Paper short abstract:

In 2021 the 'Pilgrimage for Nature' saw UK participants walking 500 miles to COP26, gathering community stories along the way. These narratives became a multi-modal performance, highlighting the creative potential of collective walking and ecological activism, while questioning insitutional power.

Paper long abstract:

In 2021, delegates from nearly 200 countries convened in Glasgow, Scotland, as part of COP26 to address the escalating global climate crisis. In preparation for these pivotal discussions, Jolie Booth of Kriya Arts initiated The Pilgrimage for Nature: Listening to the Land, a journey designed to engage participants with the environment and communities en route to the summit.

Beginning at Tower Hill in London, a group of two dozen participants undertook a 500-mile pilgrimage over the course of eight weeks, arriving at COP26 in Glasgow. Along the way, they sought to "Listen to the Land," organizing public discussions, or moots, in community centres, pubs, and churches to gather stories from diverse communities across the country. These narratives—drawn from the experiences of the pilgrims, the communities that supported them, and the individuals they encountered—were synthesized into a multi-modal performance, which was later presented in COP’s Green Zone.

Despite the significant efforts of the global delegates, including indigenous leaders, the UN Secretary-General remarked that the "collective political will" at COP26 was insufficient to overcome the existing divisions and challenges.

In this paper, I will explore key elements from Jolie Booth’s performance work and the collective pilgrimage experience. Specifically, I will critically examine the relationship between process and product of performance-activism and the sharp disparity in how the activist work was received at COP and other external supporters along the journey. I hope to provoke discussion on what knowledge emerges through pilgrimage and performance and how it is received in global institutional settings.