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| The international premiere of the Conversations with the Earth : Indigenous Voices on Cliamte Change exhibit took place at the distinguished National Museum of Denmark and was initially set to run from 7 December 2009 – 30 January 2010. CWE’s premiere coincided with the15th « Conference of the Parties » (COP 15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark from 7-18 December 2009 which was attended by over 30,000 delegates and media from around the world. During COP 15, indigenous delegates from the 12 communities represented in the CWE photo and video stories participated in an Indigenous Peoples’ Day series of events at the NationalMuseet culminating in a special inaugural evening reception in honor of the CWE exhibit. Indigenous Peoples’ Day was attended by hundreds of government delegates and NGOs from around the world who were present in Copenhagen for COP 15. The CWE exhibit ultimately proved to be so popular, that the NationalMuseet extended CWE’s run there for 3 more months through the 30th April of 2010. |
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During COP 15, the National Museet also hosted an «Indigenous Peoples Day » on 12 December 2009 – with an entire day of programming including keynotes, panels and workshops followed by the official launch and opening reception for CWE.
During the two weeks of COP15, CWE was in residence at the National Museum of Denmark presenting photo stories of climate impacts and adaptation strategies about the Gamo people in Ethiopia, Manus Islanders from Papua New Guinea, and Zanskari villagers from Ladakh in the Indian Himalyas. An interactive touchscreen with all CWE indigenous media hubs videos was also displayed and was open for visitor feedback.
During COP 15, indigenous delegates from the 12 communities represented in the CWE photo and video stories participated in an Indigenous Peoples’ Day series of events at the National Museet culminating in a special inaugural evening reception in honor of the CWE exhibit. Indigenous Peoples’ Day was attended by hundreds of government delegates and NGOs from around the world who were present in Copenhagen for COP 15.
The CWE exhibit ultimately proved to be so popular that the National Museet extended CWE’s run there for 3 more months through the 30th April of 2010.
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United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
15th Conference of the Parties
(COP 15)
The international premiere of the Conversations with the Earth : Indigenous Voices on Climate Change exhibit took place at the distinguished National Museum of Denmark and was initially set to run from 7 December 2009 – 30 January 2010. CWE’s premiere coincided with the landmark meeting of the 15th «Conference of the Parties» (COP 15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark which was attended by over 30,000 delegates and media from around the world. |
Conversation with the Earth artfully blends local knowledge of land and seascapes, media expertise, high-tech tools, and participatory action, to convey intimate stories of climate change. Through good reporting, powerful portraits and interviews, and participatory media, the visitor is immersed in the sounds and the feel of a site and its people, in order to recreate the intimate experiences of listening to a local person. In the process the visitor experiences not only a story about climate change but the means by which the communities tell the story-and indeed the means by which indigenous communities everywhere share knowledge to address problems: conversation. |
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| Photography |
| To recreate the experience of being live and in the field, CWE offers life-sized color portraits, both animated and posed. |
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| Interactive touchscreen and web |
The CWE website, which brings the voices, images and stories of indigenous peoples on climate change to the global audience beyond the exhibit, is also accessible at the exhibit. Through a touchscreen, visitors can navigate various indigenous climate-change testimonies around the world, get more in-depth information, access printed articles, and register their own feedback or questions to speakers. The website features an interactive map of the world, which allows the visitor to explore and listen to stories from regional networks near and far. |
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| Talking Portraits and sound |
| Select photographs allow the narrator to actually talk directly to the visitor via hidden MP3 sound boxes or other devices. The voice, usually field recordings in the original native language, is added either through a loudspeaker near the portrait or a stereo headphones by its side. |
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| Text panels and published work |
At the visual heart of the exhibit is a series of photo essays of communities and the issues that affect them. In a photo essay, each photograph offers an informative caption and/or a quote from field recordings, easing the visitor into a deeper understanding of each story displayed. These will be supplemented by informative text panels introducing each of the photo essays separately. In some cases, panels display fuller text or a published article on the story concerned. |
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| Participatory Video Booth |
| Using a video projector in an alcove with benches, Conversations with the Earth screens a series of films made by indigenous communities about their own experience with climate change, using the participatory video methodology. Cameras in their hands, community members interview their friends and neighbours, men and women, parents and children, youth and elders, to record how climate-change affects their daily lives. The result is a direct testimony, a skillful and custom-crafted narrative, and community-owned media. The 10-minute clips come from the growing Indigenous Media Hubs network that CWE is promoting around the world. |
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