Contextual Matters

 

The Concert for a Sustainable Planet at Carnegie Hall, New York on the Eve of the 72nd UN General Assembly set out to 'inspire hope, dedication, and commitment among groups of people worldwide to build a better planet together and foster positive changes in society'. Benedikt co-curated the concert and together with the composer Merlijn Twalfhoven and the choreographer Mimmo Miccolis presented te piece Contextual Matters. 

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No scientific assessment to date had established the feasibility of implementing all 17 goals—ranging from ending poverty to protecting ecosystems—which were adopted by the 193 UN Member States in 2015.  In the absence of scientific data, one aspect, however, was clear: humanity can only succeed in tackling these challenges through global cooperation. 

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Contextual Matters captures the parallels between the macrocosm of global cooperation needed for SDG implementation and the microcosm of artistic collaboration required for a flawless performance. After all, to succeed in their craft, artists must cooperate at all times. Musicians need to know their instrument, study the score, listen to each other, not play too soft or too loud, or too fast or too slow, and always pay attention to the conductor’s direction. Meanwhile, choreographers need to create movement that embodies the music, and dancers must not only precisely execute the choreography, but also to respond to each other, consistently adapting to—and balancing out—the imperfections that inevitably arise.

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Detailed documentation is available HERE.