A day of encounters where art engages with ecology. Artists, researchers, institutions, and the public share their visions and collectively devise participatory initiatives to propose new ways of relating to our environment.

Many artists today are directly addressing socio-ecological issues—whether through their themes, aesthetic forms, or the ways they produce and disseminate their work. Whether it’s “artivism” or more reflective forms of creation, whether artistic practices are situated at the heart of the institutions that incorporate them, on the periphery of those institutions, or in direct opposition to them, projects are multiplying—sometimes quietly—to raise awareness and sensitize people. Regardless of the medium, across all cultural sectors, the goal is to make the invisible visible, to raise awareness about climate issues, to make the nine planetary boundaries or our unhealthy relationship with living things tangible, or even to “unblock reified practices” through a critical approach often linked to other political and social issues.

One of the paths artists take to question—and perhaps move beyond—the staggering reality of the ineffectiveness of these warnings, to help resolve our “crises of sensitivity,” or to contribute to “ecological literacy,” is to devise projects, forms, or processes that renew the ways in which artists engage with audiences. From immersive and interactive installations, to the shared presence of audiences and artists on stage, to collaborative writing and co-creation, to delegating care for works that may include organic or living elements, democratic consultations for programming or commissioning works, the involvement of scientists, the co-development of advocacy initiatives—audience participation takes an extremely wide variety of forms and has become, through its promise of democratic revitalization, a mantra for many artists (and funders, both public and private).

But where do we stand today in terms of participation? What initiatives have been tested and/or institutionalized across the various cultural and artistic sectors? What types of populations do they reach (residents, experts and professionals in the fields of the environment, nature, or agriculture, teachers, etc.) and how do they engage them? How can these initiatives be studied? Are they intended to “succeed” (raising awareness, reducing environmental impacts, fostering a culture of sustainability, etc.), and how can this success be measured? How do they alter the relationships between artists, audiences, and cultural institutions? What are the specific challenges of audience participation in the creative process when addressing such far-reaching political issues as climate change, ecological struggles, and the destruction of “living environments”?