14 days ago it was finally decided that we were to contribute to the Climate Talks held in Barcelona – a 7 days negotiation process leading up to COP15. As a support team of WWF we traveled to Barcelona bringing a lot of ideas and concepts to try out: Ways in which we could apply visual language, visual thinking and visual practice to stimulate the negotiators. We figured that the complex issues of climate change could use a bit of visuals – in order for people to better see what each other means. We have engaged with our colleagues around the world to support these efforts. The above slideshow gives examples of all the ways in which we have “engaged with the Climate talks”. This document now serves as a catalogue which various parties the coming weeks will look at decide how much of it we will also contribute with at the final negotiations in Copenhagen December 8th to 18th.

Here is the third set of slides coming from the global network of visual practitioners.
These are made by:
* Julian Burton, UK
* Nancy Marguliese, US

We are now back home from Barcelona. More visuals and examples will come. The above is the second compilation. This has been made by:
* Avril Orloff, Canada
* Katrine Nygaard, Denmark
* Reinhard Kuchenmüller, Germany/Italy
* Harry van der Velde, the Netherlands
* Brandy Agerbeck, US
* Thomas Thorhauge, Denmark
* Erik Petri, Denmark

During the last 4 days we have tried experimented with making sketches for WWF’s suggestion for 10 steps for succes in Copenhagen.

We have also invited a global network of visual thinkers and practitioners to join and come up with more version. These will be posted shortly.

We are now on 3rd day of the negotiations and things are getting more and more tense. It will become politics tomorrow and probably some will show new positions. We have made visuals and Stine is in the middle og making a stand, where people can have dialogues.

Update
Last Thursday 4pm we finally got lucky. We have been invited to join WWF international in their work in relation to the ongoing negotiations leading up to COP15 in Copenhagen December 8th to 18th.

Read this post – and get back to us – if you in some way would be able to be involved the coming 4 days:

COP 15 is going to substitute the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012. The Barcelona Climate Talks are is final “working conference”.

We are on the team of “WWF observers” as “visualisers” basically running around the conference center in Barcelona. We have been here since Friday supporting WWF in their preparation for the 5 days (mon-fri). We participate in WWF morning and evening meetings where 50+ WWF’ers discuss how to influence the negotiations. We will each day walk around in this huge space and visualize the process of the negotiations, facilitate dialogues on the floor…etc. We are supporting WWF putting together powerful visuals which can explain what the talks are about (see from their view)– so that “even your grandmother will get it”. We are meeting and talking with many of the players here, spreading the word about how visual facilitation, graphic recording and other visual support can inspire the negotiations. We are having conversations with the organizers of COP15 of Copenhagen about how we of how we may involve a larger crew in Copenhagen.

A possibility to contribute
As many of you know, I have over the last 2 years on various occasions voiced the question: “If we (the visual community) is what the world has been waiting for, what might be our unique contribution?”.

I have invited everyone to join the effort, but have been silent. Reason – we have tried and tried to find a platform. This now is happening. And I am hoping you’d be interested in jumping in.

The first task
Today WWF will communicate what they see as 10 steps towards Copenhagen. It is a A3 document with 10 statements (see this PDF).

Next task
We are forming a wish list – which we will communicate – and invite you to try visualize.

More tasks
May come – and you are welcome to brainstorm.

The setup in Barcelona
This is a pilot! This means we are testing and trying out as much as possible to inform what we can do more of at COP15. We do not have the answers to many questions. Rather than just being the two of us, we have suggested that we start engaging those of you out there who’d like to join and explore. This is why you we are now posting this on our blog.

Your contribution
To those of you who have time, motivation and interest in joining this pilot, we today will start sending mails and blogrequest about what needs to be visualized (we have asked all WWF participants to describe what they need to have a visual for).

You send us examples (fast sketches in JPG, TIFF, PDF) of visuals which explain the text (a word, situation, concept). As a start send it to us in a PPT and in both color and black and white. We will print them out and post them around the WWF stand – and any space we can conquer.

The illustrations are also put on WWF website and our blog (after having gone through a review by WWF – see below).

Make sure that your name is visible on the drawings you send (that is the most visible reference you will get – but do not make it be too big a part of the picture (See the examples we further below this blog).

We and WWF will do our best to get it a reference list up on the WWF website. The wish is for your name and website to be listed and that it says that you have contributed to the Barcelona Talks.

The visuals you send you will not keep the copyright for. It will be open source and available for anyone to use. We will be working on applying a standard Creative Commons ‘Attribution, Share-Alike’ license (Thank you Roy!).

If parts and bits of the visuals which come in can be used to create a new visual, we, WWF, you and others can do this.

Together with WWF communication we go through material and decide what can be used (this means that WWF has a say if there are visuals which are either controversial, or not reflecting the main meaning intended in the message).

We (Bigger Picture) will publish as much as possible on the Bigger Picture Blog. You are welcome to publish any of this to your own blogs and websites – and spread the word.

You are welcome to post on your own media the following: “I / We are supporting WWF with creating powerful visual language which can inspire and vitalize the climate change negotiations in Barcelona and potentially COP15”.

Risks
It could turn out to be nothing but: your time will have been used to inspire some or maybe many with one or more visuals.

Opportunity
It turns out that the network of NGO pull together funds and a budget allowing a group of (5-10-15) visual practitioners to come to COP15 for 15 days. You may be involved virtually to contribute and/ or to come to Copenhagen and contribute to the various ways in which we find out can create value inside and outside the negotiations.

Please post if you might be able to come to Copenhagen from Dec 6th to 18th?

We hope this is inspiring and transparent. We will try to answer any questions you may have. Looking forward to hear from you.

There is a group of Danish Cartoonists who has created this site where they from now on and up to the COP15 will post illustrations and cartoons. We hope to engage with the group in terms of some of the events we will be partcipating in. Thanks to Erik Petri for the link.

We are always on the lookout for strong visual language which can help people have great dialogues about complex issues. Thanks to Simon from the Kaospilots we got to know of the GreenMap project. They simply make map and icons for green issues.

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

Leo Murray is an animator of the fiction documentary ‘The Age of Stupid’. He has created this thought provoking visual story: ‘Wake Up, Freak Out’. It is based on scientific reports and tells a powerful story. It calls for reflection and action. We believe there is a role to play for visual thinkers and practiotioners to use visual language to get collective thinking and action going. What do you think?

The next four months Copenhagen is buzzing with activities, events, projects etc which all lead up to COP 15. There is a lot of data, information and communication out there. Some of it is scary, some confusing and some inspiring. The Co2penhagen Festival is of the inspiring kind: A positive approach. The entire communication and visual language signals that we can have fun and support each other while doing something good for the climate. This weekend we will try to find ways of contributing visually to the event – be it the concerts, the talks…or something else. Got any ideas?