In an age of increasing environmental and social issues, how do we combine the gentleness of aesthetics with the messy politics of revolution? This lecture explores Hopepunk as an alternative framework to dominant narratives of techno-optimism and dystopian despair. Hopepunk is a term coined by writer Alexandra Rowland in 2017 which conceptualises hope not as passive optimism, but as an active practice of care, solidarity, and resistance in times of uncertainty. HopePunk connects hope with resistance, promoting an approach to storytelling in which radical kindness, care and collective action matter precisely because circumstances are difficult. Radical optimism does not depend on an expectation that everything will turn out well. It locates hope in the decision to act despite uncertainty––to resist the idea that cynicism is the only credible response to crisis. Drawing on examples from my own work and the work of others, this presentation explores how artistic practices of regeneration can foster collective capacities for transformation. The strength of HopePunk is the opportunities it creates to practice hope through art making and gathering. Here, creative expression and care are not separate from climate engagement. Their entanglement makes both more resilient, more resonant and more imaginable.
Dr Tanja Beer is an ecological designer and community artist who is passionate about co-creating social spaces that accentuate the interconnectedness of the more-than-human world. She is an Associate Professor in Design at the Queensland College of Art and Design and the Co-Director of the Performance and Ecology Research Lab (P+ERL) at Griffith University. Tanja's extensive career is based on over 20 years of theatre practice in Australia, Europe and the UK. Her concept of Ecoscenography has been featured in numerous programs, exhibitions, articles and platforms around the world. She is the author of Ecoscenography: An Introduction to Ecological Design for Performance (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
This is a hybrid event. All welcome.
Sorry, this event is not currently accepting abstracts.
