In the last couple of months, our streets were empty and our cities quiet. Behind this seeming tranquillity, there has been a storm raging through our values and structures. It has given us the space to think about a complete ‘reset’ of the dysfunctional systems in our society. In this series, we showcase the perspectives of a variety of thought leaders who will reflect on our present-day situation. Through the lens of their own area of expertise and with an emphasis on the power of design and imagination. The corona crisis is, without a doubt, a crisis that is leaving behind a trail of victims. But which transformations will we be left within the aftermath? In times as these, it is the creatives, philosophers, scientists, makers, and designers who can visualise new scenarios, and develop new insights for our future.
Harpo ’t Hart
Harpo is a sound-artist and theatre maker and he works as a curator for the Embassy of the North Sea, giving voice to the things, plants and animals in and around the North Sea. The route to 2030 is to first listen to the sea, then to speak with and finally to negotiate on behalf of the sea and the life in the sea, even assessing the desirability of declaring the North Sea to be an independent legal entity. This fits into a broader aim of Harpo’s work as an artist, finding a place for non-human, ecological perspectives.
Daphina Misiedjan
As assistent professor at the International Institute of Social Studies Daphina focusses on environmental and social rights. In her first book ‘Towards a Sustainable Human Right to Water’ she brought together sustainable development and the human right to water to guarantee the access to clean and safe water to vulnerable groups. The method she developed for this research has been applied in countries such as Suriname and Burkina Faso. Daphina’s research also looks at how we perceive water and nature in a broader sense, and how we can defend ecological rights in law. Like the Whanganui River in New Zealand – the ancestral river of the local Maori tribes – that is no longer owned by humans, but has its own legal identity. Daphina has been featured on platforms such as the ‘Thinking Planet Festival’ and other public platforms such as ‘De Kennis van Nu’ (Knowledge of Now), and the Youth News Broadcast Suriname.
