[M-IS01] Environmental, Socio-Economic and Climatic Changes in Northern Eurasia

[MIS01-P15] Converging Arts, Science, Local and Indigenous Knowledge: lessons from an ARCTIC INFRASCAPES exhibition

*Vera Kuklina¹, Olga Zaslavskaya², Olga Povoroznyuk³ (1.George Washington University, 2.International Alternative Culture Center (IACC/NAKKA), 3.University of Vienna)

Keywords:Arts, Science, Local and Indigenous Knowledge, infrastructure, knowledge co-production

Complexity of current societal and environmental problems humanity is facing today requires searching for new approaches to combine different forms of knowing. One of the ways is convergence of diverse knowledge systems such as Arts, Science, and Local and Indigenous Knowledge (ArtSLInK). It encompasses synchronous, equitable, co-productive engagement across the social and natural sciences, the arts, and place-based local and Indigenous knowledge systems, each with their distinct modes of exploration and expression. As a result, not only methods of gathering knowledge, but also the ways it is interpreted and communicated need to change. In this presentation, authors discuss their experience of organizing an exhibition ARCTIC INFRASCAPES during the Arctic Science Summit Week on February 18-24, 2023. INFRA stands for infrastructures and the word SCAPES refers to the ways to perceive, imagine, deal with, narrate and visualize them. This exhibition is an experiment on how different artists and scholars observe infrastructures and in what formats, scopes, and outcomes they can present their reflections at the stage of observation as a common research method. While scholars discuss their outcomes during the session, artists present their works of mapping infrascapes, telling stories and visualizing them through art-based research. Together, they create a transmedia storytelling project that includes an exposition of photographs taken both by photographers and scholars, artistic objects and installations with scholarly commentaries as extended captions, and video installations. Experience of organization of such exhibition can be valuable for future development of knowledge co-production.