Ackroyd & Harvey

In recent months, we have been working with Culture Declares Emergency, co-curating and facilitating The Offer, a virtual space for the CDE community that evolved in response to the coronavirus and its devasting impact on society and the cultural/creative community. The vision with Culture Declares Emergency is to grow into a global movement, beginning with artists and creative individuals joining from Germany, Portugal, Australia, and elsewhere.

“There is no doubt. Humanity faces the combined catastrophes of climate change, a mass extinction of vital biodiversity, and a degradation of ecosystems. We invite you to join us.” Culture Declares Emergency, 2019.

The artistic duo Ackroyd & Harvey are known for their multidisciplinary works that intersect art, activism, architecture, ecology, and history. They have been collaborating since 1990 to explore themes including growth, transformation, and decay through a variety of media including sculpture, photography, architecture, and site-specific installations. Interaction with scientists is often key to Ackroyd & Harvey’s artistic practices. Over 20 years ago, the duo initiated groundbreaking research with the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (now IBERS). Additionally, they have made a series of expeditions to the High Arctic with the Cape Farewell project to look at the effects of climate change on the ecosystem. In 2018 they participated in a residency at the Spencer Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibition Big Botany: Conversations with the Plant World. Since then they have been active as co-founders of Culture Declares Emergency, an activist community of artists and cultural workers based in the U.K. with an international membership. This initiative was launched on April 3, 2019, when artists and cultural workers, led by a white horse, entered the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern to declare a climate and ecological emergency.