Anthropocene Decolonisation

Where art and science collide.

Did you know that humans have now changed the earth more than all other natural forces combined? 

What the heck is the Anthropocene? How does it affect you and your life? In this series, we answer those questions as we journey across this planet and dig into some of the most urgent issues of our time. 

This is our world as you’ve never thought of it before.

Hosted by Sarain Fox. New episodes are released on Tuesdays. 

This podcast was produced to go along with the exhibition Anthropocene, featuring the works of photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier.

Into the Anthropocene: Our Impact on Earth

Anthropology

What inspired photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier to create an expansive art project exploring the Anthropocene? 

What does “Anthropocene” even mean? Why should we care? Hear these three world-renowned artists as you’ve never heard them before in this special in-depth interview with host Sarain Fox. 

For more information:

The Anthropocene exhibition
www.ago.ca
www.gallery.ca 
The Anthropocene Project: www.theanthropocene.org   

This episode was produced by Nadia Abraham, Shiralee Hudson Hill and Matthew Scott at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information on the podcast and the Anthropocene exhibition, visit our website: www.ago.ca.

Episode 01 - Art in the Anthropocene: Interview with the Artists

Introducing Sarain Fox: Anishinaabe dancer, activist, storyteller. In this conversation with producer Shiralee Hudson Hill, Sarain talks about growing up in Barrie, Ontario, taking PM Justin Trudeau on a tour through Shoal Lake 40, drawing inspiration from the events at Oka, and leaving New York City to join Idle No More protests. (Psst…she also hosts a fantastic documentary series—but you’ll have to tune in to hear more.)

For more information:

Twitter & Instagram: @sarainfox

http://sarainfox.com/

https://www.viceland.com/en_us/host/sarain-carson-fox 

Don’t miss Sarain’s new series Future History on APTN: https://futurehistorytv.ca/ 

This episode was produced by Nadia Abraham, Shiralee Hudson Hill and Matthew Scott at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information on the podcast and the Anthropocene exhibition, visit our website: https://www.ago.ca.

Bonus Episode - Meet our host, Sarain Fox

Dig deeper into the science of the Anthropocene. No PhD required, we promise.

What are the top ten things you need to know now about the science of our changing planet? We talk to Jan Zalasiewicz and Colin Waters, geologists from the Anthropocene Working Group, and Gaia Vince, author of the award-winning book Adventures in the Anthropocene. Warning: You may never look at your pen the same way again.

For more information:
Anthropocene Working Group: http://quaternary.stratigraphy.org/working-groups/anthropocene/ 
Gaia Vince’s book, Adventures in the Anthropocene and her other projects: https://wanderinggaia.com/ 

This episode was produced by Nadia Abraham, Shiralee Hudson Hill and Matthew Scott at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information on the podcast and the Anthropocene exhibition, visit our website: www.ago.ca.

Episode 02 - Into the Science: Top 10 Things You Need to Know

Humans now change the Earth’s systems more than all other natural forces combined…but are we all equally responsible?

In this episode, Sarain talks to scholars Zoe Todd and Heather Davis about decolonizing the Anthropocene. Then we break down the term “environmental racism” with Dr. Ingrid Waldron, sociologist and author of There’s Something in the Water, and discuss the effects of climate change in the Arctic with Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit rights advocate and the author of The Right to be Cold. 

For more information:
Heather Davis and Zoe Todd, On the Importance of a Date, or, Decolonizing the Anthropocene: https://www.acme-journal.org/index.php/acme/article/view/1539

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, The Right to Be Cold-One Woman’s Story of Protecting her Culture, the Arctic, and the Whole Planet: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/417373/the-right-to-be-cold-by-sheila-watt-cloutier/9780143187646

Ingrid R.G. Waldron, There’s Something in the Water-Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/there8217s-something-in-the-water

The ENRICH Project: https://www.enrichproject.org/

This episode was produced by Nadia Abraham, Shiralee Hudson Hill and Matthew Scott at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information on the podcast and the Anthropocene exhibition, visit our website: www.ago.ca

Episode 03 - Whose earth is it anyway? Decolonizing the Anthropocene

Over half of the world’s population lives in a city. How do these environments we’ve created for ourselves contribute to the rapidly changing climate? 
In this episode, we tackle the urban Anthropocene. Sarain speaks with Julia Langer, CEO of the Atmospheric Fund in Toronto, about the role of cities in the fight against climate change, and what “cityzens” can do to help. We also meet Susan Blight, a Toronto-based Anishinaabe artist and activist, who discusses urban indigeneity and reclaiming space in cities through art and language.
 
For more information:
The Atmospheric Fund, Transform T.O. Project: http://taf.ca/projects/transformto/
Ogimaa Mikana Project: http://ogimaamikana.tumblr.com/

This episode was produced by Nadia Abraham, Shiralee Hudson Hill and Matthew Scott at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information on the podcast and the Anthropocene exhibition, visit our website: www.ago.ca

Episode 04 - Into the City: The Urban Anthropocene

The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto is one of North America's leading art collections. Come visit and experience more than 4,000 artworks across 110 galleries. Visit https://ago.ca