The research project Narrating Just Sustainability in the City asks what forms of narrative might be required to support ‘just sustainabilities’ in the context of the Anthropocene. Just sustainability has been described by geographer John Ageyman as ‘the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems’. Such ecosystems are inherently interconnected, non-linear in functioning and more-than-human. They push us to focus on persistent feedback loops between social justice and environmental care. Just sustainability in this sense is defined by interdependence, multi-vocality, equity and network effects. These phenomena are hard to capture and narrate, and yet it is vital that any ‘response’ to the Anthropocene takes account of such dynamic more-than-human systems, rather than reinforcing human-exceptionalism. Storytelling has an important role to play here, as it is only by transforming deeply ingrained narratives that we can hope to enact the meaningful changes required to create a more just and sustainable world.

As part of the research for ‘Narrating Just Sustainability in the City’, three artists were invited to be part in this project: Temitayo Ogunbiyi (Lagos); Marit Mihklepp & Edgars Rubenis (Den Haag); Esmee Geerken (Amsterdam). The artists were asked to design ‘Instructions for performative actions’; to engage with their immediate environment in a playful way and respond to just sustainability in the city, addressing circular economy, teleconnections, ecosystems and power. Their instructions have been distributed within different communities, and responses to the instructions will be shared during this workshop.

To foster a dialogue and generate multiple perspectives on just sustainability, artists and scientists will get together, online and at the UvA-IAS. During the workshop we will reflect on what ‘narrating just sustainability in the city’ means and can mean, for different communities, and collectively explore the role of narrative and performative actions while facing urgent transitions.

The instructions for performative actions by Esmee can be downloaded below.

Program

This project is initiated by:

Dr. Bergit Arends, British Academy Research Fellow, Courtauld Institute of Art, London. 
Dr. Tom Idema, lecturer at Hogeschool Leiden, author of ‘Stages of Transmutation’.

Project advisor:

Dr. Paul Behrens, Assistant Professor in Environmental Change at Leiden University.

Invited participating artists:

Den Haag
Marit Mihklepp and Edgars Rubenis 

Lagos
Temitayo Ogunbiyi 

Amsterdam
Esmee Geerken

The project is funded by the British Academy–Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts & Sciences Knowledge Frontiers Anthropocene Programme.