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Date: May 2022 onwards

Location: Australia

Project: Site Responsive Programming

Partners: British Council, Bundanon, The Cabot Institute for the Environment

British Council 21-22 Season: The UK/Australia Season 2021-2022 is a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It will highlight the breadth of partnerships between Australia and the UK and aim to deepen and build cultural connections. The Season will explore and celebrate relationships between the UK and Australia across the arts, creative industries and higher education. The Season’s programme will have a thematic approach, with all projects and initiatives responding to the question, Who Are We Now?

We are delighted to announce ‘AT NIGHT’ with Bundanon, which forms part of our project CONFLUENCE, in partnership with the British Council’s UK / Australia Season; a joint initiative between the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), a landmark cultural exchange between the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia celebrating the diverse and innovative artistic communities and cultural sectors of each nation.

New site specific programming, embedded within Bundanon’s famed FIELD DAYS (learning and engagement program), is inspired by Indigenous pedagogies and connects past, present and future, to enhance a deeper understanding of environmental issues and the latest insights about climate change. The series of activities, utilising site responsive practice, will engage, educate, and create legacy; driving innovative encounters and opportunities for schools to experience positive connections with the natural world.

Through interdisciplinary experiences, students will reimagine their collective role through creative experimentation that activates the world with all senses, to evoke the important role of individual responsibility for collective climate action. The tailored curriculum has been drawn from knowledge exchange sessions and the symposia “The Language of Nature”, to connect audiences with the night sky, while reflecting on current concerns around the climate crisis, to consider the collective role of complex ecologies and natural environments at Bundanon, in the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Framed within CONFLUENCE’s overarching strategy to ‘transform perspectives of place with a focus on climate change; altering how people see the natural world to enhance understanding of environmental issues and the ways in which we emotionally engage and communicate with the nature’. The public engagement and learning programme commenced in June 2022 and continues throughout the year. Further details and documentation to follow …

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS:

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, founded in 1934 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. We work with more than 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, the English language, education and civil society. Last year, we reached more than 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall, including online, through broadcasts and publications. britishcouncil.org

Bundanon is a place charged with inspiration. A reimagined art destination. Bundanon is many things. An art museum embedded in the landscape. A wildlife sanctuary set on 1000 hectares. A gift to the Australian people. The vast array of experiences at this South Coast art destination means every visitor’s journey here will be different. bundanon.com.au

The Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol is a diverse community of 600 experts, united by a common cause: protecting our environment and identifying ways of living better with our changing planet. bristol.ac.uk/cabot