A Cultural Spotlight on the Climate Crisis

I’d like to draw your attention to a side-project that’s been quietly growing over the last few years. We call the venture A La Luz, which translates from the Spanish as “bringing to light” or “shedding light on”. Our aim is to be a platform (a spotlight) for environmentally conscious creatives.

I met my collaborator for this project – New York based photographer & film-maker Gonzaga Gómez-Cortázar – while working in his home-country of Spain in 2014. Our fundamental aim is to work with artists – those who share our own sensibilities – on film, photography & documentary projects.

From Isak Anshelm's Sea of Regret series | Image by Cass, approved by Anshelm — From **Isak Anshelm**'s *Sea of Regret* series | Image by Cass, approved by Anshelm

Just as the Climate Crisis can only be tackled collectively, so too is this project inclusive & collaborative in its nature. A La Luz intends to share, promote, act as a reference tool and to some extent to be a compendium of creative responses to climate change, guided by those we’re inspired by, and those whose paths we cross. This includes all art forms, from painting to architecture; and from theatre to literature.

We’ll also share research materials – blog posts, articles, scientific papers, creative texts – as well as book and film recommendations. Article proposals are welcome.

From James Morrison's Otto Fiord series | Image supplied by The McManus, Dundee — From James Morrison's *Otto Fiord* series | Image supplied by The McManus, Dundee

We believe that art carries a responsibility, that accessibility is vital and that in this day and age creatives – who have been afforded a platform – must be mindful of what’s happening to the Earth around them. This doesn’t mean that we believe all art-forms should discuss the environment, rather, that artists must consider aspects such as process & material choice.

Keep an eye on alaluz.org for a variety of articles. What we share there informs my own artistic practice too – many of the places, exhibitions, artists & artworks we feature are those I draw inspiration from.