Community Climate Resilience through Folk Pageantry

Lead Research Organisation: University of Manchester
Department Name: Arts Languages and Cultures

Abstract

"Community Climate Resilience through Folk Pageantry" offers a creative, imaginative and interdisciplinary practice-as-research project focusing on community knowledge to deliver a Manchester-focused case study responding directly to its climate action policies and community contexts. The project builds on existing research practices of the PI and Co-Is across intersectional areas of geography, mapping, performance, music, socially-engaged arts practices, and intangible and material heritages. We will work with partners Manchester Climate Change Agency (MCCA), Manchester City Council (MCC), Neighbourhoods North Manchester (Miles Platting & Newton Heath ward), Northern Chamber Orchestra (NCO) and National Trust North Region (NT), with advisory and impact-related support from Manchester Arts and Sustainability Team (MAST) and the EU C-Change Project, Manchester Education Institute (MIE, UoM), and the Black Environment Network (BEN). A Bird in the Hand Theatre's puppet maker and director Alison Duddle is a co-creator.

The issues we will explore are: how a community articulates its perspectives on social justice and equality with regard to climate resilience; how interdisciplinary creativity can be researched and applied to activate community climate resilience; how a community can create, own and embed creative outcomes for resilience; the means to best transfer these methods to policy-makers for wider implementation.

Manchester is a diverse city of 503,00 citizens with over 200 languages spoken. MCC's Forecasting Model projects a population of 661,000 by 2027. Benefits of economic growth are not equally matched by improvements in health outcomes inequalities across the city, with high levels of ill health and early death. Manchester wards have the lowest levels of green infrastructure than other local authorities within Greater Manchester. Its fast-growing population faces increased risk of extreme weather events, from flooding to drought. North Manchester is home to approximately 130,500 residents across 10 wards with high deprivation.Our research will be embedded within the North Manchester ward of Miles Platting & Newton Heath. The ward has approximately 15,000 residents and was once home to workers across varied industries.

MCC declared a Climate Emergency on 10 July 2019, setting the City's zero-carbon target for 2038. Led by MCCA its Zero Carbon Framework outlines an approach to reach the target, yet Manchester's carbon budget will run out in 2025. Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25 declares "15 Actions", calling on all residents and organisations in Manchester to "help meet our climate change targets". These actions combine mitigation strategies with adaptation but the methods by which to engage communities and identify barriers to taking up these actions remain undefined. Most residents face barriers to respond to the 15 Actions. We identified a viable Manchester activation of socially engaged arts as an important development for local engagement at very local levels for addressing climate resilience within communities. Subsequently, MCCA and Neighbourhood Wards have invited our research team to evolve an environmental engagement approach with a refreshingly different place-based, creative approach to connect communities with the 15 Actions.

The project develops outputs including: pageant performances in Miles Platting & Newton Heath; documentation, film and performance materials held in an online Open Access website repository; a schools resource licensed performance pack; toolbox for creative methods workshops for policy practitioners and neighbourhood managers; co-authored paper; recommendations report for transferability of methods; a project book.

Planned Impact

N/A

Informed section does not require completion for this call.
 
Title Hidden in the Soil and Scrub 
Description A short story (1,672 words), informed by animal narratology and written from the perspective of non-human animals, based on the actual current development of a large re-wilded site (an ex-brickworks and waste dump) in a neighbourhood of North Manchester. The story is currently being illustrated to transform it into a picture book. 
Type Of Art Creative Writing 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Has attracted additional funding. 
 
Title Our Green and Pleasant Land (composition) 
Description Composition for 45min pageant, developed for youth orchestra. 
Type Of Art Composition/Score 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Supports behaviour change as part of pageant; impact on youth orchestra development and engagement. 
 
