Please join us for a special evening of art, wine and conversation with award-winning marine environmentalist, Hugo Tagholm, and founder director of the Cohort 2040 project, Laurie Laybourn.

Reflecting on the idea of “Conserving Islands of Coherence in Oceans of Uncertainty”, Hugo and Laurie will explore the delicate balance between coastal conservation corridors and community and offer insights into the innovative approaches being pursued to preserve the interconnectedness of human and environmental health in these rich spaces.

Enjoy a special viewing of ‘Irapuru’, a group exhibition highlighting practices that articulate beauty from within contexts of socio-political complexity and struggle. The exhibition includes works by significant artists from the Continent including El Anatsui following his recent TATE Turbine Hall Commission, William Kentridge whose Royal Academy survey was a highlight in 2022, alongside the next generation greats from Africa, the African Diaspora and Latin America.

Date: 18 September, 2024

Time: 6pm

Location: Goodman Gallery, 26 Cork St, London W1S 3ND

Please send your RSVP to info@bitoutrust.org.

The evening is generously supported by Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve, pioneer of the silent safari and Delaire Graff Wines. Cheetah Plains have gifted a once in a lifetime opportunity to bid for a bespoke experience at their luxury game reserve where you can see the iconic Big Five, cheetah and African wild dog in the beautiful landscape of the Sabi Sand in South Africa.

The auction, in aid of the Bitou Community Foundation Trust, opens on September 1st and closes on October 31st, 2024. All proceeds will benefit the Trust, a registered charity in England and Wales, whose beneficiaries are working to conserve communities and coastal corridors in the Bitou region in the Western Cape of South Africa.

SPEAKER DETAILS

Hugo Tagholm is a recognised expert and award-winning environmentalist who serves as the Executive Director of Oceana in the UK and is also the founder of initiatives such as the Plastic Free Communities movement and the Million Mile Beach Clean. Previously he led Surfers Against Sewage, mobilising grassroots communities from the beach to the UK’s Parliament. He has championed legislation to protect seas across four environmental pillars: plastic pollution, water quality, climate change, and ocean rewilding and secured important legislative changes to ocean protection.

Laurie Laybourn is the founder and Director of the Cohort 2040 project and sits on the resilience advisory group for the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC). One of the key initiatives being developed by Cohort 2040 is the risk assessment of the potential collapse of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre convection (SPG), a major ocean and climate tipping point that could have cascading consequences across various systems significnatly impacting life on land. This first-of-its-kind risk assessment, conducted in collaboration with leading institutions, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the systemic risks associated with an SPG collapse and inform decision-making processes. Laurie led the Responding to Environmental Breakdown programme at IPPR, which won a 2019 Prospect Think Tank of the Year award. He is co-author, with Mathew Lawrence, of Planet on Fire: A manifesto for the age of environmental breakdown, published by Verso Books in April 2021.

Why Attend?

This fireside chat isn’t just a chat. It is a dialogue, an exploration of possible responses, a call to action. Whether you are an environmental enthusiast, a community leader, or someone curious about the interconnectedness of our world, this conversation will stimulate new perspectives into how we can all contribute to conserving coastal corridors and caring for coastal communities.

Beneficiaries:

Proceeds from this event will support The PlettAid Foundation and the Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment. These organisations are dedicated to building compassionate communities and protecting the natural beauty of the Bitou region in South Africa, directly contributing to education, health, wellbeing and conservation.