Wild Rumpus, the organiser of Just So, Timber and Hinterlands festivals, is partnering with outdoor arts consortium Without Walls for an online conference exploring sustainable outdoor arts in a post-Covid world.

The conference will take place on 21 September, and will bring together speakers including Alison Tickell (Founder and CEO Julie’s Bicycle), Chris Johnson (Operations Director of Shambala Festival) Pip Rush Jansen (Co-Founder & Creative Director at Arcadia) and Wendy Hesketh-Ogilvie (Artistic Director, Wired Aerial Theatre).

You can join the conference at this link. Topics that will be up for discussion include:

  • How we can work more collaboratively within the Outdoor Arts sector for a collective sense of the importance of sustainability?
  • Who are the gatekeepers for change?
  • An examination of case studies and best practice in building and touring physically sustainable productions
  • How can we affect audience behaviour and embed sustainable messages into creative content?

Rowan Cannon, Director of Wild Rumpus said: “In the streets, fields and woodlands, the outdoor arts are confronting the climate crisis in much of the work we do. We’re thrilled to be welcoming and facilitating an open conversation about sustainability when creating outdoor work.

“Along with the rest of the sector, we wrestle daily with decisions from the micro to the macro, from where we source our office loo roll, to how we support sustainable travel to our events, to how our sustainable ethos is communicated. It can be a lonely game, sometimes feeling like the calls we make are a shot in the dark. This symposium will shine a light on the decisions, issues and conversations we’re all having, and support the sector as we move forward together.”

Maggie Clarke, on behalf of Without Walls, said: “The Virtual Symposium and artists residency come at a time when the topic of environmentalism and sustainability is fiercely debated, and we’re delighted to be working with our longstanding partner Wild Rumpus on this international event.

“Our mission is to support artists to create a rich, diverse range of outdoor shows and we’re pleased that many of them will share their experience on this matter. We view this event as a starting point for an industry-wide conversation for how we can create a greener sector in a post-COVID world.”