Committee on Climate Change

Mark Edwards is one of the few environmental communicators to have personally witnessed the global issues that are defining the 21st century. Assignments for magazines, NGOs and United Nations agencies have taken him to over 150 countries. One of the most widely published photographers in the world; his pictures are collected and exhibited by museums and art galleries in Europe and the US and by private collectors. Hard Rain, a collaboration with Bob Dylan, is his current project. UNEP added Mark’s name to the Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1990 and the Royal Geographic Society awarded him the Cherry Kearton Medal at the Earth Summit in 1992. In 2009 The Royal Photographic Society awarded Mark and Bob Dylan the Terence Donovan Award.

Q1/ How much do you think artistic responses to climate change and development issues can influence public and political attitudes?
We need artists of every discipline to use their skills to cast light on our failure of perception to understand the situation we’re in - to bring the uncertain future alive in our imaginations. Only symbolic language can bear the strain of a threat on the scale posed by climate change. So the answer is the arts world could have huge influence but most artists have not engaged with the issues yet. Cape Farewell has done a tremendous job taking artists to the Arctic – showing them the issues first hand. My friend Kenny Young has done an extraordinary job with his project, Artists Project Earth [APE]. He has bought musicians together to raise money for environmental projects and to publicize the issues. We have ideas at Hard Rain to bring in another group of artists so it will be interesting to share this with you a bit later on.

Q2/ How conscious were you that certain photographs, as you were taking them, would fit to certain lyrics of the song? Did you actively seek out photographs you thought would be suitable?
I only took one picture for the project – it’s the one that illustrates the line, “I saw a white ladder all covered in water”. I couldn’t think what picture would work against that line then I saw a church with a ladder made out of neon lights bolted to the tower - I was on a walk with friends. It was a sort of “ladder to heaven”, more than a bit heavy handed but the snap shot I took works OK in the exhibition. Dylan never includes that line in live versions by the way…

All the rest of the photographs were found in the editing room.  In fact since 2006 when we had the first Hard Rain exhibition I’ve been replacing my pictures with images by other photographers. I’m really pleased to bring in a community of photographers to the project but drawing on a much larger archive of images has greatly improved the display.

Q3/ What has been the most interesting and inspirational response to the hard rain project?
It’s not one response – its support and encouragement from people in all walks of life and from all over the world who have been touched by Hard Rain and who contact me to offer help in all kinds of ways. They have really given the project a lease of life. But if I had to single out one response then it’s from Bob Dylan and his management – they made the project possible and they keep very much in the background. When I had the idea to illustrate “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” it was only to show my friends - I never dreamed I’d get permission to use the lyric. But I showed a friend who had just met Dylan’s manager. He sent the pdf to him and he liked it and everything that has happened has resulted from that. So the lesson in this story is, if you don’t ask the answer is always no!!
Can I mention another couple of turning points for the project? Tim Smit at Eden who saw the pdf and immediately agreed to show it and Dag Jonzon at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency {Sida] saw Hard Rain more recently and arranged to take it to every town in Sweden as part of a programme to inform Swedish citizens about the issues highlighted in the exhibition. Their support has been invaluable in taking the exhibition to another level.

Q4/ Has Bob Dylan seen the film?
I understand Bob Dylan has to approve any substantial use of his work. I understand he has seen it and likes the project and he has had copies of the book of course.
 

Q5/ What is the future work of the hard rain project?
Well we are working on exhibitions in the lead up to Rio+20. We hope to have 10 or more displays in principle cities around the world – each with concerts and poetry readings and talks by decision makers. I’ll let you know as the programme emerges. Lloyd Timberlake and I are just finishing the new exhibition, “Whole Earth? aligning human systems and natural systems”. It shows solutions that are available if we can get the public to support governments to scale these solutions up.

After Rio+20 we will take Hard Rain: Whole Earth? to every university in the UK - and beyond - with a supporting programme of workshops and talks. We are fundraising for this but some universities are not going to wait – they are booking us now! Lloyd and I are just about to start work on a third exhibition but that’s a year off. I also mentioned an idea I have to engage more people in the arts world and somehow we have to fund all this!! That is the real challenge…

Mark Edwards will be speaking at a public event at the London School of Economics on 9th Feb 2012. This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For any queries email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 020 7955 6043

About the project:  http://www.hardrainproject.com/ 

Russel Bishop and Alex Kazaglis from the CCC will be running the Paris Marathon in April to fundraise for the Hard Rain Project. If you would like to read more about their race or sponsor them please visit http://www.justgiving.com/hardrainproject