Title Our Green and Pleasant Land (pageant) 
Description 45-minute community pageant "Our Green and Pleasant Land" (performed on 1 July 2023, Miles Platting), for 20 performers (residents and A Bird in the Hand Theatre) and 45-piece youth orchestra. This work includes 40 hand-made performance puppets, masks, props, and staging. 
Type Of Art Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact This multi-component research project employed layered, complex methodological strategies of place-based Social Practice Art as Research (SPAR) (Ashton 2021) for analysing and evolving practice for urban community climate resilience. Situated in Manchester (UK) neighbourhoods with the highest IMD, the research is a core component of the local government's climate action plan. Research questions included: 1. How can SPAR identify barriers, solutions, and articulate perspectives on initiating climate mitigation and adaptation strategies? 2. How can SPAR offer new processes, tools, and skills for resilience and adaptation? 3. How can arts practice be embedded within local policy processes? 4. What new "artivism" forms, spaces, and outcomes evolve from interdisciplinary approaches? The work advances international climate-focused SPAR through reclaiming affective material objects; craft and making for knowing; folk traditions for skilling; storytelling for uplifting community knowledge, experience, and economies; and applied puppetry for community political empowerment. Uniquely, the methodology incorporated frameworks from psychology, utilising SPAR to support the flourishing of residents' environmental social identities (Clayton and Myers 2015, Steg and de Groot 2019, Berkes 2021) towards action. Across 36 months, the project connected with thousands of people. The research outputs continue to be used by residents, service-providers, and local government in evolving community action, infrastructure, and education activities around global warming, over-consumption, nature restoration, and in designing healthy environments. 
 
Title Our Green and Pleasant Land (parade) 
Description Patriotism meets climate campaigning in "Our Green and Pleasant Land!" Throughout April 2022 we held workshops with families in Miles Platting and Newton Heath Libraries and at Miles Platting St Cuthbert's Church, Manchester UK, to create "Our Green and Pleasant Land" - a contribution to Manchester's St George's Day Parade 2022. Here's our 6min film discussing the process and story of St George fighting the Climate Dragon. Part of the UK Climate Resilience Programme project: "Community Climate Resilience through Folk Pageantry" (Creative Climate Resilience). Funds provided by AHRC/Met Office (AH/V003186/1) & Social Responsibility Funding, University of Manchester. 
Type Of Art Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Info here: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/salc-making-a-difference/2022/09/15/our-green-and-pleasant-land/ 
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6mq7TPmPJw
 
Title Streets Like These (animation/sound piece) 
Description From 2021 to 2022, residents in Miles Platting & Newton Heath, Manchester UK, were asked about challenges their community faces regarding climate change. Here are some of their thoughts. If subtitles are required, please go to settings (the gear symbol), subtitles/CC, and select either "Chinese (Simplified)", "English (United Kingdom)" or "Urdu". All other subtitles will be autogenerated and may not be accurate. Credits: Animation & Visual Director: Harri Shanahan Music & Sound Design: Kevin Malone Producers: Jenna C. Ashton & Kevin Malone Interviewees: Residents of Miles Platting & Newton Heath (Manchester, UK) Recorded Interview Material: Jenna C. Ashton & Kevin Malone Photography: Jenna C. Ashton "Streets Like These" words & music by Kevin Burke, performed by Kevin Burke. Streets Like These Animations are part of the UK Climate Resilience Programme project: "Community Climate Resilience through Folk Pageantry" (Creative Climate Resilience). Funds provided by AHRC/Met Office (AH/V003186/1) & SPF UK Climate Resilience Programme (NE/S017321/1). 
Type Of Art Film/Video/Animation 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Will be included in the final toolkit. To be widely shared at 2023 final event. Insights informing local climate action planning. 
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQTeLLDXmBY
 
Title Streets Like These (song) 
Description Song composed for pageant. 
Type Of Art Composition/Score 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Inclusion in pageant; supporting artist development 
 
Title The Ballad of St George 
Description 1,963 word Ballad, eco re-writing of story of St George. Published with Manchester ShockCity zine, issue "Toxicity" 2022. To be republished in academic chapter, 2023/24. 
Type Of Art Creative Writing 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Informing the script and dramaturgy of the final project Pageant, 2023. To be included within next St George's Day Parade performance, 2023. 
 
