Why at an Art School?

Why Environmental and Social Justice Matters here

A short video from COP26 from GSA’s Sustainability Coordinator John on why environmental and social justice matters at an art school.

In February 2022, John attended a debate hosted by Institut Francais in Edinburgh, you can view the discussion here about the future and role of design

A talk on the state of the World and the emergencies facing it; the psychology around our inaction; and what we can all meaningfully do to address the systems issues.

And why is it so hard to talk about the Climate Emergency, or get people to take action? And why we deny it

Race, gender, history, colonialism, slavery, they’re all interlinked through time, geographically and within cultures. They are in our institutions, our universities, our art schools and our teaching. In our art, our design and architecture.

Why are women largely missing from the top of architecture (with some notable exceptions). GSA’s Missing in Architecture works to promote change.

Art can help us appreciate and think more widely about issues like Climate Change and how it affects our society

Class affects architecture and how we design how we live. The fight for Aylesbury Estate illustrates how design and social systems affect people.

And we need to change it all – provide Climate Justice – which includes social and economic justice as well as environmental issues, more on decolonialising education