Artists consider queer theory and climate emergency at Serpentine festival

Do you want to explore the links between “queerness, the natural, the unnatural and the wild”? Then head to Queer Earth and Liquid Matters this weekend (16-17 July) at Stone Nest (136 Shaftesbury Avenue, London), an event organised by Serpentine Galleries, Stone Nest and Queercircle that delves into the fertile and fascinating field of queer ecology. Talks, performances and screenings will shed light on “decolonial, indigenous and submerged perspectives on the climate crisis”, connecting queer theory with environmental activism.

Kostas Stasinopoulos, associate curator, live programmes at Serpentine, says in a statement: “[The festival] brings together different voices and experiences of the climate emergency from around the world, in the hope of creating more connections in the present and inspiring new ways of coming together in the future.” Highlights include Chilean artist Seba Calfuqueo’s live art piece Flowing like waterfalls, which presents “the vision and sound of a waterfall through the body”, drawing on the Mapuche story of Copihue and Llancalahuen, two native Chilean plants.

The upcoming eco festival accompanies another important Serpentine initiative, the podcast Queer Currents which invites listeners to ponder on big issues (“How can we think about decolonisation and queerness together?”). Queer Earth and Liquid Matters also forms part of the Serpentine’s long-term Back to Earth programme centred on the ongoing climate emergency (an exhibition linked to the programme runs at Serpentine North featuring artists such as Brian Eno and Dineo Seshee Bopape, until 18 September).