How will rising sea levels affect the lives of people in coastal cities here and around the world? How can we adapt to the climate crisis – not just technically, but also socially and emotionally? What images, stories and rituals can we draw on?

The art-science project "Sinking Cities: Cultural Heritage as a Transformational Resource" examines how cultural heritage is currently mobilised as a resource in adaptation processes, what effects this mobilisation has and where unused potential lies. Funded by Volkswagen Foundation, this transdisciplinary two-year research project builds on an international network of cultural institutions in coastal metropolises. „Sinking Cities“ will develop and conduct real life laboratories in Jakarta (IDN), Alexandria (EGY) and Bremen (GER).

The cities of Jakarta, Alexandria and Bremen share the imminent threat of rising sea level induced by global warming: While in Jakarta plans for managed retreat are already under way, Alexandria's historic heritage is gradually sacrificed for existential protection measures and Bremen's population struggles to adapt to regular and increasing floods as opposed to isolated extreme weather events. All three cities are also important maritime centers with a strong urban identity and cultural heritage of living and dealing with extreme weather events and flooding, in the case of Alexandria as long back as 100 BCE.

The project directs attention to the existing local and indigenous knowledge and strategies for dealing with climate change and extreme weather in the very communities most affected by the immediate effects of global warming. It investigates how cultural actors employ local as well as translocal themes, forms and traditions, built on and develop social networks for production and engage with local communities. It further looks at the cultural dynamics in the local communities in regard to transformation challenges the communities face and how these challenges are integrated in their cultural heritage.

This two-year project combines the skills of cultural actors in three countries with the scientific expertise with Research Institute for Sustainability Potsdam (RIFS) with partners Rujak Center for Social Research, B’sarya for Arts and Schwankhalle to generate valuable scientific knowledge through cultural events. The project aims to generate new insights into the intersection of culture and climate adaptation and formulate best practice examples for sustainable and socially integrated climate adaptation to be shared and followed.

Please contact Hilke Berger or Annika Kühn for more information about the project.