Planet Summer at Southbank Centre
The Southbank Centre presents Planet Summer, a landmark multi-artform season that explores themes of care, hope, connection and activism in response to the climate emergency.
Performances, exhibitions, music, new artistic commissions, a busy talks programme and free programming will connect audiences with a range of environmental issues and highlight the need for active care of the environment and nature.
Planet Summer brings together key voices inspiring hope and change in a series of headline talks and discussions with prominent activists including Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Mikaela Loach, Mark Carney and Dominique Palmer.
The Hayward Gallery presents a pioneering group exhibition Dear Earth: Art and Hope in a Time of Crisis featuring artists committed to reframing and deepening our psychological and spiritual responses to the climate crisis including Cornelia Parker, Richard Mosse and Hito Steyerl. Outside the gallery a new permanent installation is going in place – a 130 square metre ‘pocket forest’. Created with rewilding organisation SUGi, the pocket forest is filled with 390 trees and is designed to encourage wildlife and nature to thrive.
The Poetry International festival returns for the first time since 2019 as part of Planet Summer, bringing together ecopoets from around the world. Musical contributions include Earth Makes No Sound’s fusion of choral singing, movement and body percussion, and MELTWATER, a haunting composition focusing on the melting of a polar ice cap.
And because young people hold the key to the future of our climate, there’s plenty of ways for families to get involved too. That includes REPLAY: A Limitless Recycled Playground (open 8 July – 3 September), Bird Rave’s ‘dance floor ornithology’, The SpongeBob Musical and the return of Jeppe Hein’s ever-popular Appearing Rooms fountain.
PLANET SUMMER TALKS & DISCUSSIONS PROGRAMME
Rebecca Solnit, Thelma Young-Lutunataua & Guests
7 July, Purcell Room, 7pm
Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua introduce their new book, Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, with special guests.
Mikaela Loach: It's Not That Radical
8 July, Purcell Room, 1pm
Join climate justice activist Mikaela Loach as she discusses her debut book and addresses how representations of climate action in the mainstream media have been white-washed, green-washed and diluted to be made compatible with capitalism.
Olivia Laing: The Art of Resistance
8 July, Purcell Room, 4pm
A discussion between activist Olivia Laing, Extinction Rebellion co-founder Clare Farrell and photojournalist Adrian Fisk on the evolution of disruptive protest and how art can be used to both engender and document acts of resistance.
Writers Revel: Responding to the Climate Crisis
9 July, Purcell Room, 1pm
A discussion with Writers Rebel, a group formed in summer 2019 as part of the Extinction Rebellion movement.
Dominique Palmer: Climate Joy and Optimism
9 July, Purcell Room, 4pm
Climate Justice Activist and Model Dominique Palmer presents a talk uniting people for climate action and intersectional climate justice.
Mark Carney on Climate Action and Finance
10 July, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm
Mark Carney, the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and former Governor of the Bank of England, delivers a lecture on building an economy based on human values over market values. Followed by an audience Q&A.
Is Climate Activism Working?
12 July, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm
This edition of the Southbank Centre’s debates programme in partnership with Intelligence Squared asks; are disruptive tactics necessary for climate activists to shift the conversation and achieve their goals?
Tori Tsui: It's Not Just You
16 July, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.30pm
The climate activist and mental health advocate discusses her new book It’s Not Just You with actor Jessie Mei Li, known for the Netflix series Shadow and Bone.
The Climate Conversation
30 July, Royal Festival Hall, 8pm
A climate crisis discussion between young climate leaders Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Tori Tsui, Vanessa Nakate, Daphne Frias, Mya-Rose Craig and Ati Viviam Villafaña. The group who previously came together in 2019 during COP26, reconvene to take stock of the climate crisis and what action we still need to see from our world leaders.
