Dialogue tools
Tools for initiating and facilitating conversations, for listening and communicating, for storytelling, for discussing and negotiating.
Photo: raumlaborberlin
LE THEATRE DES NEGOCIATIONS (FR)
May 2015
Sciences Po, Nanterre-Amandiers and raumlaborberlin
WHAT is the practice?
Le Theatre Des Negociations is a political, diplomatic, scientific, pedagogical and artistic experiment. It consisted of a simulation of the COP21, and took place in May 2015, a few months prior to the actual summit in Paris. It was part of “Make It Work”, a series of initiatives relating to the preparation of the COP21.
WHY was it initiated?
The practice stems from Bruno Latour’s idea that the delay of climate conferences is caused by a crisis of representation. The experiment raises questions regarding who is representing different climate change problems, who represents affected communities, and who represents forests and oceans or animals.
HOW does it work?
For three days, students from around the world were hosted at Nanterre-Amandiers theatre and participated in public simulations of the International Climate Conference. The pre-enactment system was used to bring awareness among university students about climate change issues. The Theatre of Nanterre Amandiers readapted its spaces to offer rooms and props to host the discussions, which would also happen in the presence of an audience. Elements like the planetarium, an artificial lake and sun and an inflatable chimney rendered the scenery more thought-provoking, making the environment also an element of the performance. Two types of tables were designed, in order to seat different “delegations” both when in discussion and recreational moments.
KEY TOOLS:
- Dialogue tools
- Participation tools
- Materiality tools
Learn more:
Video: https://vimeo.com/128957663
Website: https://nanterre-amandiers.com/evenement/le-theatre-des-negociations/
Photo: Retha Ferguson
EMPATHEATRE [SA]
2013 - present
Neil Coppen, Mpume Mthombeni, Dr Dylan McGarry
WHAT is the practice?
The term ‘Empatheatre’ comes from their intentionally collaborative work in creating new social spaces that function as “amphitheatres for empathy”. It is a theatre-making methodology combining research, community storytelling, and public engagement to address civic issues.
WHY was it initiated?
Empatheatre was initiated to use performance as a tool for fostering empathy, amplifying marginalised voices, and influencing civic and policy discourse. It encourages active citizenship by creating safe spaces for dialogue and co-imagining social change. In their own words, it is “[a] space for reflexive deep listening in society over a public concern, that contributes to participatory justice in decision making, meaning making and solidarity building across societal spheres."
HOW does it work?
Empatheatre projects are developed through long-term community collaboration (between artists, academic researchers and responsive citizens), research, and devising. Productions are staged in both formal and informal venues, followed by facilitated discussions with audiences, community representatives, and policymakers. Cape Town example: Boxes (2019) explored corruption and media freedom ahead of national elections, co-created with investigative journalists and performed for diverse publics.
KEY TOOLS:
- Dialogue tools
- Teaching tools
- Participation tools
Learn more:
Website: https://www.empatheatre.com/
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@empatheatre1646
Photo: Greenpeace / Emiel Hornman
JUST POETRY (NL)
December 2024
Greenpeace and collaborators
WHAT is the practice?
Just poetry was a one day performance at a site near the international court of justice in The Hague, to honour and grief those who have lost their lives due to climate change.
WHY was it initiated?
A Candlelight Vigil that honoured the brave individuals and communities who have dedicated their lives to the fight against climate change and remembered those who have tragically lost their lives in the process. They collectively created the stage for meaningful dialogue about climate justice, and solidarity with community testimonies and realities of what needs to be heard at the ICJ.
HOW does it work?
Just Poetry aims to continue this legacy of artivism and explore the themes of “home and hope”, as we invite poets and cultural workers from communities around the world to share their visions for climate justice.
KEY TOOLS:
- Dialogue tools
- Participation tools
Learn more:
Photo: Anna Macleod
WATER CONVERSATIONS (GH, IN, USA, IE, MN, ES, AU)
2007 - present
Anna Macleod
WHAT is the practice?
A long-term research and exhibition project that examines the politics, traditions and practices surrounding water in a variety of global locations.
WHY was it initiated?
Aims to tease out the commonalities, local problems and interlinked futures of the so-called global north and south in the management and consumption of finite water resources. The project consists of a series of actions, small sculptures, posters, drawings, sound works, public interventions and site specific works. It do not seek to offer solutions to water problems but to engage with questions and questioning and to propose platforms for change.
HOW does it work?
It has been structured as a mobile project that initiates local discussions, interviews, and exchanges on the politics, traditions and practices surrounding water use in a variety of global regions.
KEY TOOLS:
- Dialogue tools
- Teaching tools
- Fieldwork tools
Learn more: