Kamila Kuc

Hyperobjects & Climate Hostages:
Transforming Climate Crisis Narratives Through Participatory Art Practices

Vision Statement & Theory of Change

the Arts Council England Project Grants Application
September 2024

Project dates: january 2024 - December 2026

table of contents

Project Description
About the Film
Creative Team
Key Research Questions
Ethical & Theoretical Framework
Target Participants & Audiences
Key Activities
Final Outputs
Impact
Institutional Partners
Individual Collaborators
Audience Development Plan
Evaluation

project description

Along with the scientific and political dimensions of the climate crisis lies a psychological impact that is described by the Portland-based climate crisis therapist and author, Thomas Doherty, as a ‘climate hostage’ situation, whereby people feel anxiously powerless in the face of a global system that heads towards disaster. Defined by Timothy Morton as a ‘hyperobject’ – climate crisis is often considered too massive and overwhelming to grasp and thus, too challenging to deal with by individuals and communities.

Hyperobjects & Climate Hostages: Transforming Climate Crisis Narratives Through Participatory Art Practice sees climate crisis not only as an environmental issue, but also, as a crisis of representation and the major contributor to the decrease in mental health among many communities. Fused with the spirit of grassroots activism and radical art practices, this project brings together creative arts (Film, Poetry, Dance, Performance & Photography Workshops), as well as psycho-social (Social Dreaming Matrices) and counseling practices (Ecological Identity Workshops) to deliver new creative and more experiential ways of storytelling that foster empathy and understanding of complex emotions and experiences concerning the climate crisis.

Set in four distinct locations – London, Coventry, Seattle and Detroit – and involving diverse local communities, this project’s outputs foreground often underrepresented and marginalised voices and perspectives on the climate crisis. By fostering long-lasting cross-cultural collaborations and creative allyships, Hyperobjects & Climate Hostages strives to shift the prevailing discourse on climate crisis away from disaster stories and white saviourism towards inclusive and empowering interventions that reflect the experiences and needs of multicultural communities. These experiences often point to the complex social justice issues related to the climate crisis. This project proposes that addressing these issues accurately through creative practices requires a collaborative and inclusive multicultural approach. This approach in turn requires the co-creation of new ethical frameworks that would allow diverse, new audio-visual languages to emerge, and thus, to achieve more authentic, affective and accessible representations of the climate crisis. By creating opportunities for such new representations to emerge, this project is in line with the much needed practices of decolonization that help shift the harmful narratives about climate justice on a global level.

the film

The World We Leave Behind
Structured around a multigenerational chorus that speaks directly to today’s children, The World We Leave Behind explores the psychological toll of living through climate crisis. Diverse voices from around the world offer a raw reckoning, as well as inspiring stories of resilience, courage, and possibility, honouring the children’s right to a sustainable, livable future. Through the transformative practice of social dreaming, The World We Leave Behind reveals how global communities are confronting the vast, looming presence of climate change. The World We Leave Behind is an act of restorative justice and a generational promise: to dream, heal, and act together, turning despair into strength and envisioning a future we all share. Co-produced by On the Border Films (Los Angeles) and Dark Spring Studio (London).

creative team

concept development

project consultants

creative Project & FILM production team

project leads

key research questions

• How do diverse global communities respond to events that shatter our pre-existing ways of apprehending the world, such as the climate crisis?

• If social dreaming, as an embodied method for articulating emotions, can help access the difficult-to-grasp hyperobject of climate crisis, what does this hyperobject look like and how can it be turned into compelling narratives that are accessible to wider audiences?

• What new ethical frameworks and audio-visual languages can be created to facilitate collaborative sharing of emotions and experiences concerning the climate crisis?

• What can mental health practices offer to participatory film practices, and vice versa?

ethical & theoretical framework

Research & Development Phase
To achieve its goals, this project begins with a Research & Development phase. During this phase the Creative Director, Creative Producer and international Project Leads and Consultants will attend Zoom-based specialist consultations and training sessions in order to design the project’s multiple activities. To ensure that the needs of each community are met, Project Leads, counsellors, social dreaming hosts and workshop leads will be sourced on location. This will also help us ensure that knowledge is equally spread and shared across each community (for example, social dreaming hosts will be trained via Zoom by the world-known social dreaming expert – Dr. Julian Manley). This R&D phase is crucial to the success of the project as it creates space to properly consider and reflect on the ethical implications of power dynamics in the context of climate crisis discourse, which often remains unaddressed when working with marginalised communities.

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (Manivong Ratts)
Building on her internationally-regarded and award-winning filmmaking practice, as well as her recent training as a Multicultural and Social Justice counsellor at Seattle University, Kuc’s (Artistic Lead) expertise and experience will help her oversee the design of all activities in this project. To that end, during the design phase, we will draw upon Manivong Ratt’s Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies framework (developed at Seattle University). This framework highlights the intersections of identities and the dynamics of power, privilege, and oppression that influence any relationship where there is power imbalance. Using these competencies will help us ensure that power imbalances are actively addressed during all stages of the project. This will help us ensure that targeted communities’ voices inform the design phase of the project.

Situated Knowledges (Donna Haraway)
In line with the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies is Donna Haraway’s concept of situated knowledge, which will be particularly useful during the creative arts workshops. Haraway’s concept acutely emphasises that deeper understanding is rooted in specific contexts and perspectives, particularly those of marginalised groups. Haraway posits: ‘Vision is always a question of the power to see – and perhaps of the violence implicit in our visualising practices’ (Haraway, 1988, p.585). Situated knowledge thus demands a practice of positioning that is about carefully attending to power relations at play in the processes of knowledge production. Key to situated knowledge is the idea of thinking (and making) with. This framework will thus allow us to embrace more localised, community-driven approaches to creating project activities, thus ensuring that the methods of engagement are sensitive to the cultural and social contexts of each location.

To that end, all creative activities will be guided by the following questions:
- How to see?
- Where to see from?
- What to see?
- Whom to see with?
- Who gets to have more than one point of view?
- Who gets blinded?
- Who wears blinders?
- Who interprets the visual field? 
- What limits are there to access vision?
- What other sensory powers do we wish to cultivate besides vision?
- How can the process of making films facilitate ethical creation of embodied forms of expression by marginalised groups? 
- What practices of care need to be put in place during the filming?

-What methods of participation, collaboration and co-creation need to be employed so that safe recording and transmission of narratives about the climate crisis can occur?
- How to creatively address the surfacing of privileged mechanisms during the filming?  
- What forms of allyship can be facilitated from the margins of representation?

target participants & AUDIENCES

• London:  Elderly and neurodiverse populations

• Coventry: African and South Asian communities

• Seattle: Indigenous and Mexican communities

• Detroit: African American, Indigenous, Yemeni and Eastern European communities

• individuals and communities who identify as having suffered from climate crisis anxiety

• therapists and counsellors, particularly those working with trauma and conflict resolution

• therapists and counsellors working with dreams

• diverse international social dreaming community

• climate crisis organisations and activists  

• climate crisis policy makers

• individuals interested in enhancing their creative skills (writing, visual media)

• academics interested in climate crisis discourse

• youth interested in media and climate crisis discourse

• international film curators

• students of creative arts and environmental studies

• everyone with an interest in climate crisis discourse.

Key activities

Mental Health and Wellbeing Interventions

Creative Activities

Educational Activities

final Outputs

• Collaboratively made feature film composed of excerpts from all participants’ short films made during the workshops and assembled by Kuc (submitted to international film festivals);

• Moving image installation (submitted to international film festivals and galleries);

• Curated programme of films featuring diverse critical perspectives on climate crisis – this curated programme will be chosen via an Open Call (advertised on our website) by the project participants and Project Leads;

• Panel Discussions (accompanying conferences and film festivals and screenings);

• Book chapter in Thomas Doherty’s forthcoming book, The Sustainable Self: A Guide to Coping, Identity, and Action in a Climate Changed World (2025);

• Collectively authored article for Ecopsychology journal about intersections between climate crisis discourse, social dreaming, counselling and art – a creative, collaborative and reflexive paper on the project (delivered in the second part of 2025);

• Podcast with project participants and creators for Doherty’s well-established Climate Change and Happiness Podcast;

• Fully accessible project website.

multifaceted impact

Social and Cultural Impact

Educational Impact

Emotional and Psychological Impact

Community and Global Impact

Artistic and Creative Impact

institutional partners

LONDON

COVENTRY

SEATTLE

DETROIT

individual collaborators

audience development plan

Overview
This Audience development Plan is deeply informed by the unique social, cultural, environmental, and economic contexts of the communities it involves. This data has been used to shape every aspect of the project, from the design of workshops and activities to the selection of facilitators and the development of outputs. By grounding the project in the specific realities of the target communities, the project aims to create meaningful, impactful, and lasting change, empowering participants to take control of their narratives and contribute to the global discourse on climate justice.

London-based Creative Lead (Kuc) lived in the Midlands for 4 years, where she taught Media Production programme at Coventry University. She has also travelled extensively to Seattle and Detroit to attend her Multicultural and Social Justice Mental Health Counseling Master’s programme at Seattle University. Four years into planning, this project builds on her experience as an artist and counselor.

Target Audience
The primary target audiences and beneficiaries of this project are:

• Geographically-Based Communities:

• Elderly and neurodiverse populations (London)

• African and South Asian communities (Coventry)

• African American, Yemeni and Eastern European communities (Detroit)

• Indigenous and Mexican communities (Seattle)

• Thematic and Professional Communities:

• Individuals and communities affected by climate crisis anxiety

• Therapists and counsellors, especially those working with trauma and conflict resolution

• Social Dreaming practitioners

• Climate crisis organizations and activists

• Climate crisis policy makers

• Academics interested in climate crisis discourse

• Creative and Artistic Communities:

• Individuals interested in media and climate crisis discourse

• Individuals interested in enhancing their creative skills (writing, visual media)

• International film curators

• Students of creative arts and environmental studies

Information & Data on the Places and Communities Involved
Community Demographics and Cultural Contexts

• London (Elderly and Neurodiverse Populations):

• Data: London is home to a large and diverse population, including significant numbers of elderly and neurodiverse individuals. These communities often face challenges related to social isolation, access to services, and underrepresentation in public discourse.

• Application: The project’s activities in London, such as the dance workshops, are designed to be inclusive and accessible, providing opportunities for elderly and neurodiverse participants to engage in creative expression. The workshops are structured to accommodate different physical and cognitive abilities, ensuring that all participants can contribute meaningfully.
  

• Coventry (African and South Asian Communities):

• Data: Coventry is a multicultural city with significant African and South Asian communities. These groups have rich cultural traditions but often face economic challenges and marginalisation.

• Application: The photography workshops in Coventry have been tailored to reflect the cultural heritage of these communities, encouraging participants to document their experiences and perspectives on the climate crisis through a medium that resonates with their cultural practices. The workshops are also designed to be low-cost and accessible, using disposable cameras to ensure that economic barriers do not prevent participation.
  

• Seattle (Indigenous and Mexican Communities):

• Data: Seattle has a notable presence of Indigenous and Mexican communities, both of which have deep connections to the land and face environmental justice issues related to the climate crisis.

• Application: The poetry workshops in Seattle, led by Indigenous poet Sasha LaPointe, draw on Indigenous storytelling traditions to explore the impacts of the climate crisis on these communities. The workshops are designed to honour and incorporate traditional knowledge and practices, creating a space where participants can express their experiences in culturally meaningful ways.
  

