Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses collaborative art workshops that used coal and charcoal as tools to represent climate emotions. As part of ongoing research on climate anxiety, these workshops show how anthropology, STS and the arts can combine to better understand the hopes and fears of fossil-free futures.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines the use of coal and charcoal as artistic resources that can be used to understand, represent and manage climate anxiety. It describes ongoing research being conducted in Britain with intergenerational climate activists and artists, and reflects on recent workshops where members of the public were asked to sketch stories of climate anxiety using coal and charcoal. The workshops invited participants to map the stories that these materials tell them in the time of climate crisis, and draw how emotions and environment were being experienced for them. These sessions act as an example of the ways researchers can foster innovative environments to discuss the health impacts of fossil fuels, and allow participants a space to share their concerns relating to the climate crisis, with a focus on creativity and positivity. The framework for these workshops is presented as a multifaceted approach to capturing the messy realities of fossil fuels in the everyday lives of participants, highlighting the hopes, fears and anxieties of transitioning away from their dependence, and the potential benefits for anthropology and STS to incorporate artistic practice into our research and public engagement activities.