Culture, Climate & the Power of Imagination - A workshop with Rob Hopkins

---

How can culture help people feel that a better climate future is possible, and worth working for?

This in-person participatory workshop invites Sheffield’s culture sector to step beyond crisis narratives, and into a more hopeful, creative space. Led by Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement and author of From What If to What Next, the session explores how imagination can be a powerful catalyst for climate action.

Together, we’ll explore how the stories, experiences and artworks we create can help people imagine a brighter futures, and how Sheffield's cultural institutions can be catalysts for hope and action.

In this workshop, you will:

• Strengthen your collective imagination through playful, engaging exercises
• Time travel to a future that turned out OK, and experience it using all your senses
• Learn the difference between “Yes, but…” and “Yes, and…” and why it matters for cultural change
• Explore how humour, joy and creativity can sit alongside urgency and care
• Generate inspiring ideas for cultural responses to the climate emergency, and shape some into practical, actionable next steps

This session is designed for artists, producers, cultural leaders and organisations based in Sheffield who're looking for different ways to connect and respond to the climate emergency within their work.

Hosted in collaboration with The Sheffield Culture and Climate Network: an informal network open to anyone working in the culture sector to share ideas, resources and actions that support a more sustainable future for the arts.

About Rob Hopkins

Rob Hopkins is the co-founder of Transition Network and of Transition Town Totnes, and author of several books including ‘The Transition Handbook‘ and most recently, ‘How to Fall in Love with the Future: a time traveller’s guide to changing the world’. He is an Ashoka Fellow, has spoken at TED Global and at several TEDx events, and appeared in the 2015 French film phenomenon ‘Demain’. He holds a PhD from the University of Plymouth as well as 2 Honoris Causas, and hosted 100 episodes of his podcast ‘From What If to What Next’.

---

Venue accessability: Site Gallery's Studio I is a large black box studio, on the ground floor with wheelchair access and easy use of public, accessible, gender-neutral toilets.

Image description: The Culture Sheffield logo appears next to an image of a projection falling across industrial piping in a night club.

Image credit: Peter Martin at Site Gallery's Culture and Climate Event

---

This event is funded by the UK government through the shared prosperity fund.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Culture Sheffield