Sami artists first out in the world’s largest climate performance
Over 900 people have signed up for the world’s largest climate performance – Run For Your Life, organized by Riksteatern. Former television meteorologist Pär Holmgren, political scientist Jenny Madestam and artist Emil Jensen are among the participants.
On November 9th, Sami artist Jenni Laiti and poet Mimie Märak stand on the start line in Kiruna, carrying a rock – a precious symbol in Sami culture. The rock will be passed on to the next runner and then the next, and so on all the way down to Paris.
Laiti and Märak are the first in a wide range of participants in the world’s largest climate performance – Run For Your Life – which Riksteatern stages together with several major environmental organizations. 1 000 people will run 4 500 kilometers for 20 days – around the clock – all the way down to Paris and the climate summit COP21. So far, over 900 people have signed up.
- The mission of art is never to be a mediator for science. We do not work with facts, nor with simple communicative slogans or quick fixes, we do not collect names. What we can do is try to give the climate issue a body, a face and a story. Or as in Run For Your Life – 1000 bodies, 1000 faces, 1000 stories. If we succeed, we might affect people. And if people are affected, they might go out and do something, Lisa Färnström says, artistic director of Run For Your Life.
The race will be filmed and broadcast live on runforyourlife.nu. Each participant will tell their own story and personal reason for participating in the climate performance.
TV meteorologists, boxers and poets among the participants
Arriving in Paris, the race merges with Global Climate March – a global movement for climate justice. Run For Your Life's final stretch thus becomes the official start of the Global Climate March in Paris.
In September last year, Global Climate March gathered over 400 000 people in New York. The ambition is that the march in Paris will be even greater.
The 900 registered Run For Your Life participants include former SVT meteorologist Pär Holmgren, political scientist Jenny Madestam, the world champion in boxing Mikaela Laurén, artist Emil Jensen, armwrestler Heidi Andersson, runner Anders Szalkai and poet Daniel Boyacioglu.
Artistic direction:Lisa Färnström. Lisa Färnström is a director and is trained in theater directing at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. Lisa has worked with the climate issue in performances such as Rörelsen in collaboration with Teater Tribunalen, Privatteatern and DI.
Tour schedule: November 9-29th, from Kiruna to Paris
Selection of partners: 350.org , Jordens vänner, Naturskyddsföreningen, PUSH Sverige, WWF, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, Supermiljöbloggen, Klimatmagasinet Effekt, Klimataktion, Greenpeace, etc.
Selection of participants:
Mikaela Laurén, boxer
Promoe, artist
Gustav Bergman och Helena Jansson, world champions in orienteering
Mimie Märak, poet, activist, actress
Heidi Andersson, armwrestler
Lena Endre, actress
Sverker Sörlin, professor of environmental history (KTH)
Jenny Madestam, political scientist
Pär Holmgren, former meteorologist at SVT
Daniel Boyacioglu, poet and firefighter
Anders Szalkai, fitness expert
Andrea Edwards, actress
ÖFAkollektivet, artist collective
Emil Jensen, poet and artist
Barbados, band
Elisabeth Olsson Wallin, photographer
Ulrika Westerlund, chairman RFSL
Read more here.
Upload press photos here.
See trailer here.
Contact:
Gilda Romero
Press Officer Riksteatern
Tel: 073-764 43 83
gilda.romero@riksteatern.se
Om Riksteatern
Riksteatern är en folkrörelse som äger en turnerande nationalscen. Över 40 000 medlemmar, 230 Riksteaterföreningar, 21 regionala föreningar och 50 ansluta organisationer i hela Sverige är en del av Riksteatern som arrangerar, förmedlar, producerar och utvecklar scenkonst. Riksteaterns vision är scenkonst som sätter tankar och känslor i rörelse – för alla överallt. Riksteatern medverkar till fler än en miljon scenkonstbesök per år och har också en omfattande internationell verksamhet, bland annat ett flerårigt samarbete med teatrar i Finland. Riksteaterns Tyst Teater har sedan 1977 spelat teater för döva och hörande barn, unga och vuxna. Södra Teatern AB är ett dotterbolag till Riksteatern och Cullbergbaletten är också en del av Riksteatern. Magnus Aspegren är vd för Riksteatern.
