A Conversation on How Images Help Us Understand Climate Change
On April 4 at the International Center of Photography, a curator, an artist/activist, and a scientist will consider how images can help us understand the urgent reality of global warming.
Unlike our president, the majority of US citizens believe that climate change is happening. But, as with so many global issues, it’s hard for us to comprehend the on-the-ground reality of something so vast and seemingly nebulous. According to new data released last month, most people in this country think climate change will harm Americans but don’t think it will affect them personally — even though they themselves are Americans.
How can images help bridge this perception gap? How can the makers of visual culture help members of the public understand that climate change isn’t just a phenomenon they read about in the news, but one that’s knocking at their doors?
These questions frame the first section of the International Center of Photography’s (ICP) exhibition Perpetual Revolution: The Image and Social Change, which looks at how images both document and drive social change. Organized by ICP curator Cynthia Young, the climate change part of the show features a poignant short film by artist Mel Chin, stunning footage of the calving of a glacier, and much more. On Tuesday night, April 4, Young will conduct a conversation with artist and activist Rachel Schragis, whose collage representing the 2014 People’s Climate March is included in the exhibition, and scientist and policymaker Irina Feygina. The trio will discuss the urgency of understanding climate change — especially in the face of a government that’s openly hostile to science — and how images might help.
When: Tuesday, April 4, 6:30–8pm
Where: International Center of Photography Museum (250 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan)
More info here.
