Art can serve as a 'bridge' that connects climate change with action, artistic director says

• Artistic directors Alice Sharp and Kasia Molga discussed how art inspires resolute climate action.
• "Art has always been excellent in navigating complexities," Molga said (video above).
• The comments were made during Insider's "Act to Impact" event, presented by Deloitte, on April 20.

Art has the opportunity to make challenging topics, such as reports about the climate change crisis, more "emotional" for everyday people, Kasia Molga, an artist and the founder and creative director of art workshop Studio Molga, said during Insider's "Act to Impact: Keeping our Promises to the Planet" event on Tuesday.

The United Nations has labeled climate change "one of the most pressing issues of our time." But according to Molga, it may be hard for some people to feel personally impacted by this global issue if they're just reading research and news reports about the topic, which often don't provide an emotional connection to the problem at hand.

There is where art can help.

Art helps "unpick" dense issues, allowing people to relate to the problem in a "more intimate and emotional matter," Molga said during a session with Alice Sharp, the artistic director of Invisible Dust, which works with artists and scientists to tackle climate change. Molga previously worked with Invisible Dust to create performance art piece "Human Sensor LDN," which combined technology and dance to show pollution levels in London.

"Art has always been excellent in navigating complexities," Molga said. "It's important for us to feel connected to these issues."

The appeal of art then allows it to serve as a "bridge" that connects the climate change crisis with action, according to Sharp.

"If art is able to be part of the ... shaping of the picture of businesses, governments, and consumers changing, then that to me is a really important role for us," Sharp said.

Sharp also believes there's an opportunity to adopt a more positive and hopeful tone regarding climate change.

"Both the climate crisis and COVID ... could be seen as having negative connotations," Sharp said. "What we can do is look at something really positive, which is living more sustainably and using technology much better."