In her artistic practice, Kat Austen focusses on environmental issues. She melds disciplines and media, creating sculptural and new media installations, performances and participatory work. Austen’s practice is underpinned by extensive research and theory, and driven by a motivation to explore how to move towards a more socially and environmentally just future. Austen has exhibited and performed around the globe at renowned Galleries, Museums, Festivals, and her work is held internationally in private collections.
Carbon echoes and the climate emergency
#Future Ecologies
Carbon echoes and the climate emergency
Sun. 27. 6. 17:00–18:00
Kat Austen
Photo by Roger Pimenta
Lecture with Kat Austen (UK), moderated by Dominika Kluszczyk (PL)
In this presentation, artist Kat Austen will discuss her diverse methods for artistic engagement with the environment. Austen creates multimedia works that develop the aesthetics of sustainability, using methods including DIY science, acoustic ecologies, site specific performance and new material studies. In the context of the climate crisis, Austen will discuss ‘Stranger to the Trees’, a multimedia artwork that focuses on microplastics, themselves products of fossil fuel-intensive industrial processes, and their coexistence with trees in forests as carbon sinks. This ‘Land is not Mine’ looks at the post-extractive landscape of Lusatia as the region transitions from brown coal mining towards sustainability. Touching on these and other works, Austen will discuss artistic approaches to questions of anthropogenic impact and emotional responses to contemporary environmental realities.
Dominika Kluszczyk
Dominika Kluszczyk studied Roman Philology and Philosophy and Social Communication at the University of Wrocław (Poland). She’s a manager and producer of media art projects and cultural events. She has managed several international exhibitions and cultural events organized by the WRO Art Center. She’s a member of the WRO Biennale curatorial team and of the selection committee of the Competition for Best Media Arts Graduation Projects (Poland). As an independent manager of interdisciplinary projects in the field of music, theater and video, together with the IP Group collective, since 2014 she leads the IP Studio - open lab for interdisciplinary art projects and experimental research located in Wrocław, Poland.
