Last May, as part of the second Disruptive Imaginings gathering in Vancouver, Simon Fraser University hosted an Artist Roundtable (A.RT) on the theme of New Economies.
The A.RT brought together a diverse group of panellists who have provocative ideas about art, economy, and transformative change. Set within a staged 1983 corporate boardroom, the A.RT started off with a presentation by artist Marilou Lemmens about her collaborative, multidisciplinary practice with Richard Ibghy. She presented artistic projects that explore the ways in which the economic system pervades nearly every facet of our daily lives. In response, panellists from various fields engaged in lively discussion, digging deeply into the issues at the heart of the duo’s practice. The panellists drew on their experiences in the realms of art and culture, activism and citizenship, and sustainability and radical urbanism as they shared stories, debated ideas, and challenged each other and the audience with thought-provoking questions.
About the panellists:
Community organizer, writer, and activist Matt Hern teaches at UBC and is known for his work in radical urbanism, community development, and alternative forms of education. He is founder of the Purple Thistle Centre, Car-Free Vancouver Day, and Groundswell: Grassroots Economic Alternatives.
Cédric Jamet is former Project Manager at the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre and a Curator at Cities for People, now pursuing a degree in Human Systems Intervention at Concordia. His work explores the relationship between the urban imaginary, active citizenship, and the co-creation of sustainable cities. He has worked on many citizen engagement projects including coordinating 100in1 Day in Montreal.
Artist and cultural producer Todd Lester has dedicated his career to supporting and enabling socially engaged artists around the world. He is a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute and founder of both freeDimensional and Lanchonete.org.
You can watch the full video here – and if you want to know more about new economies, read the recent Report on New Economies by CCEDNET and One Earth here.
03 July 2015