The Paradox

We find ourselves in uncharted territory. Perhaps this is why the way we think about certain professions has become paradoxical. For instance, scientific findings show that humanity and much other life on the planet face existential risk. Preventing extinction would require action. Yet, the natural science community tends to regard scientists who say that action is needed as activists. Science, the conservative reasoning goes, only explains what is, not what needs to happen. Similarly, artists who grapple with real-world problems such as the climate crisis — instead of enacting the classical theatre canon — are sometimes called activists. The role of theatre, conservative voices argue, is not to create a better world. Meanwhile, Fridays for Future is an activist movement to bring public and political attention to scientific evidence.

Yet, none of the above actors and their respective actions seem to fit the definition of activism. ^{Footnote 1} At the same time, the examples above also do not fit into the traditional understanding of science, art, and activism. Perhaps a better term for our ways of operating would be advocacy. ^{Footnote 2} Beyond the terminology, the time seems ripe to examine the possibility of a new, meaningful relationship among artists, activists, and scientists.

When scientific insight reveals an existential threat and averting that threat requires technical solutions and behavior change, the standard scientific procedure — publishing in the best possible peer-reviewed journal and issuing a press release — is not enough. Policy advice is needed. Social buy-in is needed. A change in perspective that leads to a change in behavior — a.k.a. a cultural shift — is needed. Because, when it comes to the ecological crisis, if nothing changes, everything will change. At the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), where I worked for six years and which is devoted to sustainability science, policy advice was given. But policy — especially policy that requires behavior change — can only be implemented when citizens support it. Who would be able to bridge the gap between science and society? The idea behind me, an artist, joining the institute to lead the Science and Art project was to find out if artists could bridge that gap.

Mend the Gap

Over the years, I have come to see two complementary approaches necessary to closing the gap between knowledge and action: creating meaning and mobilization. First, we need to translate scientific findings into societal meaning. This translation is crucial because understanding is the precondition for action and behavior change. Luckily, we humans have a tool that can help grapple with ethical dilemmas, question deeply held beliefs, and imagine a way out of crises: telling stories. For millennia, we have told stories to make sense of the world and our place in it. Stories connect us to the past, to great causes beyond ourselves, and they offer glimpses of the future. They have mobilized individuals and groups into action across human history and contributed to reshaping the world (Benedikt Reference Benedikt2020:99).

Second, we need to mobilize all over the world. The scale of the problem and the change necessary to fix it are still unclear to large segments of society. Significant progress has been made on this front since 2019, when the Scientists for Future movement was founded in support of the Fridays for Future movement, initiated when Greta Thunberg staged a school strike outside the Swedish parliament in 2018 to bring awareness to the climate crisis.^{Footnote 3} It has mobilized millions and finally helped to elevate the climate crisis to the level of top priority in the media and drawn the attention of politicians. This was possible due to the determination of young people worldwide who volunteered endless hours.

When parts of the establishment discredited Fridays for Future’s activists as merely young people who do not understand the issue of climate change and just seek to stay away from school, scientists stepped in to support them. In March 2019, more than 28,000 scientists signed a statement in German-speaking countries declaring that the concerns of the protesting students organized as Fridays for Future “are justified and supported by the best available science” (SfF 2019). Scientists for Future, as the new grassroots movement was called, has since evolved into an independent and internationally connected group of scientists who work to extend the global climate movement beyond their institutional frameworks.

Meanwhile, artists are slowly starting to play a more prominent role in the quest to create meaning. For instance, writers such as Kim Stanley Robinson and Richard Powers have given us novels.^{Footnote 4} Amitav Ghosh and Martin Puchner have explored what kind of writing could contribute to tackling the climate crisis.^{Footnote 5} Arts organizations such as Climate Change Theatre Action and Superhero Clubhouse commission plays. Continental Europe lags, but the issue is finally coming to the fore. For instance, Die Zeit recently published an essay entitled: “Why, the hell? We live in an ecological crisis, but the world of literature leaves us alone with it even though we need it. Now!” (Ulrich Reference Ulrich2021). Similarly, when you look at the programs of established theatres today, the existential crisis is not addressed. Why? There seem to be two main issues: gatekeepers and lack of know-how.

Artists depend on gatekeepers. If publishers do not accept and prioritize stories about the climate crisis and sustainability transformation, novels on the subject cannot reach people. If theatres commissioned plays, they would now be onstage. But they are not. Opening the gates is essential, but it may not be enough. Many artists I have spoken with would like to grapple with the ecological crisis. But how can one best engage with natural science–based issues? What kind of stories and plays could make a meaningful contribution? How can they find scientists to discuss their work with and ensure it is accurately researched and touches upon the more profound questions? These questions reflect a sense of responsibility that is vital when artists engage with science-based issues.

