Social movements’ transformative climate change communication: extinction rebellion’s artivism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Scientific authorities increasingly caution that industrialised nations need to implement substantial transformations to meet environmental targets. To mobilize people for this transformation and press for policy reforms, socio-environmental movements combine strategies from art and activism. While existing studies conceptualise this phenomenon asartivism, empirical research on the design, function, and reception of social movements’ artivist practices remains scarce . Therefore, this article examines the socio-environmental movement Extinction Rebellion‘s (×R) art-actions. Through visual analysis and focus group research, it analyses five of XR’s recent art-actions in the Netherlands, their design and their reception among the activists and their target group. Drawing on Susanne C. Moser´s ten tasks for transformative climate change communication , we argue that XR’s art-actions use principles of transformative communication to serve movement-external goals, such as awareness-raising and mobilization, as well as movement-internal goals, such as the sharing of emotions and the prevention of activist exhaustion. Our analysis then shows that XR’s art-actions often succeed in reaching movement-internal goals. Regarding movement-external goals, our findings indicate that XR’s art-actions carry potential in mobilizing an ecologically aware audience for environmental action. The realisation of this potential, however, hinges on striking a careful balance between salient-image, specific call for action and positive outcome. Overall, we emphasize the relevance of considering the internal and external dimensions of artivism in social movement research and practice – and we show how reception research can serve this endeavour.