Tag Archives: on ecology and biodiversity

burning ice – it’s the economy, stupid!

This fourth edition of Burning Ice will be built up around the theme of economy. Climate change confronts us with the consequences of our actions. It turns our world-view with its endless growth completely upside down. Our civilisation appears to be underpinned by waste, excess and fundamental inequality. The capitalist theory of progress believes in economic growth as the best measure of human well-being, in a market price in which all costs are contained and in money as the perfect indicator of value. We can understand the current crises as an inevitable result of the blind faith in this holy trinity: growth, price, money.
In Burning Ice #4 we will hear economists, philosophers and artists who criticise this blind faith, introduce new values and principles to economic reasoning, link growth and environmental impact, andtalk about the illusion of the correct market price and a repositioning of money.
Burning Ice #4 positions itself between the theoretical, practical and poetic views of economics. Thistri-pod is given concrete form by the three locations: the KBC auditorium, the Changing Tents and the Kaaitheater.

Six ‘hexayurts’ together form a temporary zone for social and economic change. At the invitation of Radical Hope, ten artists have spent two months preparing this ‘colony’. Artists, scientists and other visitors are invited first and foremost to come and help build the zone on Monday 17th January. Following this, and for one week, the hexayurts will be the setting for the study and practice of concrete change, a place where people themselves can take action and put forward ideas: ideas concerning other forms of organising work, urban food production, alternative energy management, innovative funding, new forms of knowledge production and so on.
Changing Tents is a social ritual which everyone, including visitors, can experience by makingsuggestions during the course of the week. From the beginning of January you can programme your own activities as part of Changing Tents by adding them to the Changing Agenda.

festival kanal – triangular walk

Triangular Walk is een experimentele stadstocht rond de kanaalzone, waarbij kunst, wetenschap en activisme mekaar kruisen. Drie gidsen leiden drie groepen deelnemers middels een speels concept door drie stedelijke tuinprojecten en de omliggende straten. Na de 4 uur durende ‘driehoeks’wandeling ontmoeten de verschillende groepen mekaar voor het eerst voor de afsluitende presentatie in de Open Green Rooftop Garden.
Deze informatieve, interactieve en performatieve tocht draait rond de voedselsketen als symbool voor de alomtegenwoordige sub-culturele en ‘sub-natuurlijke’ processen in een stedelijke omgeving.

Triangular Walk is an experimental city walk around the canal area where art, science and activism meet. With the help of three guides participants explore three urban gardening projects and the area around them in a playful manner. After the four hour triangular walk, the groups meet for the first time at OKNO’s OpenGreen `rooftop garden, to attend a presentation that rounds up the event.
This informative, interactive and performative journey takes the food chain as a symbol for sub-cultural and sub-natural processes in an urban environment.

here is a nice report, and some overview pictures of the walks:
triangular walk

trajectories of change :: portraits of barefoot women

Technology is a valuable input for social transformation, but the most important force is human agency and creativity: the microlevel initiatives and everyday activities of real human beings.

In following interviews the Barefoot Solar Engineers talk about their visions, methods and sources of inspiration to shape their future and bring social transformation.

For full interviews and background information, check the links on the playlist.
Scroll down for complete selection: Rami, Mangi, Leela, Magan, Sita, Shamma, Sargu and Nazma.

 

Sita Bai :: Solar Cooker Engineer.

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Sita Bai :: Solar Cooker Engineer
streaming video — 03:40

In the villages there still is a lot of discrimination. On the level of castes, on the level of male dominance.
There are many clashes with the vllagers. As I’m from a lower cast, they don’t allow me to eat with them. They even don’t let me sit next to them. Or come close to dried cow dung.
Than they say that I spoil their fuel.
The villagers are also jealous. They see that I educated myself and that I became an independent lady.
I wonder where all this fuzz about high and low castes comes from. After all we are all the same human beings.
Continue reading

Leela Devi :: Solar Lighting Engineer.

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Leela Devi :: Solar Lighting Engineer.
streaming video — 01:40

I am a teacher and a student and a student and a teacher.
My husband used to work at the College. I came along with him.
Our parents arranged our marriage long before my husband started his further studies. At that time there was no item of getting a more educated wife. His family liked me and my family liked him for me. The education-level difference between us was no point, as the arrangement was not based on education. Now I can discuss problems with my husband. He’s very supportive. If I don’t understand something he explains me.
I started to work in the handicraft section before I asked myself to be transferred to the solar department. I wanted to learn something new, completely different from what I used to do. Stitching every woman can do. But solar was completely new when I came here. In the beginning I never thought I would never be able to understand it, but now I feel very comfortable and I like doing it. Continue reading

barefoot related videos by third parties

Interview with Bunker Roy, co-founder of the Barefoot College (by Rocketboom).
Interview with Vandana Shiva, eco-feminist and founder of the Navdanya organisation.
Barefoot Solar Engineers in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (by Neeta Lal).
Scroll down for complete selection.

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