A citywide climate conversation

The ark initiative enabled people across Sheffield to come together to have open conversations about the climate and nature crises.

This artist-led project co-hosted meals, workshops and events with community organisations including Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA), City of Sanctuary Sheffield, Foodhall, Blend Kitchen and Heeley City Farm. Participants from diverse backgrounds were encouraged to imagine how we can cope and even thrive as we face multiple challenges that will hit some communities harder than others.

These events, which were attended by more than 300 people as part of Sheffield Theatres’ Together in the City project in early 2022, allowed for conversation to grow and relationships to form. People were invited to share their places, their hopes and fears, and strategies for creating a better world. Using the mythical story of the ark surviving the flood as a way of thinking about the crises we face, people answered questions such as: ‘What does the flood mean for you?’, ‘How should we build our ark?’, and ‘What should we leave behind?’

Physical arks, made from found materials, were also created collaboratively by RESOLVE Collective at SADACCA. These striking sculptures travelled across the city to the Crucible Theatre where the project culminated in an on-stage conversation featuring the voices of people from across Sheffield, before widening the conversation out to the audience of more than 400 people, while many more listened to a live radio broadcast online.

Planning is under way for the ark project to be repeated in Bradford in 2024/25.

Photography: Becky Payne