(GET) Good Enough Transformation
Climate change brings rising temperatures, extreme weather and disruptions to our ecosystems. Our inconsiderate hunger for Earth’s resources causes deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Environmental degradation hits the vulnerable communities the hardest, making social inequalities even worse. Our future requires action. The stakes are now very high, and the call for a green transition is relevant as never before.
With this call echoing, TEH together in collaboration with partners from 9 countries in 4 continents introduces GET – the Good Enough Transformation project. Supported by the Globus Programme of the Nordisk Kulturfond (2024-2025), this initiative aims to form a community of practice made up of academics, architects, designers, cultural institutions and grassroots communities.
Representatives from the 9 participating cultural organizations, research institutions and architectural studios coming from Burkina Faso, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Morocco, Malaysia, Mexico and Sweden are joining forces to redefine arts, culture and creative industries sector to better integrate traditional wisdom, community engagement, sustainable architecture, circular design, productive landscaping and responsible farming methods, as well as other socially and ecologically conscious practices into (re)building, design and landscaping of art spaces. GET is on a mission to research, document and develop affordable, sustainable and immediately accessible green transformations for art communities worldwide.
The special feature of GET is that it will focus on local communities. Recognized as powerful catalysts for systemic change, community-based initiatives stand out as ideal promoters capable of creating massive impacts on a global scale. In addition, communities serve as invaluable repositories of vital vernacular knowledge, essential for seamlessly implementing the green transition at the microlocal level. While acknowledging that communities can't spearhead the full-scale transition alone, they can enact what is termed a "good enough transformation". This involves engaging people, fostering low-cost, locally sourced sustainable solutions and harnessing traditional knowledge and collective creativity to transform their immediate environment into greener, more sustainable spaces. Precisely this approach will be embraced by GET.
Participating partners
Culturans is a Mexico-based NGO that uses art, design and culture to help create community-based, sustainable urban futures. For over a decade, its multidisciplinary team has blended creative industries, urban planning and community engagement, working with grassroots communities, academic and scientific research institutions, government agencies and private organizations in 7 countries on 3 continents. Driven by its diverse and collaborative "creative citizens" approach and “Renaissance Methodology”, Culturans' practice integrates bespoke public space design and interventions with civic co-creation programs that democratize the tools and capacities of urban innovation. Since 2018, Culturans has focused on the creative empowerment of urban youth and the reimagining of marginalized urban communities and neighborhoods as hotbeds of sustainable innovation.
RTDA Studio is a scenography and architecture studio based in Paris and Casablanca, specializing in heritage spaces and energy diagnosis.
Tamadia is an international art collective of dancers and choreographers based in Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. Working across the fields of dance, education and professional training, artistic production, social work and environmental work, Tamadia started the international dance festival In and Out in 2009 in Bobo Dioulasso. Founded by Philadelphia-based, internationally trained burkinabe contemporary choreographer Aguibou Sanou, Tamadia initiated in 2021 Arts Green Culture - Bio Farming Project, a citizen-led project supported by artists.
Gardens of the Future is grassroots, citizen-led organization based in a repurposed heritage space in Nicosia, aiming to build the capacity of diverse communities to engage into environmentally and socially sustainable practices, and develop agro-entrepreneurship skills, through responsible farming, waste recycling, and food sharing. Gardens of the future is a multi-awarded organization, national winner of Climathon in 2020, Winner of Pusulas Competition in 2021 and European Winner of the New European Bauhaus Prize in 2022.
Borneo Laboratory is a multidisciplinary platform for the experimentation of Borneo Aesthetics - an aesthetics that emphasizes collaboration and open dialogue. Their movement is inspired by the idea of "Berjalai" - conversing with the world, which is also a deep-rooted cultural idea in the Borneo landscape. Since they started 5 years ago, they have explored several cross regional collaborative workshop projects that involved collaborators from France, Germany, UK, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. So far, they have produced publications, documentation, crafts, curation and architectural design. In their collaborations, they have been consciously engaging people from diverse disciplines. Regardless of whether it is a publication or building, it is crucial for Borneo Laboratory to see their projects deliver an empathetic experience with universal value.
and 2 TEH full members (from France and Denmark) and 1 TEH associate member (from Canada):
Partners & Funders
