Art performance in Brussels

Climate Alliance and its 1,700 member local authorities in partnership with indigenous peoples in Latin America wanted to highlight with this performance a turning point in history;

• The implementation phase of the Sustainable Development Goals (post 2015 development agenda) is starting,
• The Paris Climate Agreement (COP21) had to be negotiated,
• The European Year for Development (2015) created a milestone for showing EU’s efforts to sustainable development.

The aim of the performance was to reflect on mankind's history of development, its current stage as well as a providing a hopeful glimpse towards a possible future outcome. This narrative was symbolised in multiple stages that were generated by nature; meaning that the visual output that emerged from the interactions between the realtime algorithms, human operators, the vocalisation of the opera-singer and the structure of the building in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. This meant that the final output was not predictable in any way.

The software controlling the lasers was based on a set of rules that simulate earth-like physics. By modifying specific characteristics, such as the stiffness of the spine, the behaviour of the organism was altered. And thus, by adjusting the two dozen parameters over time, a story was told.

In the beginning there was a point. Visualised by the entity, as well as vocalised by the singer, it transforms from an erratic line, towards a simple, smooth line, ending up in complex chaos and an unavoidable breakdown. However, as the narrative reaches its final stage, we encounter a new, complex yet harmonic entity, that explores the boundaries of the architectural structure.

Within the framework of the EYD2015, Climate Alliance developed a campaign called ‘A good life is simple’. This awareness-raising effort symbolises the concept of overdevelopment, which means that the current development narratives are not compatible with planetary boundaries, nor does it bring indisputable improvements for the society as a whole. The paradigm questioning of the campaign is visualised in the Art Projection via the movements of the projected laser visualisations.

The campaign tries to integrate climate awareness with daily life activities and proves how this brings societal and individual benefits to your community. It highlights positive examples in the fields of mobility, nutrition, consumption and energy when taking into account climatic impacts. Optimism of long-term progress regarding livelihoods in 2050 can start in your backyard today. The end of the visual performance symbolised a harmony, a balance, between our development pattern and the planetary boundaries.

And last but not least; the performance also hinted upon the inspiration we get from our indigenous partners in terms of sustainable development, forestry management and resource efficiency. Translating their knowledge into our European policy making will bring us to the next level of our understanding how to reach sustainable development for all.