• Detroit (African American, Indigenous, Yemeni, and Eastern European Communities):

• Data: Detroit is characterised by a diverse population with significant African American, Indigenous, Yemeni, and Eastern European communities. The city has a history of economic hardship and environmental challenges, which disproportionately affect these marginalised groups.

• Application: The project’s activities in Detroit, such as the poetry and performance workshops, focus on providing a platform for these communities to share their stories and address the environmental and social injustices they face. The project has been shaped to reflect the resilience and activism of Detroit’s communities, using art as a tool for empowerment and advocacy.

Environmental and Social Issues

• Climate Crisis Impact:

• Data: Each of the target locations faces distinct environmental challenges related to the climate crisis. For example, Seattle and Detroit are both dealing with issues related to water access and pollution, while London and Coventry face urban heat islands and air quality concerns. These issues are compounded by social inequities that affect marginalised communities more severely. 

• Application: The project addresses these local environmental and economical challenges by focusing on how the climate crisis impacts specific communities differently. For instance, the Social Dreaming Matrices in each location are designed to explore collective anxieties related to these environmental issues, allowing participants to process their emotions and develop narratives that speak to their unique experiences.

Socioeconomic Factors

• Economic Disparities:

• Data: The target communities often experience economic disparities that limit access to resources, education, and opportunities for creative expression. These economic challenges can also exacerbate the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, leading to increased anxiety and trauma. Both Coventry and Detroit are former motor cities that still deal with the aftermath of the crisis that led to the closure of motor industries between the 1950s and 1980s. London and Seattle are homes to international tech companies and high paying jobs, which results in gentrification and economic marginalisation of those who do not have high paid jobs.

• Application: The project has been designed to be economically accessible, with all workshops and events offered free of charge. Additionally, the project includes stipends and other forms of support to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent participation. The focus on mental health interventions, such as the Ecological Identity Map Workshops, is also a direct response to the economic stressors faced by these communities.

Cultural and Historical Backgrounds

• Cultural Heritage and Traditions:

• Data: Each community has its own rich cultural heritage and traditions, which play a crucial role in shaping their responses to environmental and social challenges. For example, Indigenous communities in Seattle have a long history of environmental stewardship and activism, while African American communities in Detroit have a strong legacy of civil rights advocacy.

• Application: The project incorporates these cultural traditions into its activities, ensuring that they are not only preserved but also celebrated and integrated into the creative outputs. This approach helps to create a sense of ownership and pride among participants, while also ensuring that the project’s narratives are authentic and grounded in the lived experiences of the communities.

Community Feedback and Participation

• Community Insights:

• Data: Extensive consultations with community leaders, local organisations, and potential participants provided valuable insights into the specific needs, challenges, and aspirations of the target communities. This feedback has been crucial in shaping the project’s design and ensuring that it is relevant and responsive.

• Application: The project has been continuously refined based on this feedback, with adjustments made to the content, format, and delivery of activities to better align with community expectations. For example, the use of storytelling frameworks like situated knowledge and multicultural competencies was directly informed by community input, ensuring that the project’s approach to narrative creation is both ethical and inclusive.

Audience Development Objectives and Strategy
1. Increase Participation Among Marginalised Groups: to ensure the active participation of marginalised communities in all project activities, including workshops, filmmaking, and discussions through engaging local Project Leads (Kuc, Breadmore, San and Colvin), all of whom have connections to target communities and organisations, so that we all collaborate on to co-creating the activities and co-facilitating outreach and recruitment. We also aim to provide accessible and culturally sensitive entry points to the project, including translation services and flexible participation options (participants will be recruited during Introductory & Call for Participants sessions in each location.

2. Deepen Engagement with Professional and Academic Communities: to engage professionals and academics in mental health, environmental studies, and the arts to participate in and contribute to the project’s research and outputs (film, installation, journal article, book chapter, podcast). We plan to achieve this through hosting specialised screenings and panel discussions and collaborating with grassroots arts (Sidewalk, BULK, Ludic Rooms) and academic institutions (Seattle UNiversity, London College of Communication) to integrate project activities into curricula and research agendas.

3. Cultivate Youth and Emerging Artists: to encourage young people and emerging artists to explore the intersection of art and climate crisis activism through participation in the project’s workshops and film production. We plan to achieve this through offering accessible participation in all creative workshops: filmmaking, poetry, dance, as well as Climate Crisis workshops and Social Dreaming Matrices (collaboration between our Social Media Coordinator and Digital Concentr Creator - Maria Raluca and four Project Leads).

Audience Engagement Strategies
Community Partnerships and Local Engagement

• Collaboration with Local Leaders and Organisations:

• Partnering with local community leaders and organisations in London (Traumascapes), Coventry (Ludic Rooms), Seattle (Cadence Video Poetry Festival), and Detroit (Sidewalk) is crucial. These partnerships will help tailor the project’s activities to meet the specific cultural, social, and logistical needs of each community, ensuring that they feel ownership over the project.

• By involving local community leaders  (Kuc, Breadmore, San and Colvin) in the co-creation and facilitation of workshops, events, and outreach activities, the project will resonate with and meet the needs of the target communities.

Accessibility and Cultural Sensitivity

• Language and Cultural Sensitivity:

• All project materials, including invitations, workshop content, and creative outputs, should be available in multiple languages relevant to the target communities (e.g., Spanish for Mexican communities in Seattle, mainly Arabic and Yemeni communities in Detroit). This ensures that language barriers do not prevent participation.

• Culturally relevant content should be created and delivered with a deep understanding of each community's unique cultural practices, values, and norms. This involves respecting and incorporating local traditions and practices into the project activities (collaboration between our Social Media Coordinator and Digital Content Creator - Maria Raluca and four Project Leads).

• Physical and Digital Accessibility:

• Ensure that all events and workshops are held in accessible venues that accommodate individuals with disabilities. This includes providing sign language interpretation, wheelchair accessibility, and sensory-friendly environments (collaboration with artist, activist and our Neurodiversity Adviser Jané McKenzie).

