The New Nature Opening Keynote was offered by the multi-talented Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation, her work breaks open the intersections between politics, decolonization, climate change, storytelling and song — bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity. Her poetry, essays, spoken-word pieces, short stories, academic papers, and anthologies, have influenced a new generation of indigenous creators and activists.
Speaking to the New Nature participants and the general public over live stream, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson read from a selection of traditional stories and expanded on her notion of land as pedagogy, in an invitation to reconsider the systems of knowledge and of knowing that have long dominated our relationship to nature and to land. The readings were accompanied by a short film screening and followed by a conversation with Ian Mauro, and an extended Q&A with the public.
About Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Leanne is the author of five previous books, including This Accident of Being Lost, which won the MacEwan University Book of the Year and was named the best book of the year by the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and Quill & Quire. Her new novel Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies is forthcoming in the fall of 2020. Leanne is also a musician combining poetry, storytelling, song-writing and performance in collaboration with musicians to create unique spoken songs and soundscapes. Leanne's third record, The Theory of Ice will be released in 2020. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manitoba and teaches at the Dechinta Centre for Research & Learning in Denendeh. Leanne is a member of Alderville First Nation.
About Ian Mauro Ian Mauro Ian Mauro
Ian Mauro is an environmental scientist, geographer, filmmaker, and the Executive Director of the Prairie Climate Centre (PCC) at the University of Winnipeg. He has developed the Climate Atlas of Canada, as well as a trilogy of feature-length climate change films across Canada, including Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change (co-directed with acclaimed Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk) and Beyond Climate (produced and narrated by scientist and broadcaster Dr. David Suzuki).
Mauro’s work has been featured in academic conferences, museums, film festivals and news media such as the United Nations, Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, Royal Ontario Museum, ImagineNative, Berlin International Film Festival, The Globe and Mail and This American Life.
About New Nature
New Nature is a series of encounters over the course of 2020 between 25 leading climate scientists, artists, and technologists from Canada, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. Working on the forefront of immersive technologies, the project participants will engage in a series of in-depth collaborations to reflect on climate change and imagine desirable futures.
More info about the project here: goethe.de/canada/newnature
