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Climate Emergency Network’s Climate Circle at MAKE @ Story Garden

group of people gathered around a table
  • Written byInternal Communications
  • Published date 14 February 2023
group of people gathered around a table

UAL's Climate Emergency Network (CEN) is an evolving, responsive movement. Propelled by staying in the tension of what can no longer be, what is happening now, and what is yet to arrive.

Our climate circles

Hosted by the network, Climate Circles mark the changing in seasons and align our collective vision with Nature’s own rhythms. Each seasonal event or gathering is facilitated by a different member of our community. These artist-led meetings offer a touchpoint for sharing news, meeting likeminded creatives, planning activity and supporting each other.

Our January session found us hidden among the leafy greens of the Story Garden’s greenhouse and nursery. The Story Garden is a community space behind the British Library which sites MAKE, the public studio and maker space jointly run between Somers Town Community Association and Central Saint Martins. We were welcomed to MAKE and the Story Garden by Nicola, Local Engagement Manager for Central Saint Martins, and introduced to the public studio space. We learned how MAKE @ Story Garden provides a site for creative activity and collaboration with local communities including creative wellbeing-focused activities, climate action projects, greening the estates, and objects focused on climate action and circular design.

We began with a short exercise led by CEN’s Creative Projects + Campaign Manager, Abbi Fletcher. Using clay as a tool for conversation, the group were instructed to individually sculpt a shape which represented how they were feeling. From a characterful “Elephant in the room”, a Mushroom “ready to absorb and decompose into the soil” to a delicate effigy with tendrils “ready to stretch, spiral and support the network”.

Images from our January climate circle

group of people gathered around a table
small clay sculptures

Have your say

We would love your thoughts on how you think we organise and campaign our activity and have put together a 1-minute quiz to help understand what the future of the network looks like!

Join the Earth Day working group

Earth Day will take place on 22 April 2023, and this year we want to harness the power of staff and students at UAL to inspire creativity in a climate and ecological emergency. CEN are recruiting a representative from each college to join the Earth Day working group. Please express your interest by emailing climatenetwork@arts.ac.uk with the following details:

  • name
  • course
  • college
  • your answer to the question: What do creativity, community and climate justice have to do with each other?

Keep in touch

Sign-up to connect with others at UAL regarding the climate and ecological emergency. Stay in the loop, share resources, opportunities, projects and ideas for creative climate action.

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