What is PositiveFeedback?

In December 2009, Columbia University’s Earth Institute (EI) co-hosted, with the UK’s Tipping Point, British Council USA, and CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities, a two-day conference at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (NY) which brought together for the first time in the United States leading artists and scientists focused on global climate change. Recognized by participants as a seminal event and a “stimulating and inspirational encounter,” the TippingPoint conference resulted in a number of arts/science partnerships and collaborations including PositiveFeedback, the new arts and climate science consortium led by Columbia University (Earth Institute), New York University (Center for Creative Research) and the City University of New York (Institute for Sustainable Cities). PositiveFeedback kicked off its public outreach in fall 2011, with the 2011 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House on October 1.

The Project:

As the first New York City inter-institutional consortium designed specifically to support the collaborations of artists and scientists focused on climate change, PositiveFeedback will conduct a two-year pilot project on two levels: by providing engagement and research opportunities for artist-scientist collaboration, and by creating an inter-institutional infrastructure to support those and future collaborations. In doing so, PositiveFeedback will bring people together across disciplinary, institutional, and other divides as well as test the potential for longer-term consortium initiatives.

Specifically, the overall goals of PositiveFeedback are to:

1) cultivate and support a community of scientists and artists focused on issues of climate change;
2) provide research assistance (including funding, workspace, mentorship, networking) for artists and scientists to pursue collaborative investigations;
3) serve as a nexus for arts/science interest related to climate change.

The next two years of pilot activity will inform the direction of PositiveFeedback as a resource for New York City’s arts and science communities over the next several years.

The Consortium’s activities will create new pathways for artists and scientists to work together on the topic of climate change, model collaborative work in this emerging field of art and science trans-disciplinarity and generate regular documentation of the project’s process and delivery for field-wide dissemination and replication.

Upcoming Events:

Climate Change: Paul Miller and Bill McKibben in Conversation
Thursday, May 9, 6:00pm
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Friend of PositiveFeedback, Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky, joins environmentalist Bill McKibben in a conversation about climate change and its effect on our planet, environment, and culture. These gentlemen share a deep concern for the environment, and will use their individual and collective creativity to spur positive and sustainable change.
*This event is not produced by PositiveFeedback. For more information, please visit the Met Museum’s website here.

Higher Mind Media and 350VT present:
Call To Artists: A Climate Change Cabaret and Art Exhibit
Share work about climate change and everything it implies: from changing behaviors and transforming systems, to exploring nature loss, the root cause of climate change, and re-imagining our collective future. The cabaret will be held outside, on the front steps of the State House, in Montpelier, Vermont, followed by a full program in Representative’s Hall. The show will be emceed by Ben T. Matchstick and Rev. Elissa Johnk.

Cabaret Details
When: Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 6:00-9:00pm
Where: State House, Montpelier, Vermont
Submissions: All forms of performance welcome, including music, dance, theater, storytelling, poetry, and high-wire walking.

Exhibit Details
When: May 15-June 16, 2013
Where: Goddard Gallery, Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont
Submissions: Paintings, graphic design, collages, and drawings; installations, video, emergent media, and presentations of art activism are welcome!

All proposals should be submitted by April 21 to Peter Higher Mind Media. Performances should not exceed ten minutes long. Please be sure to include phone and email contact information, as well as supportive material or links to describe your performance and past work. For questions, please call 802-598-4819.

Learn more about Higher Mind Media here, and 350VT here.

Beyond the Surface: Environmental Art in Action
May 31, 2013
Hosted by The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
Join the Schuylkill Center for daylong conference of ideas and innovative thinking, investigating relationships between art and nature. The conference will feature presentations and breakout sessions, and include lunch and an evening reception. Learn how environmental art can engage the environment and the individual, activate awareness, and integrate perspectives that result in unexpected and innovative approaches to environmental literacy.
For more information and to register, please visit the Schuylkill Center’s website here.

Call for Art-Science Residency Applications
Marseille, France

The Art-Science program at IMERA is co-directed by sociologist Samuel Bordreuil and Roger Malina. The program welcomes both artists who wish to collaborate with scientists, scientists who wish to collaborate with artists, or hybrid mixed art-science teams. IMERA residence proposals are open to researchers (scientists outside Aix-Marseille University and artists) of all origins in terms of nationality and disciplines (the arts and humanities included). Applications can be individual or collective (multidisciplinary teams). May 6 deadline for applications. Find out more here.