• For digital events, provide captioning, audio descriptions, and other accessibility features to ensure that all participants can fully engage with the content.

Retention and Sustained Engagement

• Creating Inclusive Spaces:

• Establish safe spaces where participants can connect, share experiences, and collaborate throughout the project’s duration. These spaces should be designed to be inclusive, welcoming, and supportive, allowing participants to build a sense of community (assigned Project Leads).

• Regularly gather feedback from participants to ensure that they feel included and that their needs are being met. This feedback should be used to make real-time adjustments to the project’s activities, further enhancing inclusivity (Project Leads as well as our regular Reflection Sessions with Diana Taylor-Karrer).

• Recognition and Incentives:

• Recognize participants’ contributions through public acknowledgments and opportunities to showcase their work in the project’s outputs. This will be achieved through our website, publications, film screenings (we plan to submit to numerous festivals (Ji.hlava International Documentary Festival, DOK Leipzig, DOC NYC, London Film Festival) and panel discussions in all four locations (speakers include Robin Wall Kimmerer, Jeremy Williams, Anika Goss, Tori Tsui, Leah Thomas). This not only validates the participants’ involvement but also encourages sustained engagement and a sense of pride in their contributions.

• Providing small travel stipends for participants, especially those from marginalised communities, can help reduce barriers to participation and make them feel valued.

Communication and Outreach

• Targeted Outreach Campaigns:

• We will employ targeted digital outreach strategies to reach diverse audiences through platforms like social media, community forums, and email newsletters. Content will include engaging behind-the-scenes videos, participant testimonials, and regular updates that reflect the diversity and inclusivity of the project. This will be achieved through a careful collaboration between our Social Media Coordinator and Digital Content Creator - Maria Raluca and four Project Leads)

• In-person outreach will include community events, pop-up exhibitions, and information sessions in local spaces that are familiar and comfortable for the target communities. These events provide opportunities for direct engagement and relationship building (Project Leads and where necessary Consultants and Venue Partners will be engaged in this activity). Specially designed flyers will be distributed in venues to attract participants and the general public to open events.

• Consistent and Inclusive Messaging:

• Develop a consistent brand voice that reflects the project’s values of inclusivity, empowerment, and ethical storytelling. This messaging should resonate with diverse audiences and emphasise the project’s commitment to amplifying marginalised voices and fostering cross-cultural collaboration.

• Ensure that all communications highlight the transformative potential of the project for both participants and the broader community, making it clear that everyone’s contribution is valuable and essential to the project’s success.

Long-Term Relationships and Sustainability

• Community Anchoring and Legacy:

• Develop long-term partnerships with community organisations that can continue to engage participants after the project ends. Providing resources and support for community-led initiatives that build on the project’s outcomes will help sustain its impact. Kuc has already worked with Traumascapes, Cadence Video Poetry and Engauge Film Festival and Seattle University in the past and the new partners (Sidewalk, BULK, Ludic Rooms) are an important and well-suited addition to the project.

• Creating a living archive of the project’s outputs, including films, workshops, and participant stories, ensures that the voices and experiences of the communities involved are preserved and accessible for future generations (project website created by Kuc and maintained by Raluca).

Retention and Sustained Engagement
- Feedback Loops: Regularly gather feedback from participants through surveys, focus groups, and informal check-ins. Use this feedback to adapt and improve the project’s activities in real-time. Our team of Project Leads will engage in regular Reflection sessions with Diana Taylor-Karrer, which is how the final Evaluation, Monitoring and Impact Report will be created.
- Community-Building Initiatives: Create spaces (both online and in-person) where participants can connect, share experiences, and collaborate. This could include online forums, group discussions, and social events.
- Incentives and Recognition: Recognize and celebrate participants’ contributions through public acknowledgments, and opportunities to showcase their work in project outputs. 

Barriers to Access and How These Will Be Addressed
Several potential barriers might prevent people from experiencing or accessing the Hyperobjects & Climate Hostages project. Below are the key challenges identified, along with strategies to address them:

Language Barriers
Challenge: Language differences can prevent non-English speaking communities from fully understanding and participating in the project. Our solution:

• Multilingual Materials: Provide all project materials, including invitations, workshop content, and film outputs, in multiple languages relevant to the target communities (e.g., Spanish for Mexican communities, Arabic for Yemeni communities).

• Interpretation Services: Offer live interpretation during events, workshops, and discussions to ensure that participants can engage in real-time, regardless of language proficiency. For example, Seattle University offers that service as part of their events programmes. Same for Traumascapes in London.

• Community Liaisons: Collaborate with bilingual community leaders or liaisons who can help bridge language gaps and facilitate communication between the project team and participants.

Cultural Sensitivity and Relevance
Challenge: Cultural differences might make certain activities or content less relevant or appealing to diverse communities, leading to disengagement. Our solution:

• Culturally Tailored Content: Ensure that the project content is culturally relevant by involving local community leaders (Project Leads) in the design and delivery of activities. This might include integrating local traditions, values, and practices into the project. This is a crucial aspect of the project and here the R&D phase held between January and end of February 2025 is of prime importance.

• Respect for Cultural Norms: Be mindful of cultural norms and practices when organising events, selecting locations, and designing content. This includes considering appropriate gender dynamics, religious practices, and social customs.

• Community Co-Creation: Involve community members in the co-creation of content to ensure that it resonates with their cultural contexts and addresses their specific needs and concerns.

Physical Accessibility
Challenge: Physical disabilities or limited mobility might prevent some individuals from attending in-person events or workshops. Our solution:

• Accessible Venues: Ensure that all in-person events and workshops are held in fully accessible venues. This includes wheelchair accessibility, adequate seating, and facilities for people with disabilities. This will be carefully assessed in collaboration with our Neurodiversity Advisor Jané MacKenzie.

