Komij Mour Ijin/Our Life is Here *start of a MCO

Description

In August 2023 Kovats joined an international art and climate expedition to the remote Marshall Islands in the Pacific organised by the pioneering Art and Climate organisation Cape Farewell. Travelling by boat to remote rarely visited Pacific atolls, some with communities but many still uninhabitable due to nuclear contamination, this research expedition examined the interconnected relationship between climate change displacement and legacy of nuclear destruction. The Marshall Islands face the imminent consequence of sea level rising, well in advance of many other places on the planet and exemplify how the global north fails to address the crisis faced in the global south. The expedition explored how creative research and outputs can highlight these issues, give voice to threatened communities that continue to manage the legacy of colonial ideologies alongside environmental and cultural exploitation. The team of researchers are committed through wide reaching creative outputs aim to foster hope and support resilience in the face of environmental catastrophe.
As an outcome of this expedition, Kovats is now part of an international network of artists, academics, writers, curators, poets, scientists, and activists that include a number of Marshallese artists, activists, and creatives.
The project is funded by the Waverly Foundation with future outputs in development that include a documentary, publications, and international exhibitions, including events and exhibitions on the Marshall Islands that support and mentor the younger Marshallese creatives, researchers, and activists that were part of the expedition.

Project website pages include:
https://www.capefarewell.com/2023-expedition/
https://ourlifeishere.org/

This project has already generated significant media and social media attention:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/marshall-islands

Period	Aug 2023 → 2026
Degree of Recognition	International