To start addressing this know-how gap, a few colleagues and I have developed four cornerstones and a methodology for artists who wish to engage with science-based topics: Commitment to Scientific Insight, Revealing Ethical Dilemmas, Constructive Outcomes, and Orientation Toward Action. First, the challenge for the artist is to stay committed to scientific findings while employing a language that people are naturally equipped to understand: the language of story, as well as nonverbal communication such as dance and music. Second, the findings of sustainability science prompt ethical dilemmas. The artist’s challenge is to uncover these dilemmas, infusing scientific knowledge and insights with personally relevant meaning. Third, the findings of sustainability science provide excellent material for tragedies and dystopian fiction. It may also be tempting to create works with happy endings where our problems get solved by a sudden breakthrough of technical solutions. Neither of these approaches is likely to help us move toward a more sustainable future. The artists’ challenge is thus to develop a constructive approach that embraces the complexity of our situation, necessitates a realistic assessment of where we are, prompts a recognition of the need to acknowledge our subjective experiences, and offers a positive vision of the path forward that can prompt us into action. And fourth, the work must have an element of engagement that inspires action. The challenge for the artist is to create a work that prompts questions such as: “Now that I can apprehend what scientific insights say about the impact our actions will have on our lives and our world, what can I do?” Ideally, it includes an ancient artistic mechanism: interactive engagement (see Benedikt Reference Benedikt2020:124).

Beyond such a framework, more active stimulation by art institutions and universities may be needed. It could take the form of laboratories where artists can exchange with peers who have succeeded in such work and have the possibility to connect to scientists who seek to advocate beyond traditional institutional structures.

When one looks at the stages of established theatres in Europe and other parts of the world today, we still see the same old plays, the same old themes the ancient Greeks already tackled: power, love, revenge, war and peace, death, hope, denial, forgiveness, the meaning of life. Additions from the 19th and 20th centuries include economic-, gender-, and race-based struggles. All these themes would play a role in plays about the ecological crisis. But there are also new ones, such as the relationship between humans and nature, the responsibility toward future generations of humans and nonhumans, the interplay between human behavior and technology, failing institutions, cooperation — and most broadly, how we can get out of this existential crisis?

We have a narrative. If we act now, scientists tell us, the next 30 years or so will be a challenging period of transition until we have stabilized the climate, are on a sustainable track for humans and all other life on this planet, and end up in a world that is healthier, more just, and safer.^{Footnote 6} Now, we need artists to break down this metanarrative into smaller, more concrete stories that help us get there.

Mobilizing Meaning

What kind of alliances would be required so science-based artistic work could reach enough people to contribute to a cultural shift toward sustainable behavior? Martin Puchner shows in The Written World that even 2,000 years ago new ideas could spread and change the world. Stories, metaphors, and interaction played a crucial role. Teachers such as Socrates, Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus did not write down their insights. They told stories, used parables and metaphors, and discussed them with their students. These students then ventured into the world to share them orally, immersing more followers who continued the engaged dissemination. Eventually, they also wrote them down (Puchner Reference Puchner2017:63–85).

What can we learn from these ancient mechanisms, and how could we apply them today? Artists can turn scientific insight into stories that help spur the paradigm shift in how we see our relationship to the planet. Indigenous worldviews, which see humans as part of nature, rather than as rulers of nature with the right to extract unlimited resources, may be of great help in crafting these stories. Theatre performances and even novels are limited in reach for many reasons — e.g., language, distribution, geography. But as in the past, they can travel further when activists spread them through their various channels.

Art for Future

Are there practices within the arts besides storytelling that could help us address the current existential crisis? Let us look beyond the past 350 years in Europe when artists became highly specialized and moved into concert halls, theatres, and opera houses; and audiences became increasingly passive, merely expressing their appreciation or discontent.

For millennia, people have assembled to celebrate, commemorate, pay tribute to nature and gods, face crises, and find inspiration. Music, dance, and storytelling — later known as the performing arts — have evolutionary significance within the practice of assembly. Scholars such as the archeologist Steven Mithen has shown that they create a sense of meaning and belonging (2005:215), and enhance cooperation and solidarity (213, 236). In short, the art of assembly has transformative power. How can highly trained artists use these time-honored techniques to support a more sustainable future today?

We have a massive challenge ahead of us. We need to build cooperation and trust, and we need a vision and inspiration for meeting the challenge. Artists can employ their creativity and imagination to create the stories that will provide a vision of the better world we can create and how we can get there. They can continue to move away from the passive audience model and create interactive formats. After all, the engaged audience has been the norm for most of history with good reason: it is a precondition for action. And artists can support new forms of rituals or celebrations.

The core activity of the Fridays for Future movement is the demonstration that takes place every Friday and global strikes a few times a year. Activism needs the creation of a tribe — a group of people that unite around shared values. It is no coincidence that most demonstrations employ ancient artistic techniques that create a sense of meaning, belonging, and agency: drums, visual symbols, slogans, chants, dressing up distinctly, marching together, and dancing.

You would expect this area to be a welcome space for artists, and indeed some artists were present at the climate marches. For instance, the composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven mobilized a group of experienced singers to be among the crowd on 10 March 2019 in Amsterdam. When he created melodies for the texts of the slogans, the singers amplified the music and added multiple voices and rhythms in a way that a much larger group around them could join. The result was a massive improvisation with remarkable artistic quality. However, such experiments are rare, and the happenings at a demonstration, though often creative and inventive, seldom show artistic layers. Since protests are likely to continue as a core activity in the years to come, this link between art and activism could be further developed and strengthened.

When considering how humans have embraced new worldviews that required behavior change in the past, it is not surprising that papers and reports — scientists’ natural language — get little attention, as was the case with the IPCC report. It is also not surprising that mainstream media and traditional science communication are not getting the message across. Instead of sending scientists on strike, let us strike new powerful alliances among scientists, artists, and activists and use tools that have changed the course of history in the past in a new way. The future is now!