Significantus
A keyboard conversation about climate change
"The single most powerful thing an individual can do about
climate change is to talk about it." (George Marshall)
Significantus is a piano and spoken word project created by Lola Perrin.
Her latest piano suite, inspired by writings about climate change, is performed in collaboration with expert guest speakers (economists, lawyers, scientists,
artists and other thinkers) and also features a conversation with the audience.
COMPOSER STATEMENT
"Currently the target set by the Paris Agreement to keep the temperature rise to under two degrees will not be met because the rate at which we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions is too slow.
I created Significantus, a keyboard conversation about climate change, because I want to stimulate more people to talk about how we can increase our ambition to deal with global warming.
Significantus features a thirty minute performance of my specially composed piano suite, followed by a talk delivered by a guest speaker. Economists, scientists, artists and other thinkers respond, as I have in music, to the notion that "talking about a world that has risen to the challenge of climate change is an exciting opportunity" (Paul Allen, Centre for Alternative Technology).
A conversation (not a Q&A) with the audience follows, creating an opportunity for audience members to talk with each other about what they've just heard. Questions audience members may have are answered by others in the audience. Comments, thoughts and responses are shared.
After the conversation, a final piano piece is performed. And thus, the conversation is symbolically placed at the heart of the music performance; symbolic because I believe talking about climate change needs to move into the centre of everything we're doing." (Lola Perrin)
MEDIA
