Brussels Finale: #ClimateOfChange Contemporary Circus, Barber Shops and Moss Graffiti

The European tour of the #ClimateOfChange Circus and debate contest is reaching its climax in Brussels 10-13 November, during the last days of COP26. The line-up of thought-provoking artistic and intellectual events on migration and global warming has been traveling across Europe since July 2021.

Eight artists and acrobats, four musicians, and an awe-inspiring scenography explore the multiple connections between climate change and migration. With a backdrop of cyber-punk music and theatre sets, the performance artists impersonate communities affected by floods, melting permafrost, desertification and wildfires.  With just a few symbolic elements, associated with shipping, storage, consumption and more, and with a lot of acrobatics, they show audiences how our actions have a global impact. Set designer Francesco explains his creative and social thinking: "We want to create a symbolic context, in which people recognize their daily life and the audience is invited to reflect on how to accept, ignore or fight the condition whereby we treat everything as if it were a commodity."

At the same time, also in Brussels, over one hundred high school and university students from 13 EU countries will also participate in the final pan-EU debate contest on “Climate change, Migration, Youth and Economy”. 26 winning “Champions for a human economy” (two from each country) will be invited to travel to a country in the “global south” as young ambassadors for a #ClimateOfChange. All students will also meet Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

Beyond intellectual debates and creative circus, #ClimateOfChange includes street guerrilla actions, “barber shops” and moss murals. With local circus schools and volunteers, the campaign organises graffiti workshops with natural paint rich in moss spores. Hair stylists not only give free haircuts, but also offer a "change of mentality", engaging young visitors in conversations about migration and climate change.

Youth in Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Portugal have already joined events and signed the #ClimateOfChange petition and call to keep global warming below 1.5°C, achieve climate neutrality, shift to a well-being economy and allow youth participation in political decision-making. Feel free to read and support the petition!

Natalia Lupi of WeWorld, coordinator of the European campaign, concludes: "We decided to use art as a communication tool because it is essential to interpret with new languages what is often very complex to understand.”

Read more about the show and debate contest here

In Brussels? Sign up to attend the contemporary circus.

Background:

The EU DEAR-funded “Climate Of Change” project is led by WeWorld, in partnership with 15 European organisations, including the European Environmental Bureau and the Association of Local Democracy Agencies in Brussels. The “weLAND” show is created by MagdaClan circus and FLIC Circus School from Torino.