The world's polar regions are in crisis, warming faster than any area on Earth. The Antarctic and Arctic are seeing ocean and air temperature rise twice as fast as elsewhere. Meanwhile, the neglected Third Pole, the Himalaya-Hindu Kush mountain range and Tibetan Plateau, called the Water Tower of Asia and sustaining two billion people in the region, is experiencing 80% glacier retreat.

How does art respond to catastrophe? At London Climate Action Week, join us for a conversation with three leading female artists using a variety of media for insights from their recent projects in the Antarctic and Arctic respectively.

Polly Townsend, was recently Artist-in-Residence in Antarctica with the Royal Navy and has produced spellbinding oil and charcoal tableaux of the landscape. Alice Boyd, composer, sound designer and Artist-in-Residence at the Eden Project, has recently collaborated with filmmaker, Michelle Sanders, on the Arctic Ice film project. Moderating the conversation will be broadcaster and journalist, Isabel Hilton, who has long explored these themes as founder and former editor-in-chief of China Dialogue and The Third Pole.

  • DiscussionArt installation of inflatable silver gorilla.

    Fabricating futures: textiles, sustainability, and the cultural fabric of tomorrow

    Inspired by Lisa Roet’s dramatic 13m great ape installation on the Society’s building, this series of talks will explore how fabric, one of humanity’s oldest technologies, is being reimagined through art, fashion and design for regenerative futures.

    £5.00 - £12.00
  • WorkshopThree seals on a small iceberg in the middle of the sea with snow-covered mountain in the background

    Summit Photo 2025 - info and tickets

    This September, join us for Summit Photo, your unique chance to hear from renowned photographers. Book tickets for one day, two days, or the entire weekend.

    £22.50 - £75.00
  • DiscussionGlobe with sad face added on amongst global warming and climate change rally.

    Climate action in an age of rising populism

    As far-right movements gain ground across Europe and the US, what’s at stake for environmental policy? Join experts for a discussion on sustaining climate action amid political shifts on both sides of the Atlantic.

    £5.00 - £12.00