Movement Research Studies Project: "Vulnerable Systems: Moving Beyond Sustainability" November 5, 2013

2013 Movement Research Studies Project: Vulnerable Systems: Moving Beyond Sustainability

Jennifer Monson and Movement Research

Gibney Dance Center, November 5, 2013

This Studies Project discussed how the reality of climate change has brought an increased awareness around the fragility of our environment and a heightened interest in sustainable practices. How do we move beyond sustainability towards resiliency, a term currently in broad use in the social sciences? How do we address the current crisis from its roots, rather than perpetuating unworkable systems? Is change a value or an action? How can our practices within the dance community serve as models for adapting to change? Participants discussed different framings of sustainability from the perspectives of various fields, including social science, economics, and urban ecology in a roundtable conversation which invited the dance community and the larger public to explore concrete ways to create resilient systems in their own communities and beyond.