New publication: The Work of Art in the Age of Planetary Destruction

The Work of Art in the Age of Planetary Destruction explores art, consequence and the environmental crisis. It has contributions from 32 artists from Algeria, Australia, Germany, Iceland, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, the UK and the USA. Throughout the book, the authors consider their roles in imagining the global future, as artists, photographers, curators and more.

The book was part of the Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH) collaboration led from UCL and funded by Wellcome.

Editor Aarathi Prasad writes "It cannot be clearer that any sensible response to the climate crisis has to bring together a diversity of perspectives. We were scientists working in the sustainability, climate and health space. We started talking to communities, and with artists. We couldn't find experiences, ideas and visions like these collected in one place, so we wanted to share the perspectives we were hearing. The Work of Art in the Age of Planetary Destruction is a global and collaborative offering. It articulates why a different type of seeing is needed. It is an invitation to all of us to be more creative in the steps we now take; to better imagine how we might respond to loss, and work towards restoration."

The book is available to read for free online. A single printed version of the book will be archived in the Wellcome Library, London, in 2024. 

A hybrid launch event will take place in 2024. Details will be confirmed soon.

Full list of authors

Nadia Owusu, Ieva Saudargaite Douaihi, Mariana Heilmann, Ali Hossani, Lucia Pietroiusti, Ian Teh, Lara Tabet, Anthony Obayomi, Maya Ramsay, Himani Gupta, Hawapi, Estudio Nuboso, Asiem Sanyal, Mary Mattingly, Artesumapaz, Eve Mosher, Nnenna Okore, Syowia Kyambi, Marina Debris, Oriole Cullen, Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga, Olfur Eliasson, Aviva Rahmani, David Buckland, James Muriuki, Jenny Kendler, Aleksandar Hemon, Stacy Levy, Ikran Hamdi Mansour, Fibra Colectivo, Florian Mussgnug and Michael Wang.

Editors

Aarathi Prasad and David Osrin (Institute for Global Health, UCL)

For further information, excerpts or to arrange interviews with authors, please contact: David Osrin d.osrin@ucl.ac.uk

Links

• The Work of Art in the Age of Planetary Destruction - online version
• CUSSH webpage
• Wellcome
• Prof David Osrin Profiles
• Dr Aarathi Prasad Profiles