Art, activism and education: experiences of collaboration and environmental justice

Abstract

In order to connect reflections on visual arts, political activism and educational practices as liberation, I introduce here two collaborative art projects carried out by the British collective PLATFORM. The first project, entitled Delta (1993), focused on the reactivation of water power in the Thames delta region (London/UK). With the collaboration of engineers, students and teachers from a local primary school, the collective built in a river near the school a hydraulic micro-turbine to generate renewable, community-based and low-impact electric power for the school. The second, Remember Saro-Wiwa (2005-2013), produced a series of collaborative arts activities in honor of Nigerian writer and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. The project opened a public debate about neocolonial processes of exploitation of natural and energy resources in the Global South. Although different in their forms and methodologies of work, from my point of view, both projects presented themselves as relevant experiences in the expanded field of arts and education and in the process of engaging their participants in issues of social and environmental justice.