Act Now!

The Kulturzentrum Pavillon in Hannover is widely regarded as one of the most innovative cultural centres in northern Germany. For this project, it has teamed up with the organisation “Culture Declares Emergency” whose mission is to artistically respond to the climate crisis. With “Act Now!”, the cultural centre is producing a larger-scale, climate-neutral concert series for its main auditorium with an accompanying event programme.

The organisers have invited bands from the genres of indie pop, artcore and electro pop which have previously advocated public “climate action” and whose music is generally targeted at a younger audience. The team believes that the target audience would be particularly open to such an experiment, and if successful, the concept could be applied throughout the music branch. According to “Culture Declares Emergency”, projects like this which artistically examine aspects of the climate crisis can help inspire positive visions of the future.

The organisers have identified the audience’s arrival and departure and the consumption of electricity as the largest carbon emitters. To lessen this impact, several emissions-reducing approaches and concepts will be tested and practically rehearsed in the lead-up to the four concerts, such as having the bands use public transportation when travelling to the performance venue. To cut transport costs further, the backline, i.e. the technology required on site, will be rented in Hannover and provided to the bands. By partnering with Cinema del Sol, it will be possible to present the film screenings with solar energy. The project organisers are also planning to install so-called “energy floors” with which the audience can produce electricity simply by walking on them. The project is receiving support and advice by Scientists 4 Future.