• Transportation Assistance: Provide information on accessible transportation options and consider offering transportation support for participants who may have difficulty travelling to event locations.

Digital Accessibility
Challenge: Limited access to technology or the internet might hinder participation in online events and activities. Our solution:

• User-Friendly Platforms: Use digital platforms that are easy to navigate and accessible to people with varying levels of digital literacy. Provide training or guidance on how to use these platforms if necessary. Our Social Media Coordinator and Digital Content Creator - Maria Raluca has a lot of experience in designing viewer-friendly interfaces. Kuc also has experience with that through her work at Hart Club in the past.

• Asynchronous Options: Offer asynchronous participation options, such as recorded workshops and discussions, for those who cannot attend live events due to connectivity issues or time zone differences. Hybrid events, particularly those held at academic institutions (Wayne State, London College of Communications, Seattle University) will be offered. 

Economic Barriers
Challenge: Financial constraints might prevent individuals from participating, especially if there are costs associated with transportation, materials, or time away from work. Our solution:

• Free Participation: Ensure that all project activities are free of charge to participants. Provide necessary materials, such as cameras for photography workshops, at no cost.

• Stipends and Compensation: Offer stipends or compensation for participants, particularly those from low-income communities, to cover any costs associated with participation, including transportation and childcare.

• Transportation budget where necessary. This will be particularly useful when inviting participants who are located more rural and do not have access to funds but can provide a unique perspective on the topic. Such is often the case with Indigenous communities in Washington State and may also need addressing for the Yemeni communities in Detroit.

Time Constraints and Competing Priorities
Challenge: Participants may have limited time due to work, caregiving responsibilities, or other commitments, making it difficult to engage fully with the project. Our solution:

• Flexible Scheduling: Offer workshops and events at various times, including evenings and weekends, to accommodate different schedules. Provide options for both short-term and long-term involvement to suit varying levels of availability. We are aware that the participants will need to commit to a few days of workshops and various attendance options will be provided.

• Online and Asynchronous Participation: Allow participants to engage with the project online at their own pace, using asynchronous options for those who cannot attend live sessions. This will be possible with some of the Climate Crisis Workshop and Social Dreaming Matrices. Filmmaking, dance, sound and poetry workshops will require in-person attendance, 

• Support for Caregivers: Provide childcare during in-person events or offer online participation options that can be accessed from home. We will be assessing these needs on a community to community basis with Project Leads.

Psychological and Emotional Barriers
Challenge: The subject matter of the climate crisis can be overwhelming and may trigger anxiety or trauma, making it difficult for some individuals to engage with the project. Our solution:

• Trauma-Informed Approach: Design all activities with a trauma-informed approach, ensuring that participants feel safe and supported. This includes offering mental health support during and after workshops. This will be designed during the R&D phase and is something that organisations such as Traumascapes have offered in the past so we can learn from them about best practices in this area.

• Safe Spaces: Create safe spaces where participants can express their emotions and experiences without judgment. This could include facilitated group discussions or one-on-one sessions with counselors.

• Gradual Engagement: Allow participants to engage at their own pace, starting with less intense activities before moving on to more challenging content.

Lack of Awareness or Interest
Challenge: Potential participants may not be aware of the project or may not see its relevance to their lives. Our solution:

• Targeted Outreach: Use targeted outreach strategies, including social media campaigns, community events, and partnerships with local organisations, to raise awareness and generate interest in the project. CLimate crisis raises a lot of social justice-related issues so we are confident many diverse target audiences will participate. Once again, the R&D phase, as well as our carefully recruited Project Leads will play a key part in this process.

• Compelling Messaging: Develop compelling messaging that clearly communicates the relevance of the project to the target communities. Highlight the benefits of participation, such as skill development, creative expression, and the opportunity to contribute to important global conversations.

Involvement of Those We Want to Reach
Involving the target communities in the design and planning of the Hyperobjects & Climate Hostages project is a cornerstone of its approach, ensuring that the project is relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the needs and perspectives of those it aims to serve. Here's how the involvement of these communities has been integrated into the project's design and planning:

Collaborative Co-Creation Process

• Community-Led Workshops and Activities:

• The project has been designed with a strong emphasis on co-creation, meaning that workshops, activities, and events are developed in close collaboration with local community leaders, artists, and grassroots organizations in each of the four primary locations: London, Coventry, Seattle, and Detroit. This ensures that the activities are culturally relevant, resonate with the community, and address their specific needs and interests (R&D phase).

• Local artists, such as Indigenous poet Sasha LaPointe in Seattle and dance professionals in London (Tamzin Jade, Jon Caruana), are directly involved in shaping the content and format of the creative workshops, ensuring that these activities are grounded in the cultural practices and artistic traditions of each community.

Research & Development Phase

• Community-Centred Consultations:

• During the Research & Development (R&D) phase, the project team engaged in consultations with community leaders, counsellors, social dreaming hosts, and workshop leads from the target communities. These consultations were vital in identifying the needs, challenges, and aspirations of the communities, which directly informed the design of the project’s activities.

• The R&D phase also included presentations and training sessions for project leads and facilitators, where they learned about the cultural contexts and specific issues facing each community. This training was informed by the input of community representatives, ensuring that the project team is well-prepared to work effectively and respectfully within these contexts.

Use of Situated Knowledge and Multicultural Competencies

• Frameworks for Ethical Engagement:

• The project draws on Donna Haraway’s concept of situated knowledge, which emphasises that understanding is rooted in specific contexts and perspectives, particularly those of marginalised groups. This framework was integral to the planning process, ensuring that the project’s activities are designed to be context-specific and culturally sensitive.

• Additionally, the project incorporates the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies framework, developed by Manivong Ratts, to address power imbalances and ensure that the voices of marginalised communities are central to the project’s design. This approach was used to guide the planning of activities, ensuring that they empower participants and foster equitable collaboration.

