Saving the world with poetry?

Poetry is powerful. Above all, emotionally powerful. It touches us at our core. Is it also a catalyst for saving the world? And what does this mean for art and culture?

The cultural sector has remained silent for far too long. Has been blind to the future for a long time. At least that's how the Indian author Amitav Gosh sees it. Could it also be because the climate crisis and species extinction don't provide enough dramaturgy? Or too much? Do such topics sweep away the audience and drive readers away?

Not at all. In this focus section, we show people who prove the opposite. And know how to skillfully use the leverage of poetry for a better world.

The German dramaturge and festival director Natalie Driemeyer was among the first to offer climate change the big stage. In this interview , she talks about how naturally such topics are taken up on theater stages in countries that already have to deal with completely different climate realities, such as the Philippines or Indonesia. During her climate theater journey, she witnessed how people lost everything as a result of a hurricane in the Philippines. And how they were helped to overcome their trauma through theater therapy. In her view, the pandemic has created a kind of "world cohesion". A feeling that, together with the increased interest in the climate issue in this country, provides a good breeding ground for change.

How can we invite people to engage culturally with topics that will ultimately shape the future? Inspiring role models have been proven to help. But it may also be possible to stir up curiosity as to whether the world could be better in a different way. The Austrian director Teresa Diestelberger has a knack for bringing an encouraging voice into often pessimistic areas of discussion with "courage-make-documentaries". She portrays people who radiate "grounded encouragement" and show how our world could work differently. In this interview , we immerse ourselves with her in moments of 'social beauty' that accompany her work.

Is it possible to successfully bring music to the market and still leave the hustle and bustle of the global music industry behind? Or even become a self-declared 'catalyst for change' as a musician? Bands like Rising Appalachia and Manu Delago show where this journey can lead. For example, by sailboat to various American ports on the east coast. Or by bike to tour stops across Austria. You can read more about this in this article.

Thanks to the digital tailwind, poetry gems often go viral at lightning speed these days. And the will of various poets and slammers to save the world is also developing rapidly. Nevertheless, we won't be able to save the world with poems alone, says Samuel Kramer a climate poet, spoken word artist and activist. We talk to him about tornadoes, displacement, emotionless politics and the art of describing concretely where the path could lead.

The rethinking that we are already observing in a number of (also cultural) niches of society is described by the art philosopher Wolfgang Zumdick in an interview as a "poetic attitude". What he means by this is an attitude that inspires change. Because it is contagious and inspires others. An attitude cultivated by pioneering thinkers such as Joseph Beuys and Rudolf Steiner.

You can learn it by sharpening your perception, by learning to talk about essential things and by really listening. He refers to the connection that this creates between people as "social honey", in reference to a performance action with the artist Shelley Sachs. Find out more here.

Whether cinema, stage, concert or exhibition: culture is food for our imagination. And this imagination could be an important key. Rob Hopkinsthe founder of the Transition Town movement, even believes that he could unlock the magic door: the door to a better future. In his book "From What is to What if" (soon to be published in German), he raises the provocative question:

Can we even imagine things turning out for the better?

That we make the right decisions from now on?

What images then arise before our inner eye? In his book, he presents examples that show the change that is possible when - initially only a few - people begin to rediscover their imagination in a positive sense.

Rediscovering is a good keyword anyway. The pandemic has taught us what it means to be culturally starved. Now that the doors of most institutions have reopened, there is a lot to catch up on and rediscover. Whereby the beautiful can be combined with the useful: A hunger for culture with prospects for the future.

This is exactly what this year's "Vienna Biennale for change" invites you to do with the motto "Planet love". "Let's imagine our planet has a future." This is the subtitle of the "Climate Care" exhibition, which can be seen at the MAK until October 3, 2021 as part of the Vienna Biennale.

The mission of this year's Vienna Biennale published on the website leaves no doubt that the cultural sector will by no means sleepily stage and curate past the crises of our time in the future. On the contrary. People will take a much closer look:

"The Vienna Biennale for Change 2021 aims to inspire our imagination, advance the vision of ecologically and socially sustainable societies and economies and offer innovative ideas and solutions: to mitigate the climate crisis, to restore and preserve ecosystems, to preserve biodiversity and to use digital technologies for the benefit of the climate and the environment." (Mission of the Vienna Biennale for change 2021)

Balm for the soul of all lovers of the future. But it goes one step further:

"It not only encourages us to pause and rethink, but also calls on all socio-political forces and each and every individual to take decisive action to overcome the overall climate and ecological crisis."

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About the author

Dr. Sybille Chiari is part of the editorial team at "Nachhaltigkeit. Neu denken" (Rethinking Sustainability) and has been researching and writing about sustainability and climate communication for many years. She is part of the Scientists for Future movement and chairwoman of the Bele Co-Housing association (a community housing project with organic, regenerative agriculture www.belehof.at).