Towards An Ecosocial Energy Transition: A Conversation and Manifesto

A discussion on the struggle for clean and just energy between artists, thinkers and activists.

In January 2020, Aerocene Pacha, a fuel-free hot air balloon, safely lifted a person into the sky and landed back on Earth, using only the power of sun and air. This moment was organised by artist Tomás Saraceno’s Aerocene Foundation in collaboration with representatives from the 33 Indigenous communities of the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin, in Northern Argentina. Aerocene Pacha’s launch drew attention to the devastating impacts of lithium extraction on the region’s human and more-than-human ecosystems, while proposing environmental and ethical commitments to the planet and its inhabitants. 

In conjunction with the exhibition Tomás Saraceno in Collaboration: Web(s) of Life, join a discussion about the struggles for environmental justice, land rights and a ‘just energy transition’ – an equitable and just approach to clean energy. Tomás Saraceno will be in conversation with Verónica Chávez, President of the Community of Santuario Tres Pozos; human rights lawyer Wolfgang Kaleck; writer Graciela Speranza; sociologist Maristella Svampa, co-author of the seminal 2023 “Manifesto for an Ecosocial Energy Transition from the Peoples of the South” as well as more guests to be announced. The evening will be moderated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine. 

Presented in collaboration with Goethe-Institut London. 

Tomás Saraceno in Collaboration: Web(s) of Life is a living, collaborative and multi-species exhibition that delves into how different life forms, technologies and energy systems are connected in the climate emergency. It features a range of artworks, prompts and experiences which extend past the walls of Serpentine South, into The Royal Parks and beyond. 

Working with various interspecies communities and living ecosystems, Tomás Saraceno (b.1973, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina) encourages visitors to consider the distant effects of local actions, digital interactions and consumer capitalism, and to look towards future ways of living together.