Title Wish Me Luck 
Description Song for pageant 
Type Of Art Composition/Score 
Year Produced 2023 
Impact Inclusion in pageant; supporting artist development 
 
Description The award finished in August 2023, so analysis is still ongoing.

The research methodology employed parallel methods of a socially engaged arts practice to research community climate resilience in neighbourhoods of Miles Platting and Newton Heath, Manchester. The findings will be discussed in depth in the project book > "Urban Communities and Climate Justice: Insights from Arts Practice Research" (BUP, 2025).

BOOK STRUCTURE

SECTION 1 - PRACTICES

"Practices" offers a deep dive into the arts practices of the project that sit at the centre of the APR methodology. In each chapter an analysis is undertaken of the material production and creative outputs of the project, and how these function as cultural objects within this place and context, and tools of research enquiry.
-Pageantry, Puppetry, Parading
-Creative Writing, Narrative, and Script
-Voice Prosody, Song, Orchestral Composition
-Illustration and Animation

SECTION 2 - WAYS OF KNOWING

"Ways of Knowing" unpacks the methods of manifesting socially engaged APR and knowledge in-place, and what these processes contribute for embodied application of making and coming to know community economies, relationships, knowledge, and skills.
-Creatively Exploring and Interpreting Place
-The Arts Workshop
-Embedded Residency
-Campaigning, Complaining, Fundraising

SECTION 3 - INSIGHTS

"Insights" draws out the very specific learning from the research in relation to wider disciplinary discourses on urban resilience, community action, and social justice, and where future APR and design activism can find a role. (Subsections to be decided during analysis).

CONCLUSION - Unexpected Outcomes and Transferability of Arts Practice Research

The conclusion reflects on unexpected outcomes which emerged during the research, which don't fit into previous section discussions. In particular, the conclusion offers suggestions for transferability and inclusion of APR practices and ways of knowing within urban political economies and community-based environmental action.

Resident awareness of risks and resilience under climate change:

The themed workshops, interviews, artist residencies, and the many conversations within the neighbourhoods in Miles Platting and Newton Heath, enabled us to tap into core areas of "risk" as a topic without alarming people. Food, energy, heat and flooding, health and mobility, transport, displacement, poverty, security, housing, and protecting biodiversity (or "nature") were all themes readily offered by residents themselves; issues they were clearly aware of or had experience of trying to mitigate or adapt to. Notably, these issues weren't always connected to "climate change", but as free-standing topics which we identified as important to residents over the course of the project - and then manifest via the Pageant and other arts outcomes.

The environmental actions already being taken by residents are prominent in the areas of greening or gardening, food waste, recycling, litter picking - all actions that people can feel most "in control" of. The need for environmental education and skills support for young people was raised by most adults. Many people expressed disillusionment with politics or the dissatisfaction with the support they perceive their neighbourhoods receive. Deeper tensions around processes of urban redevelopment frequently came to the fore.

Importantly, exactly how climate change will impact urban neighbourhoods is still very abstract and unclear to most residents we engaged with. Even with the most environmentally aware residents, climate change is still perceived on the level of "floods and fire", as opposed to the detailed risks pose to physical and mental health through urban heat, food and water shortages, increased diseases, social conflicts, unstable energy supplies etc. To a large extent, the climate communications and programmes from the City (such as In Our Nature) are not exploring with residents joined-up solutions to these core issues. Actions are not utilising neighbourhood sustainability design practices. More could be done at a neighbourhood level to identify and connect how "activity" contributes clearly to emissions mitigation or to adaptation strategies, and to redirect peoples' energies if this isn't obvious. However, activity in general does contribute to supporting people form an "environmental identity" which is a crucial first step in bringing people on board with more radical adaptation or mitigation requirements. Given the mounting risk to cities from climate warming and biodiversity loss, the focus of activity may need to "shift up a gear", so to speak.

