Cape Farewell - Art & Climate Change

A Conversation About Climate Change

Thursday 22 March 2007, 7pm
Auditorium Maximum, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg

A collaboration with the British Council, Germany

Ian McEwan and Professor John Schellnhuber, moderated by David Buckland

During March and April 2007, Cape Farewell - in collaboration with the British Council - traveled to the vast industrial space of Kampnagel Cultural Centre in Hamburg with Cape Farewell - Art & Climate Change, the exhibition developed in collaboration with the Natural History Museum in London in 2006. Climate change is the most serious challenge facing the world in the 21st century and the British Council's focus on the issue in Germany reflects a commitment to addressing shared global challenges together with European partners.

One of the highlights was a discussion between novelist Ian McEwan and Professor John Schellnhuber, Germany's Chief Government Advisor on Climate. The event staged as part of the British Council's Conversations series, was moderated by David Buckland, artist and Director of Cape Farewell. Based on the broad scientific acceptance that climate change and its impacts are a reality, and in the wake of the findings of the Stern Report, the conversation explored the dynamic new ideas around climate change and the action that should be taken by governments, companies and individuals.

Leading from the science perspective was internationally renowned climate expert Professor John Schellnhuber, the German government's Chief Advisor on climate and related issues for the German G8-EU twin presidency in 2007. The discussion was the first time Professor Schnellnhuber spoke publicly of his new thinking on climate change and what we can do about it.

Award-winning writer Ian McEwan is fast becoming a leading cultural exponent on climate change. He speaks internationally on the issue, including his recent Payne Lecture, End of the World Blues, at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs at Stanford University.

Conversation moderator and Director of Cape Farewell, David Buckland, has taken artists, scientists and educators on three expeditions to the High Arctic, producing several large-scale exhibitions, education programmes, events and his own work as a result of these experiences.

The British Council launched Conversations to provide a forum for international dialogue on issues of interest across Europe and North America. Hamburg is the third venue, after Paris and Ottawa.

The conversation between Ian McEwan and John Schellnhuber took place in the new state-of-the-art 400-seat lecture theatre at the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany's first private law school.

A Conversation About Climate Change is presented as part of Cape Farewell - Art & Climate Change, a collaboration with the British Council, Germany. The exhibition was created in partnership with the Natural History Museum, and has been made possible with support from Arts Council England, Cape Farewell's major arts funder. Also supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, The Bromley Trust, Toshiba, IXOS and plusequals, and our Hamburg partners Kampnagel Cultural Centre