Trans.MISSION II will connect NERC researchers from Peru, Colombia and the UK to artists and storytellers in each country in order to create new stories about ongoing research projects.
An artist, illustrator or animator will then be commissioned to create an overarching piece – an animation, infographic or animated text – that will combine and communicate the common themes. These pieces aim to inform, engage and inspire members of the public and future researchers in environmental science.
Trans.MISSION II is the first international public engagement collaboration project for NERC, with each new piece to be launched at Hay Festival events in Arequipa, Peru (7-10 November 2019); Cartagena, Colombia (30 January-2 February 2020) and here in Hay next year
The project follows the UK-only pilot at last year's Hay Festival, and is building on the success of that initiative.
Andy Fryers, Sustainability Director at Hay Festival, said: “Hay Festival is a home for storytellers, a space for writers and readers to come together and explore the biggest challenges of our time. Trans.MISSION II offers a new platform for collaboration between storytellers from two different worlds, art and science."
Alison Robinson, Director of Corporate Affairs, Futures & Change at NERC, said: “I am so pleased NERC is again able to work with Hay Festival, this time to take Trans.MISSION II to a global audience. We are very excited to see what people can gain from these stories as they unfold.”
NERC is the UK’s main agency for funding environmental science, covering the full range of research from the deep oceans to the upper atmosphere and from the poles to the equator. It tackles major issues such as clean air, water and energy, extreme weather and the impact of our environment on human health.
Picture by Chris Athanasiou