Our podcast ‘A Future in the Folds of the Past’ is back! Season three focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis

 

‘A Future in the Folds of the Past’ is the only Arabic-language podcast dedicated to contemporary visual arts in a documentary format. The series highlights the specific impacts of climate change on local communities, particularly vulnerable groups, and emphasizes on how art can serve as a powerful tool for storytelling and fostering dialogue around climate change. 

 

Season three focuses on the role of art institutions, artists, and cultural practitioners in addressing the climate crisis. Learn more about each episode below. 

 

Episode 01: The Art Institution & The Climate Crisis

The first episode features a discussion with Faisal Al Hassan, Director of 421 Arts Campus, and Nora Razian, curator and Exhibitions Program Manager at Art Jameel in Dubai. It delves into how art and culture institutions are developing programs and activities to experiment with and reflect on environmental issues.

 

Episode 02: A Drop of Sky

In this episode, Amanda Abi Khalil, an art curator and founder of the TAP platform tells us about her initiatives in Lebanon and Brazil that merge contemporary art, environmental, and community work. 

 

We also speak with Francesca Masoero, an art curator and cultural program coordinator who initiated the “Qanat” project in 2017, commissioned by Space 18 in Marrakech, Morocco. This project has evolved through multidisciplinary research and relies on collective production shared between the artistic field and community initiatives. 

 

Episode 03: The Climate Crisis: Responses through Artistic Practice

Our conversations in this episode features Adib Dada, a Lebanese architectural researcher and founder of ‘The Other Dada’ project, who focuses on developing projects that mimic nature and enhance the integrative relationship between architecture, design, art, and the environment. 

 

We also speak with Asunción Molinos Gordo, a Spanish artist who explores alternative approaches to understanding evolution and innovation outside centralized urban contexts, focusing on contemporary farming issues as a central theme. 

 

Episode 04:

 

Episode 05: The Land as a Living Heritage

In this episode, we focus on initiatives from Jordan and Sudan, showcasing how these regions address the climate crisis through the preservation of “live heritage” and sustainable practices. Our guests, with diverse backgrounds but united in their commitment to the land, discuss the importance of local knowledge accumulated over generations in tackling contemporary challenges.

 

Episode 06: The Climate Crisis: Reality and Fiction Created by Colonialism

This episode explores the impact of colonization and modernity on our connection to nature. We discuss the unique characteristics of Algerian and Palestinian societies and how colonial experiences have influenced the climate crisis both in reality and in the imaginations of the colonized. 

 

Our first guest, Jumana Manna, a visual artist and filmmaker from Palestine, delves into representations of power, focusing on the body, the land, and material nature in relation to colonial heritage. Our second guest, Ikram Hamdi Mansour, an environmental architect and independent researcher from Algeria, has initiated “Climate Change, Culture Change” to spark discussions about the impact of climate change through installations and performances. 

 

Together, these artists explore the possibilities that art offers for reclaiming and redefining our relationship with nature and the land. 

 

Listen to the full series including season 1 and 2 here.