Contemporary Circus on Climate Migration

Climate of Change - Performing artists created a pan-European network to address social themes through art, such as their touring acrobatic show.

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More than 15 000 people in eight European countries - and six million others online - watched the "Climate of Change" performance that explored the link between climate change and migration. The contemporary circus artists impersonated the suffering of communities affected by floods, melting permafrost, desertification and wildfires. 

With jaw-dropping acrobatics, movement, music, sound and images, the performers addressed migrations forced by harsh and worsening climate conditions. The "Climate of Change" contemporary circus triggered audiences to reflect on how climate change can induce communities to migrate for adaptation. It inspired the public to think how communities across the globe are affected by the climate crises - and how our actions at home can have an impact, for better or worse. 

Working with an international contemporary circus school from Turin, Italy, "Climate of Change" reached beyond the 'bubble' of the usual climate change activists. Beyond the 18 massive performances in 2022, including a huge circus tent and trucks, the circus message continues to resonate. Two video documentaries about the climate migration contemporary circus - “The Making Of” and “WeLand, the tour” - were screened at eight film festivals. “The Making Of” won “Best Cinematography Award” at the Environmental Film & Screenplay Festival and was screened in Los Angeles in May 2022. And their legacy lives on in the pan-European network they launched - cultural organisations gathered together to address social themes through art. 

For an overview of DEAR Programme impact, read other Stories of Change.

_{Picture: Performers enacting the challenges faced by climate migrants. ©EU - Climate of Change, 2022}