THE SYMPOSIUM: ART AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE

Following the exhibition, related symposiums, and publication at the Malmö Art Museum entitled Sustainable Societies for the Future, this two-part exhibition and program as an extension of the EXPO CHICAGO Curatorial Exchange with Denmark brought together artists, scholars, organizations, and curators committed to perceiving contemporary art as a catalyst for change. The project, which involved artists from the Nordic countries and Chicago context, was presented in alignment with ART 2030—an organization that adopts the lens of the United Nations’ 17 Global Goals to achieve a sustainable world within our next decade. The artworks and concepts approached within both the exhibition and the book engaged with issues surrounding biodiversity, racial equity, housing, health and safety, and environmental justice, among other areas of economic, social, and political interest. 

The Symposium aligned with Sustainable Societies for the Future: The Chicago Edit (October 15–17, 2021), a curated exhibition program throughout the city organized by the Floating Museum with participating artists Christian Falsnaes (DK), Max Guy (US), Minna Henriksson (FI), Hesselholdt & Mejlvang (DK), Ingela Ihrman (SE), Toril Johannessen (NO) & Marjolijn Dijkman (NL), Cheryl Pope (US), Wang & Söderström (SE/DK), Amanda Williams (US), and Michael x. Ryan (US). The program used an LED truck as its platform and moved through the city over a period of three days. For locations and schedule, please visit: https://sustainablesocieties.art/

DAY 1

Friday, October 15, 2021

Day one of THE SYMPOSIUM: ART AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE, featuring the programs KEYNOTE: THE CHICAGO EDIT — FLOATING MUSEUM, CONNECTING ART AND THE UN GLOBAL GOALS, SOCIAL AVALANCHES (NORDIC TALK SESSION), and STRUCTURAL RACISM IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (NORDIC TALK SESSION). View full program list below.

KEYNOTE: THE CHICAGO EDIT — FLOATING MUSEUM

Friday, October 15, 2021 | 11:00AM

Berit Basse, Stephanie Cristello, Floating Museum (Faheem Majeed and Andrew Schachman), and Kirse Junge-Stevnsborg

Join this opening conversation and keynote with curators and collaborators of the Sustainable Societies for the Future: The Chicago Edit (October 15–17, 2021), an exhibition program throughout the city organized by the Floating Museum featuring artists from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Chicago, and Detroit. 

CONNECTING ART AND THE UN GLOBAL GOALS

Friday, October 15, 2021 | 12:00PM

Luise Faurschou

Working with world renowned artists and partners, ART 2030 is a non-profit that facilitates projects connected to the UN Global Goals through public events, installations, multi-platform communication, and educational activities. Join the founder and curator for a conversation on the organization’s recent projects.

SOCIAL AVALANCHES (NORDIC TALK SESSION)

Friday, October 15, 2021 | 1:00PM

Christian Borch and Christian Falsnaes 

Author Christian Borch from the book Sustainable Societies for the Future (Motto, 2021: ed. Cristello, Junge-Stevnsborg) discusses the themes of crowds and solidarity alongside artist Christian Falsnaes, whose newly commissioned work SOLO (2020) debuted at the Malmö Art Museum exhibition.

STRUCTURAL RACISM IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (NORDIC TALK SESSION)

Friday, October 15, 2021 | 2:00PM

Imani Day, Max Guy, and Minna Henriksson

Engaging with two artists from the Sustainable Societies for the Future exhibition following their commissions for the Malmö Art Museum, this talk traces how the contemporary image of cities such as Chicago and Helsinki are impacted by histories of segregation and class struggle. The artists will be joined by Detroit-based architect Imani Day, on how design can function as an intentional act of social justice and advocacy to combat racism and inequities within the built environment. 

DAY 2

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Day two of THE SYMPOSIUM: ART AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE, featuring the programs WORKING WITH AND WITHIN ENVIRONMENTS (NORDIC TALK SESSION), SCREENING: PLEASE REST IN PEACE FOR WE SHALL NOT REPEAT THE ERROR (2021), CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL (NORDIC TALK SESSION) and SCREENING: 72 SEASONS. View full program list below.

WORKING WITH AND WITHIN ENVIRONMENTS (NORDIC TALK SESSION)

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | 11:00AM

Cheryl Pope, Michael x. Ryan, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, and Laura Mott 

Join three of the artists involved in both the Sustainable Societies for the Future exhibition at the Malmö Art Museum and The Chicago Edit for this talk on their relationships to the natural world and the built environment alongside one of the publication contributors. Each of the artists’ works begins in outdoor spaces before being translated into presentations meant for an institutional context. 

SCREENING: PLEASE REST IN PEACE FOR WE SHALL NOT REPEAT THE ERROR (2021)

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | 12:00PM

Hesselholdt & Mejlvang

View the film that resulted from the work Please rest in peace for we shall not repeat the error (2021), a 4.5-hour durational performance and land artwork installation on the moat embankment of the Malmö Art Museum, housed in a former castle. The phrase, spelled in largescale text by placing bricks upon the grass, is borrowed from the memorial monument Flame of Peace in Hiroshima, Japan, constructed in remembrance of the victims of the 1945 nuclear bomb. The Flensburg brick used in the performance has a long tradition and history in the construction of Danish society: from building train stations to ballast for ships that sailed to the West Indies during the colonial era.

Film / Editing: Ene Bissenbakker
Photo: Helene Toresdotter/Malmö Konstmuseum
Drone photo: Stefan Ohlsson

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL (NORDIC TALK SESSION)

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | 1:00PM

Soil Lab and Ellen Braae

In partnership with the Chicago Architecture Biennial, this panel will focus on the recently opened SO—IL Lab project in North Lawndale. Building upon the remaining foundation of a former building that sits amongst six other vacant lots, the site will be discussed in relation to social sustainability. Presented in partnership with the Danish Arts Foundation.

SCREENING: 72 SEASONS

Saturday, October 16, 2021 | 2:00PM

Brendan Fernandes

Catch a first glimpse at the film by Brendan Fernandes that took place within Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden. The movement-based piece, featuring dancers outfitted with custom costumes by Rad Hourani, engages with ballet history and Chicago’s prairie landscape to envision passages of time demarcated by the Japanese calendar. The final performance is scheduled for Saturday, October 23, 2021.

Film / Editing: Dominic del Carmine
Sound: Alex Inglizian