The 2084 Project

December 2023 – July 2025

CONCEPT

Climate change is a global issue that goes beyond individual, regional, cultural, and national borders. However, despite international efforts, society’s collective grasp of climate change remains fragmented, leading to challenges in dealing with it with joint efforts across cultures and countries. The 2084 project aims to harness the transformative power of arts to drive societal change by envisioning Europe in the year 2084, radically affected by climate change and related threats.

The 2084 project aims to foster sustainable creation in the field of performing arts through an international collaboration involving partners from Hungary, France, and Poland. Its main objective is to lay the groundwork for sustainable performing art practices, focusing on creating productions with climate change as a subject, that is environmentally responsible and can serve as a model for future creators committed to sustainability.

MAPPING STUDY AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING (January – March 2024)

The first step in our project involves a mapping study and knowledge-sharing phase. This will include working with organizations and individuals active in environmental protection and climate change advocacy, to gather information, insights, and best practices related to sustainable practices that could be adopted within the performing arts sector. Leveraging the insights gained during this process, the partners will develop a framework for sustainable artistic creation in the field of performing arts, integrating environmental considerations into the artistic process, ensuring that art production is conducted in a manner that does not negatively impact the environment.

ARTISTIC CREATION (April 2024 – February 2025)

To test and refine the model, a core artistic team consisting of creators from various disciplines — including theater, dance, fine arts, and music — will come together to work on the project’s artistic plan: theatre performances and fine arts exhibitions. They will utilize insights gained from prior mapping studies to ensure that all performing arts productions are carried out in an environmentally responsible way.The core team will work on the planned artistic proposals (April-July 2024) and visit each partner country for a 3-week residency period (August 2024, November 2024, February 2025), during which they will collaborate with local artists from diverse disciplines – such as fine arts, music, and performing arts – selected through open calls.

Performances

During the localized residencies, the core artistic team will engage in an intensive transnational collaborative process with the selected local artists, co-creating a theatre production on the topic of climate change in each partner country. The performances will be designed to engage audiences by using storytelling as an important methodology for bringing complex issues of our globalized world, such as climate change, closer to the public. By creating movement performances that transcend language barriers, we foster a universal understanding and awareness of these critical issues. We aim to create performances that have the potential to be replicated locally, without the involvement of the core artistic team in the future, ensuring the sustainability of the project.

The performances will be showcased within the framework of local presentation events. Each presentation event will also include a discussion segment focused on the role of art in addressing the climate crisis and related environmental challenges. These discussions are intended to deepen the audience’s engagement with the subject matter and encourage a reflective dialogue on the impacts and solutions concerning environmental sustainability. To enrich these conversations, we will invite guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds, including cultural workers and environmental experts.

Exhibitions

Besides the performances, the core artists of the project will work with local fine artists to create a fine art exhibition at each residency. The exhibition will present the 2084 Project as well as reflect on environmental consciousness in a local context. Scheduled to be set up and opened by the end of each residency, these exhibitions aim to leave a lasting impression within the local community, staying in place after the residency concludes, continuing to inspire and engage audiences with the project’s themes and messages.

SUSTAINABLE ARTISTIC CREATION MODEL DEVELOPMENT

The project aims to produce a model that integrates environmental sustainability into the heart of performing art production. The partnership will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the processes, and incorporate the experience, feedback, and learnings into developing the Sustainable Artistic Creation Model. This document will showcase how cross-sectoral collaboration with scientists was achieved, provide suggestions for sustainable production practices, and the use of artistic tools to address environmental issues. The Sustainable Artistic Creation Model will serve as an invaluable resource for both partners and external stakeholders, to inspire and guide future generations of artists towards more sustainable practices. The document will be disseminated with the help of the Associated Partners and through international networks such as IETM. Additionally, it will be presented at a multiplier event at the end of the project, where policymakers, along with cultural professionals and artists, will be invited to further promote its adoption and implementation.

TIMELINE

PROJECT PARTNERS

Ladder Art Company – Budapest, Hungary
La Transplanisphere – Paris, France
HYBADU – Gryfino, Poland