Direct Feedback Loops

• Ongoing Community Feedback:

• Throughout the design and planning stages, regular feedback loops are established with the target communities. This included surveys, focus groups, and informal discussions where community members could share their thoughts on the proposed activities and suggest adjustments. This also includes Creative Lead (Kuc), Creative Producer (Karrer) and Creative Film Producers (Hervey & Sedgwick) engaging in regular meetings with Consultants (Manley, Doherty) and Project Leads (Kuc, Colvin, Breadmore, San).

• This feedback was crucial in refining the project’s activities to better meet the needs of the communities. For example, adjustments were made to the scheduling of workshops to accommodate community members’ availability, and content was adapted to better align with the cultural practices of the participants.

Inclusion of Diverse Voices in Decision-Making

• Advisory Roles and Leadership:

• Community members have been included in advisory roles (Project Leads), providing input and guidance on key decisions throughout the planning process. This ensures that the project’s direction remains aligned with the needs and priorities of the communities it seeks to serve.

• By involving community leaders and representatives in the decision-making process, the project ensures that it remains accountable to the communities and that their perspectives are reflected in every aspect of the project.

Localised Implementation Teams

• On-the-Ground Leadership:

• The project’s implementation teams in each location include local leaders and facilitators who have a deep understanding of the community. These teams are responsible for tailoring the project’s activities to the specific contexts and needs of their communities, ensuring that the project is both relevant and impactful.

• These local teams are also empowered to make decisions and adjustments as needed, based on ongoing feedback from participants, ensuring that the project remains responsive and adaptable.

Ethical and Reflexive Practices

• Reflexive Evaluation:

• A key component of the project’s planning involves reflexive evaluation, where participants, facilitators, and community members regularly discuss the progress of the project, the power dynamics at play, and the effectiveness of the activities. This reflexive practice allows for continuous improvement and ensures that the project remains aligned with the communities' needs and values.

• Ethical storytelling workshops, informed by the input of community members, ensure that the narratives created through the project are respectful, accurate, and empowering. This approach helps prevent the imposition of external narratives and instead centres the voices and experiences of the communities themselves.

Evaluation and Impact Measurement
- Quantitative Metrics: Track the number of participants, audience size for events and screenings, and engagement levels on digital platforms. Monitor demographic data to ensure diversity and inclusion goals are met.
- Qualitative Metrics: Gather detailed feedback on participants’ experiences, the emotional and psychological impact of the project, and changes in understanding or behaviour related to the climate crisis.
- Longitudinal Engagement Tracking: Follow up with participants post-project to assess the long-term impact of the project on their lives and work, including any new initiatives or collaborations that have emerged.

Communication and Marketing Plan
Branding and Messaging
* Consistent Messaging: Develop a consistent brand voice that reflects the project’s values of inclusivity, empowerment, and ethical storytelling. Ensure all communications emphasise the transformative potential of the project for both participants and audiences
* Visual Identity: Create a strong visual identity that resonates with diverse audiences. This includes a logo, colour scheme, and design elements that are used across all platforms and materials.

Digital Marketing & Media Relations
- Website and Instagram: Maintain a project website and Instagram account that serves as a central hub for information, updates, and participant resources. Regularly update these platforms with stories from the field, participant profiles, and project milestones.
- Social Media Campaigns: Launch targeted social media campaigns on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Use hashtags, challenges, and interactive content to drive engagement and spread awareness.
- Email Newsletters: Develop a regular newsletter to keep participants and stakeholders informed about upcoming events, project updates, and opportunities for involvement.
- Press Releases: Issue press releases at key milestones, such as the launch of the project, major events, and the release of the final film. Target both mainstream and niche media outlets, including those focused on arts, environmental issues, and social justice
- Media Partnerships: Partner with media organisations that share the project’s values to amplify its reach. This could include collaborations with environmental documentaries, podcasts, and online publications.

Presence at Film Festivals, Gallery Exhibitions & Panel Discussions
Film Screenings and Panel Discussions: Organise screenings of the final film and associated shorts at international film festivals, community events, and academic conferences. Pair screenings with panel discussions to engage audiences in meaningful dialogue.
List of Selected Film Festivals
2026
Sheffield DocFest, Sheffield, UK (12-17 June 2026)
FID Marseille, Marseille, France (25-30 June 2026)
MIMESIS Documentary Festival, Boulder, CO, USA (14-18 August 2026)
London Film Festival (9-20 October 2026)
Green Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, USA (17-27 October 2026)
Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival, Toronto, ON, Canada (15-20 October 2026)
Ji.hlava International Documentary Festival, Jihlava, Czech Republic (25 October - 3 November 2026)
DOK Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (28 October - 3 November 2026)
Engauge Experimental Film Festival, Seattle, WA, USA  (28 October - 3 November 2026)
International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (14-24 November 2026)
Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival, Tampa, FL, USA (20-23 November 2026)
ANALOGICA, International Touring Programme of Analogue Film (14-17 November 2026)
All Living Things Environmental Film Festival, Panchagni, India (22 November - 8 December 2026)
Inheritance - The Environmental Festival, Belfast, Ireland (22-31 December 2026)
DOC NYC, New York City, NY, USA (13 November - 1 December 2026)
Florida Environmental Film Festival, Sarasota, FL, USA (8-17 November 2026)

List of Targeted Galleries (Film Installation)
Gossamer Fog; The Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts; The BOMB Factory Art Foundation; London; Hundred Years Gallery, Gasworks (London); Herbert Art Gallery & Museum; Mead Gallery Warwick Arts Centre (Coventry); Henry Art Gallery; Vermillion Gallery; Northwest Film Forum; Vachon Gallery, Seattle University (Seattle); 555 Gallery; Library Street Collective; detroit contemporary; Detroit Industrial Gallery (Detroit); Studio Gallery; Leto Gallery; LOKAL_30 (Warsaw).

