Greengaged

Responding to current economic, social and environmental crises, London's NEF (the new economics foundation) have recently launched plans for "The Bigger Picture: A Festival of Interdependence", a series of creative activities and events beginning in autumn 2009. The festival will culminate in a large-scale, free public event in central London on 24 October 2009 (11:00am-18:00pm) when an interactive, living exhibition will be staged in the dramatic post-industrial setting of the Bargehouse on London’s South Bank.

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During a TED Talks binge earlier this month, I found myself watching 'Yann Arthus Bertrand captures fragile Earth in wide-angle'. As GoodPlanet Fundation President, and the brains behind both The Earth from Above and the socially insightful project 6 Billion Others, Yann Arthus Bertrand is someone I am continually inspired by. Self-described as "an ode to the planet's beauty and its delicate harmony" his latest project is a documentary film called HOME, in which you are taken on a unique journey around the planet, through the landscapes of 54 countries - all captured from above.

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photo by: Kate Andrews

Following the conclusion of last year’s London Design Festival - and a few weeks of sleep - myself and co-founders Sarah Johnson and Anne Chick met up and reflected on the inaugural greengaged. We came to the conclusion that we had managed to cram in a huge amount of events in seven days, all of which were incredibly interesting, instructive and thoughtful. We hope all 2000 of you who came to one of our events thought so too. For this we are still very thankful to everyone who offered their time and made it happen; from the multitude of marvellous speakers to the organisers that sorted out IT, drinks and PR.

You can still look through and hear about last year’s events on this site, in the blog archive. We will also be releasing weekly podcast recordings of the highlights starting with this week’s – a conversation between Michael Braungart and Phillip Ball. Keep in touch for further audio and video releases coming up…

One of the things we did vow last year was that we would give ourselves more time to plan for the London Design Festival if we were to do it again… and here we are in June - already zooming up to September – a bit too fast for my liking, but hey. Things are coming together and we are really excited to announce our presence again at the Design Council for this year’s London Design Festival. We are very thankful for the continued support from the Design Council who have again offered to host our week of events at their lovely offices in Covent Garden. Greengaged ‘09 promises a very full and relevant programme for all designers in all disciplines. So, whether you are interested in sustainability or not sure if you should be, make sure you are signed up on our mailing list to be the first to hear of our plans. For now, here’s a quick taster of what is in store for 2009... 

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Bringing together key figures since the 1960s who have created utopian works and inspiring solutions for our ever-changing planet, Radical Nature–Art and Architecture for a Changing Planet (1969–2009) is the current art and design exhibition open until 18 Oct 2009 at London's Barbican Centre. "The beauty and wonder of nature have provided inspiration for artists and architects for centuries. Since the 1960s, the increasingly evident degradation of the natural world and the effects of climate change have brought a new urgency to their responses."

Radical Nature draws on ideas that have emerged out of Land Art, environmental activism, experimental architecture and utopianism. The exhibition is designed as one fantastical landscape, with each piece introducing into the gallery space a dramatic portion of nature. Work by pioneering figures such as the architectural collective Ant Farm and visionary architect Richard Buckminster Fuller, artists Joseph Beuys, Agnes Denes, Hans Haacke and Robert Smithson are shown alongside pieces by a younger generation of practitioners including Heather and Ivan Morison, R&Sie(n), Philippe Rahm architects and Simon Starling. Radical Nature also features specially commissioned and restaged historical installations, some of which are located in the outdoor spaces around the Barbican while a satellite project by the architectural collective EXYZT is situated off site. 

The RSA Art & Ecology network have offered a sneak insight into this must see environmental exhibition. If you have been to the show already or are planning on attending any of the forthcoming talks and events do let us know your thoughts!

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In Franny Armstrong's epic motion picture The Age of Stupid, famed actor Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking back at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance? On Friday 22nd May 2009, I attended the first Indie Screenings of the film at London's Royal Society of the Arts, and the film is absolutely incredible - a truly remarkable piece of cinema, that truly deserves international recognition. Read my full review of the RSA screening here...

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photo by: Kate Andrews

Welcome everyone to the new and improved Greengaged website! After an energetic ten days at London Design Festival 2008, the Greengaged hub is taking brand new directions for 2009 and beyond! We have gained international recognition for the events of last summer and the discussions and debates we raised are far too important for us to leave in the past. So, we have been working hard to build a better digital presence, that will allow for more accessible information and knowledge to this years events, and the future of the Greengaged hub!

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Following London United’s inspiring workshop 'Imagine 2058', we would like to encourage you all to take yourself on your own journey to the year 2058. So, take a moment to relax, close your eyes and walk around the city… 50 years from now. What can you see?

What does the city look like? What sounds are about? Where are the people, and what are they doing? What clothes are people wearing? What emotions do you get? What emotions do you see on others? Are people happy, are they talking to one another? Where can you buy some food? What is the form of transport; is there any transport? When you look at the sky, what colour is it? What is the weather like? Take a good look around you, can you see any trees or any water?

What does the year 2058 look like to you? Post your stories below...

At 6.30pm on Monday 15th September 2008, as a full moon rose over Covent Garden, John Grant, Aladin and other members of the 11 strong London United collective took to the greengaged limelight for their first ever workshop, “Imagine 2058″ - a journey through time. London United’s Aladin took centre stage to a circle of thirty five attendees and, in a soft tone, instructed “Relax and close your eyes… each time you exhale, you are going to move forward another year… 2010, 2011, 2012…”

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