Research Background: In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a special report stating that “rapid and far-reaching” transitions are needed to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels and reduce the associated risks of extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic Sea ice (IPCC, 2018). Conveying the climate emergency through the arts can be an effective way to make people understand what’s at stake (De Beukelaer, 2019). Final Call was a creative project designed to demonstrate how indigenous and non-indigenous artists can be engaged to help society think about climate resiliency.
Research Contribution: Final Call presented new creative works by six Queensland artists: Robert Andrew (Yawuru), Courtney Coombs, Caitlin Franzmann, Itamar Freed, Courtney Scheu and Judy Watson (Waanyi) responding to climate change. The project was realised as a free outdoor exhibition in the Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, Kabi Kabi Country and through an online digital experience created by Various Artists featuring documentaries, videography and photography by Timothy Birch.
Research Significance: Commissioned for Horizon, the Sunshine Coast’s premier arts and cultural festival, the exhibition was well attended and favourably reviewed by audiences. The commissioning process included a camp on Country where the artists connected with Kabi Kabi Traditional Owners and climate researchers from UniSC and the IPCC. The online exhibition experience was developed as a platform to reach audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrated new ways of presenting exhibitions online. In association with the exhibition, there were several public programs including Field Trip, a hybrid 'live and digital' symposium that explored the ethics of interdisciplinary art and creativity as a tool for responding to the climate crisis and reimagining our future. The exhibition received a $30,000 grant from Arts Queensland.