Visiting artist researchers as therapists for climate scientists

Abstract

Many climate scientists find themselves confronted with the challenge of purportedly “knowing better” — while this is a valid claim with respect to a small segment of reality, namely their narrow field of expertise, the public expectation often is that they know better about the “world’s problems”, and what to do about it, sometimes even with the rhetoric of “saving” the world. Artists may help in this situation by bringing forth different viewpoints, challenging hidden assumptions and suggesting surprising links; however, more often, the arts seem to be considered as a useful supporter in attempts to save the world. In the present project, however, the artists seem to have taken climate science mostly as a point of departure for their individual curiosity and joy of experimenting.