As part of the Institute of Advanced Study's Futures Project:
Whose Nature?
A workshop facilitated by Phil Gates and Ros Roberts.
About the Institute of Advanced Study's Futures Project: ‘Living with environmental change’ is one of seven grand challenges identified by the UK research councils. This project will consider the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies in enabling us to live with environmental change (e.g. carbon capture, biofuels, nanotechnology, remanufacturing engineering). The project team will subject this ‘grand challenge’ to bottom-up deliberation by working collaboratively with County Durham residents to examine the issues felt locally, share perspectives on new technologies and identify key questions for future research. One important question is whether the concept of ‘nature’ can provide new intellectual resources for negotiating the challenge of ‘living with environmental change’, and for deliberating the social and ethical implications of different emerging and potentially contested technological responses.
This project is jointly organised by the Centre for Social Justice and Community Action, the Durham Energy Institute and Musicon. Its objectives are to experiment with novel public engagement techniques and processes; explore the role of the concept(s) of nature in deliberations on the appropriate role of technology in responding to environmental change; build a dynamic and sustainable research network comprising Durham University staff, postgraduate researchers and members of the public; develop a research programme incorporating a range of perspectives, interests and expertise with a focus on co-producing new scientific, social-scientific and artistic knowledge; strengthen links between the university and local communities; and develop a centre of excellence at Durham for public engagement with emerging technologies. A distinctive feature of the project is the commissioning of an interactive sound-installation artwork by composer Trevor Wishart, designed to give artistic expression to the ideas and creative processes through which participants understand, reflect upon, deliberate and evaluate their own discussions.
This programme is being supported financially by the IAS, Beacon NE and Musicon.
These events are open to interested participants from the university and members of the public, but registration is essential. For further details and to register please contact: Gerald Aiken gerald.aiken@durham.ac.uk
Beacon NE is one of six UK Beacons for Public Engagement. Learn more about the project and our partners here.
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