About this Event
Join us for a powerful evening of discussion and debate around the role of the arts and emotions in addressing climate change and the 68% loss of global biodiversity over the past four decades.
The event is inspired by Aga Khan Centre Gallery’s Seeds, Trees & Mountains exhibition, connecting our partnership with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) and One Resilient Earth. The evening will commence with a viewing of the exhibition followed by a short video of artist Diana Taylor’s site-specific artwork. The video depicts the making process of her artwork for the exhibition as well as the reworking process that reflects a sense of unmaking and loss. Diana Taylor's art piece and performance are connected the overall theme of the exhibition.
The artistic video will form the basis of a discussion around nature's making, unmaking and loss, chaired by Jonas Otterbeck, Professor of Islamic Studies at Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC). Jeff Tan, Associate Professor of Political Economy at AKU-ISMC, will share examples of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s nature-based solutions in Pakistan, where melting glaciers are impacting the lives of rural Himalayan communities. Laureline Simon, Director of One Resilient Earth, will share their work around our human and emotional connection to climate change and loss.
Diana Taylor together with Esen Kaya, AKC Gallery’s curator will also introduce the concept behind the exhibition and how Taylor’s practice sits so beautifully within the overall theme. Esen Kaya will then share opportunities available to artists, makers, and partnerships, as well as the Gallery’s ambition to curate a five-year plan of exhibitions that bring engagement to these fundamental issues.
Places are limited, so to avoid disappointment, please book early.
Refunds for non-attendance cannot be provided.
All proceeds of sales go to the charitable community work of One Resilient Earth
About the exhibition
Seeds, Trees & Mountains
An exhibition exploring climate change with work by artists Veeda Ahmed, Samantha Buckley, Emily Ketteringham, Karim Ahmed Khan, Samanta Batra Mehta, Olga Prinku, Andrea Roberts and Diana Taylor.
In partnership with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and One Resilient Earth.
“The Earth turns to Gold, in the Hands of the Wise”
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī
This quote forms the overarching statement for Aga Khan Centre Gallery’s first in a series of exhibitions exploring issues around climate change. The presentation is a unique partnership between AKC Gallery, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) and Wakehurst – RBG Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex – home to the Millennium Seed Bank and over 500 acres of diverse landscapes and plants from across the globe. Four participating artists have undertaken residences at Wakehurst or AKAH, drawing on their information resources to create work reflecting climate change. Two participating artists have responded specifically to the Rumi quote and two artists have made artwork based on trees native to the UK.
Seeds, Trees & Mountains, which commenced in January 2023, is formed of three phases, beginning with a screening of Voices from the Roof of the World, an environmental documentary film series sponsored by Aga Khan University, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Aga Khan Foundation and University of Central Asia about the climate crisis in High Mountain Asia.
Phase 1 included three-week film screening of Seasons 1 & 2 of Voices from the Roof of the World aims to raise awareness around the climate crisis in the earth’s highest mountain region stretching from the Pamirs to the Himalayas.
The films are produced entirely by local filmmakers from Pakistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Nepal under the direction of Emmy winning Executive Producer Andrew Tkach. Special Screening Event & Panel Discussion in April (date tbc), the Gallery will host a special screening of two of the films with an interactive discussion with the Series Producer Andrew Tkach, one of the filmmakers, and a representative from one of the project sponsors (AKAH).
The overarching aim of the project is to share AKAH’s research around environmental stewardship and climate change adaptation using nature-based solutions, alongside RBG Kew’s monumental Garfield Weston funded Global Tree Seed Bank Programme. This programme conducts vital work around the preservation of key medicinal plants and endangered tree species in Pakistan; a country that connects all three partners. The ambition is to create a unique partnership that encourages, supports, and champions the exchange of knowledge and resources and which results in the alchemy of a beautiful and empowering visual art installation that interprets Rumi’s quote.
Phase 2 of Seeds, Trees & Mountains includes collaborations with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and Wakehurst. Artists, Diana Taylor, Emily Ketteringham, Karim Ahmad, Olga Prinku, Samantha Batra Mehta, and Andrea Roberts, have created artworks reflecting the abundance of biodiversity. The artwork shown will include existing and new work produced during their residencies, revealing an idealistic view of the abundance of biodiversity based on specific information in relation to the work the partner organisations are involved, including data from Kew’s Garfield Weston Global Seed Bank and AKAH’s work on nature-based solutions.
The background behind this series of exhibitions comes from a confluence of ideas: making global issues important local issues, sharing Aga Khan Development Network’s and its many agencies current work around climate change, the key messages from climate change from both His Highness the Aga Khan IV and his brother, Prince Rahim. Aga Khan Development Network’s commitment to climate protection and adaptation is firmly established. AKDN’s overriding principles are built on clear values and ethics that permeate all AKDN organisations and operations. Over the next five years AKC Gallery will curate imaginative and informative exhibitions and associated learning programmes focusing on climate change.
The exhibition also includes a variety of contextual narratives on our partner organisations’ work around the world, including Aga Khan Development Network’s climate ambition and commitment to reach net zero by 2030 across its global agencies.
Phase 3 brings in our partnership with One Resilient Earth. At this mid-point in the exhibition marks a dramatic shift in the exhibition content. Much of the artwork will change, new work will be installed to replace existing artwork, as a way of creating an indicator for discussion around loss and climate change and how we sit with this as humans. Through this shift in exhibition content and the exhibition’s Learning Programme, we aim to create more opportunities for discussion and engagement around climate change and the ways in which you can get involved in the conversation.
Special Event: Thursday 20 April 2023 6-8pm
On Thursday 20 April, two days prior to Earth Day (22 April 2023) and at this mid-point in the exhibition, we will host a special live event at the Aga Khan Centre that marks a dramatic shift in the exhibition content.
Artist Diana Taylor will change her installation through a performative event revealing the reworking of 68% of her artwork which includes a panel discussion with Laureline Simon from One Resilient Earth and special guests. This reflects the 68% loss of global biodiversity over the past four decades. New work from other artists will also be added to highlight the protection and preservation work undertaken by the partner organisations and how many can support the fight against the climate change – the sharing and raising awareness of knowledge is key to the project’s overarching aim.
Special Event: Friday 21 April 2023 2-3.30pm
On Friday 21 April we will host a ‘climate circle’ commencing with a talk by Laureline Simon, Founder and Director of One Resilient Earth. This event promises to be exceptionally moving as she will guide the audience through an emotive experience that aims to encourage a discussion around our human connection to climate change and loss. Tickets for this event will be announced very soon. Advance booking is essential.
Other activities and events as part of the exhibition’s Learning Programme will follow in due course. These will range from various virtual and in-person artists talks, recycle and reuse workshops, formal film screening of one of the season 2 films from Voices from the Roof of the World documentary series and presentations by both Kew Wakehurst and AKAH. Please visit this and our Events pages for further announcements.
This exhibition is sponsored by AKU-ISMC, AKF-UK, IIS & AKAH
About One Resilient Earth
We look forward to meeting with you soon!
Banner image: Karim Ahmed Khan
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, London, United Kingdom
EUR 0.00 to EUR 9.00
