Please join The Commonwealth Club of California and UC Berkeley’s Townsend Center for the Humanities for the second in a series of dialogues on catastrophe, storytelling and the present

Please join The Commonwealth Club of California and UC Berkeley’s Townsend Center for the Humanities for the second in a series of dialogues on catastrophe, storytelling and the present moment. In “Climate Change and Sacred Groves,” Townsend Center scholar Sugata Ray will meet with visual artist Ranu Mukherjee to investigate the relationship between the natural world and the sacred realm, especially as it has developed in India over the last several centuries of civilization and the rise of the Anthropocene era.

In his most recent book, Climate Change and the Art of Devotion, Sugata shows how a site-specific and ecologically grounded theology emerged in northern India in the wake of the Little Ice Age (ca. 1550–1850), an epoch marked by climatic catastrophes across the globe. His interests dovetail in unexpected and compelling ways with Ranu’s visionary and captivating recent work, which positions the banyan tree as a meeting point between ecology and culture. Their conversation will be an opportunity for viewers to contemplate and rethink the role of art as it relates to contemporary concerns around climate, disease, human flourishing and the sacred.

Sugata Ray is associate professor of South and Southeast Asian art in the History of Art Department at the University of California, Berkeley. His research and writing focus on climate change and the visual arts from the 1500s onward. Ray is the author of Climate Change and the Art of Devotion: Geoaesthetics in the Land of Krishna, 1550–1850 (2019); Water Histories of South Asia: The Materiality of Liquescence (2019; coedited); and Ecologies, Aesthetics, and Histories of Art (forthcoming; coedited).

Ranu Mukherjee is a visual artist who makes paintings, animations and large-scale installations. Her current work focuses on shifting senses of ecology, non-human agency, diaspora, migration and transnational feminist experience. Her most recent installation was presented at the ecologically focused 2019 Karachi Biennale; she has exhibited solo at the San Jose Museum of Art, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the Asian Art Museum, and the de Young Museum. She is an associate professor in graduate fine art at the California College of the Arts. Mukherjee is represented by Gallery Wendi Norris.

NOTES
Artwork from The Met (in public domain): "Krishna and Balarama by a River: Page from a Dispersed Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu)"

Part one in this series, “The Book of Exodus,” can be viewed here


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New York, NY, October 10, 2018 — Since the creation of earth, water and crystals have woven a billion-years-long tapestry that has captured the

New York, NY, October 10, 2018 — Since the creation of earth, water and crystals have woven a billion-years-long tapestry that has captured the cycles of nature's evolution. It has observed the appearance of humans and their troubled, but fascinating, development and the energies and vibrations of everything that is part of this amazing eco-system.

Author Claudiu Murgan cleverly posits that water is a living, breathing life force in his latest book, Water Entanglement, a manifesto that brings awareness to the very real water crisis through an imaginative and engaging science fiction tale.

The story is set in 2055, when water, the primordial element that springs forth life, is waged in a fierce battle with those who've abused her, most notably greedy corporations that are pillaging the earth. Hayyin, the hidden identity of Cherry Mortinger, a limnologist (one who studies inland waters), is leading the revolution against the irresponsible companies. She sets out to prove that water indeed has a memory; that she's alive; and she's very, very angry. Can the human race survive such overwhelming rage?

Water Entanglement is the second book from author Claudiu Murgan. His first novel, The Decadence of Our Souls (September 2017), weaves a meaningful story of what can happen when a young, pure soul is tempted by the offerings of a technologically advanced society. The Decadence of Our Souls was translated in the Romanian language and published in Romania in June 2018. Water Entanglement is in the process of being translated and published in Romania by the end of 2018.
 
Murgan was born in Romania and has called Canada home since 1997. 

He started writing science fiction when he was 11 years old. Since then, he has met remarkable writers who have helped him improve his own trade. Murgan's experience in various industries such as IT, renewable energy, real estate and finance, have helped him create complex but real characters that brought forward meaningful messages. Murgan is also a member of the recently created Immigrant Writers Association, Toronto, Canada.
Fifty percent of the royalties from the book of the same title and generated online for Water Entanglement will benefit Project Aware – www.projectaware.org. 

Click on book cover to order from Amazon or visit your local bookstore. Thank you. 

The WSIS Prizes, recognizing innovative tech for sustainable development, were announced May 28, 2024, in Geneva. Projects from 18 countries received top honors for bridging the digital divide and

The WSIS Prizes, recognizing innovative tech for sustainable development, were announced May 28, 2024, in Geneva. Projects from 18 countries received top honors for bridging the digital divide and fostering digital inclusion, advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals. Indonesia's JaWAra Internet Sehat was a notable winner.

This project empowers young activists as local champions for bottom-up digital literacy education. Using cultural methods and online tools (e.g., a WhatsApp ChatBot https://s.id/kakinat), they teach combating hoaxes and digital security. From 2021-2022, 160 champions educated over 270,000 people across Indonesia. More details and resources are at https://jawara.internetsehat.id/.

On October 18, Dr. Sharon Blackie explored stories, myths, and archetypes, illustrating the transformative power of inner inquiry to shift the collective mindset. The interactive session

On October 18, Dr. Sharon Blackie explored stories, myths, and archetypes, illustrating the transformative power of inner inquiry to shift the collective mindset. The interactive session emphasized how solitude and nature deepen our sense of kinship, concluding with a challenge to consider foundational shifts for metamorphosis.

Dr. Blackie is an award-winning writer, psychologist, and mythologist, focusing on reimagining women's stories and the relevance of myths today. Learn more about her work: sharonblackie.net. Karen Doyle Grossman, Executive Director for the Garrison Institute, previously founded MicroMentor, the world's largest community of entrepreneurs and mentors: micromentor.org.