Panel Discussions Locations
LONDON (12 October 2026)
Venue: Kairos
Speakers: Zoë Blackler (London, UK); Andrew Bryant (Seattle, USA); Robin Wall Kimmerer (New York, USA), Jeremy Williams (Luton, UK), Juliet Scott (London, UK).

COVENTRY (14 October 2026)
Venue: Ludic Rooms
Speakers: Tori Tsui (Bristol, UK); Leah Thomas (California, USA); Thomas Doherty (Seattle, USA); Dr. Charles Ogunbode (University of Nottingham, UK);  Professor Rob Nixon (Princeton, USA)

SEATTLE (28 October 2026)
Venue: The Northwest Film Forum, Film Screening in Conjunction with Engauge Experimental Film Festival (Seattle). Followed by a Panel Discussion
Venue: Centre for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Seattle University
Speakers: Thomas Doherty (Portland, USA); Yolanda Cieters (Seattle; USA); Dr. John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta (De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines); Dr. Charles Ogunbode (University of Nottingham, UK); Nancy Kessler (Seattle, USA) and others

DETROIT
Venue: BULK Space
Speakers: Rebecca Weston (New York City, USA); Marianna Milhorat (Montréal, Canada); Anika Goss (Detroit, USA) and others

List of potential speakers for Panel Discussions & Talks includes, but is not limited to:
Dr. John Jamir Benzon R. Aruta (Manila, Philippines). Based at De La Salle University, Dr. Aruta’s research work centers around the intersection of psychology and sustainability in the Global South. In his research, he explores how psychology principles can be applied to promote sustainability practices in the Global South. He also investigates the impact of climate change on the mental health of people in the Global South, focusing on neglected and vulnerable populations.
Zoë Blackler (London, UK). Blackler is the Director of Kairos -  a new events space and alternative members club to explore the social consequences of the climate and nature crises. Blackler is also an investigative journalist and researcher, having worked on investigations for media outlets and non-profit campaign groups including The Guardian, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Which?, Privacy International and Reprieve. Her investigative reporting and journalistic campaigns have brought about real world change, including a revision of central government planning policy, a formal investigation by the ICO into the illegal trade in personal data, and the unseating of a corrupt US district attorney. I’ve been shortlisted twice for Editorial Campaign of the Year by the Periodical Publishers Association. She trains journalists in online investigative tools for the Centre for Investigative Journalism.
Andrew Bryant (Seattle, USA). Bryant is a clinical social worker and psychotherapist. He runs Climate & Mind, an organisation that explores how climate change impacts our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. C&M brings together resources and ideas from a range of disciplines (including social work, psychology, public health, education, anthropology, disaster mental health, and more) to help improve understanding and discussion about how humans cope with climate change and other ecological crises.
Yolanda Cieters (Seattle, USA).  Leading the Centre for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Seattle University, Cieters manages the institution’s sustainability initiatives. In this role, she collaborates with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders to plan, assess, and improve SU’s climate action and sustainability performance. Prior to coming to Seattle University, Cieters worked on documentary production on topics such as Fair Trade and The Ecological Footprint. She edited over forty short films for Longhouse Media, a non-profit organization seeking to catalyze Indigenous people and communities to use media as a tool for self-expression, cultural preservation, and social change.
Dr. Sally Gillespie (Sydney, Australia). Gillespie is a member of Psychology for a Safe Climate, the Climate Wellbeing Network, and the Climate Psychology Alliance. Currently she lectures and facilitates workshops on climate psychology and ecopsychology. Her book Climate Crisis and Consciousness: Re-imagining our world and ourselves (Routledge, 2019) explores the psychological challenges and developmental processes of climate awareness for individuals and societies.
Anika Goss (Detroit, USA). Goss is the Chief Executive Officer of Detroit Future City (DFC), a think-and-do tank focused on land use and sustainability, community and economic development, and economic equity in Detroit. Goss leads a team of experts to implement the DFC Strategic Framework, a comprehensive 50-year guide to decision making and investment in Detroit. Goss is a leading force and visionary in Detroit’s revitalization, playing a crucial role in Detroit as an advocate for an equitable and sustainable future for the city.
Marianna Milhorat (Montréal, Canada). Milhorat is an American-Canadian filmmaker and artist based in Montréal. She teaches at Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University. She has presented her work at festivals and galleries worldwide, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Whitechapel Gallery, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Kassel Dokfest and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Her work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and Finlandia Foundation National. Milhorat’s films, like Just Above the Surface of the Earth (For a Coming Extinction) (USA/Canada, 2024) examine ecology through human and nonhuman relations. Taking extended approaches to nonfiction film, her work pushes form and aesthetic to provoke new ways of seeing and thinking about the current geologic era and to create a more fluid, evolving picture of nature.
Professor Rob Nixon (Princeton, USA). Stationed at Princeton University, Nixon has published extensively in the fields of environmental studies, postcolonial studies, nonfiction and contemporary literature and has delivered lectures on six continents. Throughout his career, he has sought to engage in both scholarly and public writing on environmental concerns and social movements, particularly as they pertain to the global South. His areas of particular interest include environmental justice, climate change and the interface between the environmental humanities and the public humanities. He is excited by the transformative energy now evident in the environmental humanities, as collectively we think beyond restrictive borders and narrow disciplinary mandates. He welcomes the ascent of the environmental humanities as an opportunity to generate vital new forms of storytelling alongside fresh interdisciplinary perspectives on some of the most challenging concerns of our time. In 2011 he published the influential Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor (Harvard).
Dr. Charles Ogunbode (Nottingham, UK). Teaching at University of Nottingham, Ogunbode’s research investigates people's beliefs, feelings and action tendencies regarding environmental issues. Current topics of interest include climate and mental health, climate justice, eco-anxiety, and resilience. Meaningful representation of people from diverse social and cultural contexts is a key value underlying his work.
Juliet Scott ( London, UK). Scott is the Director of Deepening Creative Practice at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. She is an artist and social scientist interweaving her practice between the disciplines through her studio research; organisational curation projects and the creation of dynamic learning environments.  As an artist she is interested in the way objects and artefacts can reveal and give insight into social phenomena and how people relate to each other. She mainly explores this through still life drawing and experimenting with material techniques such as encaustic; metal point and monotype printmaking. At Tavistock she is also involved in the practice of social dreaming.
Leah Thomas (California, USA). Thomas is an eco-communicator (an environmentalist with a love for writing and creativity), based in California. She's passionate about advocating for and exploring the relationship between social justice and environmentalism. She gained international following after her post 'Environmentalists for Black Lives Matter' in 2020. She has written for Vogue and Elle, among other places, and has been featured in Harper's Bazaar, W Magazine, Domino, Glamour, Teen Vogue, and on numerous podcasts. She is the author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet (Souvenir Press, 2022).
Tori Tsui (Bristol, UK). Tsui is a climate activist, speaker and consultant from Hong Kong. She is the co-founder of the space Bad Activist Collective and a member of the climate coalition Unite For Climate Action. Prior to this she sailed across the Atlantic with the think tank Sail to the COP, she was sponsored by Stella McCartney after being named an agent of change. Her work centres around climate justice, making sure that climate policy, action and organising is intersectional, inclusive and transformative. Alongside organising, she is an advisory board member of the Earth Percent group , Climate Resilience Project and a strategist with Hero Circle. She is the author of It’s Not JUst You. How to Navigate Eco-Anxiety and the Climate Crisis (Gallery UK, 2023).
Rebecca Weston (New York City, USA). Co-Director of the Climate Psychology Alliance North America. She supports climate-aware mental health practitioners and professionals on the front lines of climate work. She’s also written multiple pieces and spoken on the mental health impacts of the climate crisis, and how other systems of inequity affect climate mental issues. 
Robin Wall Kimmerer (New York, USA). Kimmerer is a scientist, professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.  She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
Jeremy Williams (Luton, UK). Williams is a climate action advisor, writer and speaker. He runs The Earthbound Report, twice recognised as Britain’s leading green blog, and is the author of Climate Change is Racist: Race, Privilege and the Struggle for Climate Justice (Icon Books, 2021).

