance, the Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan, and the Taiwan Cultural Law Association – formed the Taiwan Art Sustainability Alliance (TASA). The forum was a major TASA event. This year TASA also has welcomed a new member – the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH).
TNUA President Prof. Chen Kai-Huang, speaking at the opening ceremony of the forum, noted that promoting art sustainability is meant to open the door to understanding the different peoples, cultures and ecosystems of the world. Practices for sustainability need the joint efforts of everyone, and TNUA, as a pioneer in the world of arts, is seeking to build a bridge linking different art communities and societies.
Prof. Chen also shared the results of TNUA’s investigation of its own carbon footprint, and how the university is going to make improvements.
NTCH General and Artistic Director Liu Yi-ruu disclosed that NTCH has also been reviewing its carbon footprints this year, and is entering the final stage of its evaluation. Liu said sustainability needs the support of concerted efforts in society.
Vera S.N. Liao, secretary general of the Performing Arts Alliance, said that her group has been translating the Theatre Green Book. Next year, the alliance will run a series of programs to help members achieve sustainability, she added.
Long-Sheng Shih, CEO of YIKE ZHIKU, pointed out that each of the transactions at this year’s Art Taipei was made with 90% in cash and 10% in carbon credit. Efforts are also being taken to promote law changes concerning carbon credits.
Speakers from abroad included: Molly Braverman, director of Broadway Green Alliance; Heidi Lenffer, founder of FEAT. Live; Experienced Program and Relationship Manager Feimatta Conteh at Factory International; Suzanne Cotter, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; and Frances Morris, director emerita of Tate Modern.