We noted the huge impact on current resident resilience of social spaces such as the Apostles (Ridgway Street) working in collaboration with community development support (CLASS), and multiple partnership working (e.g. Social Supermarket, Greater Together Manchester). The Newton Heath Library is also an excellent example of a local authority community asset with brilliant staff knowledge and attitudes. These community assets, and their connected community champions, confidently express engagement with climate change issues, and project an organisational "environmental identity". (Note, community libraries are an under-used resource for climate resilience planning.)

However, on an individual and family level, many additional life pressures and stresses make it difficult for people to be confident in claiming an "environmental identity" - in other words, stating publicly in wider social circles, that they care about ecological issues and want to be part of community action. As we observed in the project, sustained arts engagement can help build this confidence.

Next stages of research analysis:

Drawing on frameworks from conservation psychology, and behaviour and learning theories, we will be diving into specific case studies (individuals, families, and partners) of journeys of participation in the project. This is to better understand the complexities of:

? motivations for participating
? mechanisms for participating
? emotional and learning expression during participation
? social influence/ environmental influences
? gaps between ideals and actions
? how the arts practices and spaces enabled the above, or mitigated barriers.
Community studies and psychology research shows us that people tend to protect or care for the things, ideas, places, and people they form emotional attachments to (for better or worse). Why and how they form attachments is complex. An important first step, then, in supporting people to develop an "environmental identity" is to enable opportunities for attachments to take place. The arts can be a facilitator for opportunities to connect into ecological-related issues - especially if people have not overtly already taken an interest. Importantly, we have case studies within the project that can evidence the strengthening of a public environmental identity through our arts activity. For others already more environmentally aware, a public arts programme around these issues helps to reinforce the value placed on that identity and action, and supports social influence. Again, we can evidence this in case studies from the project. Arts can connect between lived experiences, emotions, uncertainty, and new skills development to empower people to build an environmental identity, enabling them to feel capable of making space in an already stressful life to think through the challenges of climate and ecological risks.

We identified differences between the types of communities formed across Miles Platting and Newton Heath - impacted by different geographies, spaces for social gathering, redevelopment, and social infrastructure. Our engagement across the ward differed in terms of activities undertaken and how time was spent with groups and individuals, and in which particular spaces. These differences of place will be teased out in the research analysis for how they potentially impact resilience of these neighbourhoods moving forwards.
Exploitation Route The insights and findings continue to shape and inform the local authority Miles Platting and Newton Heath Climate Action Plan and service-providers practice.

The project outputs are used at a community level.

The project is leading to other legacy programmes of community-led work.
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Communities and Social Services/Policy

Creative Economy

Education

Environment

Healthcare

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism

Government

Democracy and Justice

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections

URL https://creative-climate-resilience.org/
 
Description By Local Authority policy and practice. By community-led/resident-led action groups. By service providers.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description Miles Platting and Newton Heath Climate Action Plan, Manchester City Council
Geographic Reach Local/Municipal/Regional 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact More info to follow.
 
Description Greater Manchester Environment Fund, "MPCAN - Miles Platting Wildlife Corridor"
Amount £40,000 (GBP)
Organisation Greater Manchester Combined Authority 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2023 
End 10/2024
 
Description Social Responsibility Fund
Amount £2,966 (GBP)
Organisation University of Manchester 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2023 
End 07/2023
 
Description Social Responsibility Fund
Amount £2,957 (GBP)
Organisation University of Manchester 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2022 
End 07/2022
 
Description Suraje Dessai - UK Climate Resilience Champion
Amount £1,213,732 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/S017321/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2019 
End 05/2023
 
Description Commissioned participant, Diversity in the Environment Hackathon, IYP Collective and Esmee Fairbairn 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Involving Young People Collective (IYPC) together with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Hudl Youth Development Agency - a Hackathon centred around addressing the lack of diversity within the environmental sector.