Sustainability and Legacy
Building Long-Term Relationships
* Community Anchoring: Develop long-term partnerships with community organizations that can continue to engage participants after the project ends. Offer resources and support for community-led initiatives that build on the project’s outcomes.
* Ongoing Engagement: Create opportunities for ongoing engagement through alumni networks, follow-up workshops, and continued access to project resources. This will help sustain the impact of the project and encourage new collaborations.
* Document the project’s processes, lessons learned, and best practices: Share these insights with other organizations and practitioners through reports, webinars, and publications.

evaluation

Indicators & Metrics
Throughout the project we will use a mixture of quantitative metrics to establish the number of participants, audience size, number of outputs (films, workshops, articles) and partnerships formed. We will also employ qualitative metrics to gather participant and audience feedback, enquire about changes in emotional well-being, diversity of perspectives represented, critical reception, etc. Some of the outcome indicators may include: evidence of behaviour change, new collaborations or initiatives that result from the project, influence on creative practices and public discourse or policy. From the beginning of the project we aim to implement reflective evaluation sessions where participants, facilitators, and collaborators can discuss the co-creation process and power dynamics in real-time, thus not focusing on outputs only. This ongoing evaluation will ensure that the project remains aligned with ethical practices that reflect the needs of all the diverse communities involved.

Measuring Mental Health and Wellbeing Interventions
During the R&D phase, in collaboration with the counsellors, therapists and social dreaming hosts, we will design participant surveys and interviews to gather information about the participants’ experiences of the Ecological Identity Map Workshops and Social Dreaming Matrices. We will implement standardised assessment measures before and after these workshops to measure and evaluate changes in participants' emotional well-being, particularly in relation to climate anxiety.

Measuring Creative, Skills Development & Academic Activities
We aim to track the number and quality of creative works produced (e.g., poems, photographs, films) and evaluate the diversity of perspectives represented in these outputs. We aim to measure the distribution and visibility of the final film and the installation by tracking the reach of the outputs, such as how widely the film is screened, how many festivals it is selected for, or how many people read your journal publication or listen to the podcast. This will also help us establish the extent to which the project has inspired curiosity about the new forms of creative expression that emerged from its outputs. We will also track the number of interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g., between artists and therapists) that resulted from the project.

In terms of skills development, we will design a survey that will help us assess participants’ skill levels before and after the workshops. This will be done through both, self-assessment surveys and the review of the quality of the participants’ creative outputs during work in progress and feedback sessions.

As for the academic impact, we aim to evaluate how well the project has made complex academic ideas about the climate crisis accessible to wider audiences through feedback from audiences or participants but also by tracking the project’s mentions in various publications.

Measuring Audience Engagement
We will monitor the numbers of audiences viewing films in person and online, as well as their interactions with the installation, as well as panel discussions and the podcast. After the in-person events we will distribute a survey to gather audience feedback on how these works impacted their understanding of the climate crisis. We will also install appropriate tools on our website (Google Analytics) to track metrics related to your project website, such as visitor numbers, duration of visits, and interactions with the content.

Measuring Community & Global Engagement
We aim to count the number of partnerships and alliances created with other organisations, communities, and institutions because of the project. We also plan to collect feedback from community leaders and participants to assess how well the project has supported and empowered their local communities. We also aim to evaluate how the R&D phase of the project impacted its delivery and the creation of final outputs. We will track the mentions of the project in international forums, publications, and media, as well as any influence it has on global discussions or policies related to the climate crisis.