https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/latest-news/hackathon-addressing-lack-diversity-environment-sector/
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/latest-news/addressing-lack-diversity-environment-sector/
 
Description Commissioned workshop on heritage studies practice and theory: National Youth Theatre UK, project "Silent Statues" aged 14 - 25 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Context: National Youth Theatre and TikTok collaboration to bring theatre to new audiences, showcase and support the talent of young actors through the Future Theatres Fund and the idea behind their new Silent Statues campaign.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://vod.voxburner.com/programs/nyt-tiktok-v1mov-8439b6
 
Description Creativity and Climate Justice at Manchester Climate Change Youth Board Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Event info: https://www.manchesterclimate.com/events/youth-climate-change-conference
Delivery of three sessions on "Creativity and Climate Justice" for youth attendees.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.manchesterclimate.com/events/youth-climate-change-conference
 
Description Ecologies and Communities: Heritage as a social and multi - species practice , for the Scottish Civic Trust 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Talk part of Heritage, Equity, and the Climate Crisis: Scottish Civic Trust lecture series, to coincide with COP26.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zicUPbt85PE
 
Description Interview "I'm committed to art that does something ", Green New Deal Podcast 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact One-hour long interview and conversation on creative research on community climate resilience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://open.spotify.com/episode/1jhQ6tZWSO0RID2WGEAqSp
 
Description Invited Chair at BlueDot festival 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Invited Chair in-conversation with Prof Carly McLachlan, Tyndall Centre.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.discoverthebluedot.com/profile/carly-mclachlan/
 
Description Invited Chair for Manchester Histories Festival 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Invited Chair in-conversation with author Celeste Hicks on her book "Expansion Rebellion", MUP.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/expansion-rebellion-celeste-hicks-tickets-329482640447
 
Description Invited guest - BBC Radio 3, Free Thinking, "Can Arts Help Save the Planet?" 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough brings together a curator, researchers and artists Olafur Eliasson's, Lucy Neal, Wayne Binitie, and Dr Jenna C. Ashton.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000wlkc
 
Description Invited panel member on place - based approaches. For Creative Europe, Creative Carbon Scotland, Scottish Government: Cultural Adaptations conference. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact An international conference.
Cultural Adaptations is creating new knowledge, skills and opportunities for cultural and adaptation practitioners and policy makers. From 2 to 5 March 2021 we hosted a four-day virtual conference to share this learning and produce online toolkits to support those undertaking adaptation within their organisation or within their city region.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.culturaladaptations.com/
 
Description Living with Loss in the City: Implications for Age Friendly Communities for GMCVO & Ambition for Ageing 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Seminar explored the complexity of loss as perception and lived reality in the city, and its implications for health and civic participation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s31cNioZk8
 
Description Manchester Festival of Climate Action : Day 4: collaboration/ culture (University of Manchester) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact General contribution to discussion.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.manchester.ac.uk/climate-festival/
 
Description Manchester Histories Festival 2022 (focus on climate change) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A formal advisory group role for 2022 festival supporting planning, development, content decisions, and supporting evaluation.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://manchesterhistories.co.uk/our-festival/manchester-histories-festival-2022/
 
Description Manchester Histories Salons: Environmental Campaigning and Access to Green Spaces - for Manchester Histories Festival 2021 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Discussion on the history of environmental campaigning and the demand for urban green spaces from the beginnings of industrialisation to today. Dr Jenna Ashton is in conversation with Helena Craig, retired lawyer, birder, committed conservationist and Chair of Black2Nature.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtjBdF1ib30&t=21s
 
Description Socially engaged arts -based research methods at Aberdeen Robert Gordon University. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Contribution to PGT research methodologies session at Aberdeen Robert Gordon University.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Talk on place - based community climate resilience for Talking Place Symposium 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Three-day conversation about place and creativity.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://womentalkplace.com/